Clothing-optional bike ride

WNBR riders in London

FKK-Radtour 2001 in Karlsruhe

A clothing-optional bike ride is a cycling event in which nudity is permitted or expected. There are many clothing-optional cycling events around the world. Some rides are political, recreational, artistic or a unique combination. Some are used to promote topfreedom, a social movement to accord women and girls the right to be topless in public where men and boys have that right.

Body art (such as body painting) are common forms of creative expression, as well as costumes, art bikes, portable sound reinforcement systems (such as public address systems/bullhorns, and boomboxes), musical instruments as well as other types of noisemakers.

Many of the political rides have their roots from Critical Mass and are often described or categorized as a form of political protest, street theatre, party-on-wheels, streaking, public nudity and clothing-optional recreation and thus attracts a wide range of participants.

Events

A body-painted unicyclist in the 2006 Summer Solstice Parade and Pageant

2005 Solstice Cyclists in Seattle

Topfree participants in the Washington, D.C. Dyke March in 2005

Full and partial (especially topfree) nudity is encouraged, but not mandatory, on all rides. Some people ride in their underwear.

Political and often artistic rides

• Critical Ass
• Hemp Ride Starting in 2007
• World Naked Bike Ride An international event (Since 12 June 2004)
• Manifestación Ciclonudista Mundial in Spain (Since 2001)
• Body Pride Ride in Seattle (Since 2005)
• Gardens Everywhere Bike Parade (GEBP) starting in Seattle on 29 August 2009.
• Naked Bike Rides by gainst War/Artists for Peace in Vancouver (3 January, 3 April, 27 June and 6 September 2003)
• Critical Mass Ciclonudista in Italy
• Nacktradeln.de

Recreational rides, not overtly political

• Nackt Radtour Naked cycling tours in Germany (since 2000).
• The Naked Bike Ride at the University of Vermont, a bi-annual event held at midnight after the last day of classes each semester

Mostly artistic, non-political rides

• Solstice Cyclists in Seattle. (Since 1992, with bodypainting since in 1998?)
• Critical Tits at Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.
• The Queen video for Bicycle Race.

Topfree events

Topfreedom is allowed but full nudity is not allowed, or is discouraged:

• Sydney Body Art Ride in Sydney, Australia. (Since 2005)
• Washington, D.C. Dyke March

Related bike ride events

• Critical Ass is a variant of the Critical Mass bike ride, where participating bicyclists ride in their underwear (also known as underwearing) or in the nude. In June 2004, 22 world cities participated in World Naked Bike Ride, an international Critical Ass-style event. Regular Critical Ass rides have taken place in New York City, Chicago, Seattle and other locales throughout North America.^[1]
• Some Critical Mass rides themselves have had incidents of full or partial nudity. Seattle Critical Ass is an example of one such ride.

Activists

Known activists include Daniel Lorenz Johnson, Jennifer Moss, Simon Oosterman, Conrad Schmidt (WNBR founder) and Terri Sue Webb.

Filmography

• Solstice: A Celebration of the Art of Bodypainting produced by James W. Taylor/Circle Rock, 2004. Includes clips of the 2003 Solstice Cyclists
• Radtour-Classics 2001: Nackt-Radtour in und um Karlsruhe am 14. 6. 2001 A film by Karl-Heinz Kreutler.

See also

References