A
clothing-optional bike ride is a
cyclingCycling is an activity most commonly performed on a bicycle - when it is it is also referred to as bicycling or simply biking. It is the use of the bicycle, unicycle , tricycles , quadracycles , and other similar wheeled human-powered vehicles for the purpose of transport, as a form of...
event in which
nudityNudity is the state of wearing no clothing.It is related to the concept of modesty and is sometimes used to refer to wearing significantly less clothing than expected by the conventions of a particular culture and situation, and in particular exposing the bare skin or intimate...
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
topfreedomTopfreedom is a social movement seeking the recognition of a right of women and girls to be topless in public where men and boys have that right...
, a social movement to accord women and girls the right to be topless in public where men and boys have that right.
Body artBody art is art made on, with, or consisting of, the human body. The most common forms of body art are tattoos and body piercings, but other types include scarification, branding, scalpelling, shaping , full body tattoo and body painting.More extreme body art can involve things such as mutilation...
(such as
body paintingBody painting, or sometimes bodypainting, is a form of body art, considered by some as the most ancient form of art. Unlike tattoo and other forms of body art, body painting is temporary, painted onto the human skin, and lasts for only several hours, or at most a couple of weeks...
) are common forms of creative expression, as well as
costumeThe term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances...
s,
art bikeAn art bike is any bicycle modified for creative purposes while still being ridable. It is a type of kinetic sculpture. The degree of artistic creativity and originality or new functionality of art bikes varies greatly, depending on the artist or designer's intentions .-Examples:* The annual...
s, portable
sound reinforcement systemA sound reinforcement system is the combination of microphones, signal processors, amplifiers, and loudspeakers that makes live or pre-recorded sounds louder and may also distribute those sounds to a larger or more distant audience...
s (such as
public addressA public address or "PA" system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a given sound, e.g., a person making a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often...
systems/
bullhornsA megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loud hailer is a portable, usually hand-held, funnel cone-shaped device whose application is to amplify a person’s voice towards a targeted direction. This is accomplished by channeling the sound through a funnel, which also serves to match the...
, and
boomboxA boombox, also known as ghetto blaster, jambox, or radio-cassette, is a name given to portable stereo systems capable of playing radio stations and recorded music , at relatively high volume...
es),
musical instrumentA musical instrument is an object constructed or used for the purpose of making the sounds of music. In principle, anything that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the beginnings of human culture...
s as well as other types of noisemakers.
Many of the political rides have their roots from
Critical MassCritical Mass is a bicycling event typically held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world. While the ride was originally founded in 1992 in San Francisco with the idea of drawing attention to how unfriendly the city was to cyclists, the leaderless structure of Critical...
and are often described or categorized as a form of
political protestProtest expresses relatively overt reaction to events or situations: sometimes in favor, though more often opposed. Protesters may organize a protest as a way of publicly and forcefully making their opinions heard in an attempt to influence public opinion or government policy, or may undertake...
,
street theatreStreet theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves and street corners. They are especially seen in outdoor spaces where there are...
,
partyA party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, and recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....
-on-wheels,
streakingStreaking is the act of taking off one's clothes and running naked through a public place.-History:On 5 July 1799, a Friday evening at 7 o'clock, a naked man was arrested, at the Mansion House, London, and sent to the Poultry Compter...
,
public nudityPublic nudity or nude in public refers to nudity not in an entirely private context. It refers to a person appearing nude in a public place or to be seen from a public place...
and
clothing-optional recreationNaturism or nudism is a cultural and political movement advocating and defending social nudity in private and in public. It may also refer to a lifestyle based on personal, family and/or social nudism....
and thus attracts a wide-range of participants.
Events
Full and partial (especially topfree)
nudityNudity is the state of wearing no clothing.It is related to the concept of modesty and is sometimes used to refer to wearing significantly less clothing than expected by the conventions of a particular culture and situation, and in particular exposing the bare skin or intimate...
is encouraged, but not mandatory, on all rides. Some people ride in their
underwearUndergarments or underwear are clothes worn under other clothes, often next to the skin. They keep outer garments from being soiled by perspiration, urine, semen, feces, and other discharges; shape the body; and provide support for parts of it. In cold weather, long underwear sometimes is worn to...
.
Political and often artistic rides
- Critical Ass
- Hemp Ride Starting in 2007
- World Naked Bike Ride
World Naked Bike Ride is an international clothing-optional bike ride in which participants plan, meet and ride together en masse on human-powered transport to "protest oil dependency and celebrate the power and individuality of our bodies".The dress code motto is "Bare As You...
An international event (Since 12 June 2004)
- Manifestación Ciclonudista Mundial in Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
(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 Against War/Artists for Peace in Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
(3 January, 3 April, 27 June and 6 September 2003)
- Critical Mass Ciclonudista in Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
- Nacktradeln.de
Recreational rides, not overtly political
- Nackt Radtour
Nackt-Radtour, Karlsruher FKK Rad-Classics and Karlsruher Nacktradeltour are references used to describe annual naked cycling tours in Germany, many of which happen around Karlsruhe. Organizers describe the event as recreational rather than political. Full and partial nudity is encouraged, but not...
Naked cycling tours in GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
(since 2000).
- The Naked Bike Ride at the University of Vermont
The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, more commonly known as the University of Vermont, is a national public research university and the state of Vermont's land-grant university. Known to many as "UVM," the university has also been named a Public Ivy...
, a bi-annual event held at midnight after the last day of classes each semester
Mostly artistic, non-political rides
- Solstice Cyclists
The Solstice Cyclists is an artistic, non-political, clothing-optional bike ride celebrating the spirit of the Summer Solstice, and which constitutes an unofficial start for the Summer Solstice Parade & Pageant, an event produced by the Fremont Arts Council in the Fremont...
in Seattle. (Since 1992, with bodypainting since in 1998?)
- Critical Tits at Burning Man
Burning Man is an annual event held in the Black Rock Desert, in Northern Nevada. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
in the Black Rock DesertThe Black Rock Desert is a dry lake bed and the surrounding endorheic basin in northwestern Nevada in the United States. The flat expanse of dry lake, or playa, is a remnant of the prehistoric Lake Lahontan, which existed between 18,000 and 7,000 BC during the last ice age...
in NevadaNevada is a state located in the western region of the United States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is Silver State, due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there...
- The Queen
Queen were an English rock band. Formed in London in 1970 following the demise of the band Smile, Queen consisted of vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor. The band became popular with audiences via their hit songs, live performances,...
video for Bicycle Race"Bicycle Race" is a single for the English rock band Queen. It was released on their 1978 album Jazz and written by Queen's frontman Freddie Mercury. The song is unusual for a Queen single in that it shows off the band's humorous side. Among other comic moments it has a middle eight which features...
.
Topfree events
TopfreedomTopfreedom is a social movement seeking the recognition of a right of women and girls to be topless in public where men and boys have that right...
is allowed but full
nudityNudity is the state of wearing no clothing.It is related to the concept of modesty and is sometimes used to refer to wearing significantly less clothing than expected by the conventions of a particular culture and situation, and in particular exposing the bare skin or intimate...
is not allowed, or is discouraged:
- Sydney Body Art Ride
The Sydney Body Art Ride is a community-driven art event which raises funds for children's cancer research while promoting healthy sustainable living. It is held annually in the middle of February in Sydney, Australia...
in SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
, AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. (Since 2005)
- Critical Tits, held every year at Burning Man
Burning Man is an annual event held in the Black Rock Desert, in Northern Nevada. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
- Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
Dyke MarchDyke March is a mostly lesbian-led and inclusive gathering and protest march much like the original gay pride parades and marches. They usually occur the Friday or Saturday before LGBT Pride Parades and larger metropolitan areas have related events both before and after the event to further...
Related bike ride events
- Critical Ass is a variant of the Critical Mass
Critical Mass is a bicycling event typically held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world. While the ride was originally founded in 1992 in San Francisco with the idea of drawing attention to how unfriendly the city was to cyclists, the leaderless structure of Critical...
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 RideWorld Naked Bike Ride is an international clothing-optional bike ride in which participants plan, meet and ride together en masse on human-powered transport to "protest oil dependency and celebrate the power and individuality of our bodies".The dress code motto is "Bare As You...
, 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.
- Some Critical Mass rides themselves have had incidents of full or partial nudity. Seattle Critical Ass is an example of one such ride.http://naked.wikia.com/wiki/Seattle_Critical_Ass
Activists
Known activists include
Daniel Lorenz JohnsonDaniel Lorenz Johnson is an American permaculturist, artist, activist, community organizer and writer who has worked for the advancement of various progressive/social liberalist causes through interdisciplinary, collaborative projects involving grassroots politics, media art and popular culture...
,
Jennifer MossJennifer Moss a.k.a. "Gennifer Moss", "Earth Friend Gen", "Ojai's 'Pastie Lady'" and "Ashland's Naked Lady" is a peace, sustainable living, social nudity and topfreedom activist living in Ashland, Oregon who is best known for inline skating and cycling naked.Moss enjoys drinking green smoothies...
,
Simon OostermanSimon Oosterman is a New Zealand political activist, trade unionist, and anarchist. He is best known for coordinating the Unite Union campaign Supersizemypay.com which targeted the fast food industry and contributed to the abolition of youth rates, a $12 minimum wage and the , and for his...
,
Conrad Schmidt-Biography:Conrad was born and raised in South Africa and later moved to Vancouver, where he presently resides.- Community involvement :Schmidt founded the group Artists for Peace/Artists Against War . In 2003, Schmidt organised a protest in which 50 AAW members formed a peace sign with their naked...
(WNBR founder) and
Terri Sue WebbTerri Sue Webb is an activist living in Bend, Oregon, who was one of few activists in the United States active in The Freedom to be Yourself campaign. She has been imprisoned and released multiple times for public nudity. On several occasions, she has remained fully nude while incarcerated, often...
.
Filmography
- Solstice: A Celebration of the Art of Bodypainting produced by James W. Taylor/Circle Rock, 2004. Includes clips of the 2003 Solstice Cyclists
The Solstice Cyclists is an artistic, non-political, clothing-optional bike ride celebrating the spirit of the Summer Solstice, and which constitutes an unofficial start for the Summer Solstice Parade & Pageant, an event produced by the Fremont Arts Council in the Fremont...
- Radtour-Classics 2001: Nackt-Radtour in und um Karlsruhe am 14. 6. 2001 A film by Karl-Heinz Kreutler.
See also
- Individual and political action on climate change and Soft energy path
In 1976 energy policy analyst Amory Lovins coined the term soft energy path to describe an alternative future where energy efficiency and appropriate renewable energy sources steadily replace a centralized energy system based on fossil and nuclear fuels....
- Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits, with few permanent ties...
and CountercultureCounterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition...
- Naturism
Naturism or nudism is a cultural and political movement advocating and defending social nudity in private and in public. It may also refer to a lifestyle based on personal, family and/or social nudism....
- List of public outdoor clothes free places
- Reclaim the Streets
Reclaim the Streets is a collective with a shared ideal of community ownership of public spaces. Participants characterize the collective as a resistance movement opposed to the dominance of corporate forces in globalisation, and to the car as the dominant mode of transport.-Protests:Reclaim the...
- Culture jamming
Culture jamming is a tactic in which an activist attempts to disrupt or subvert mainstream cultural institutions or corporate advertising. Culture jamming is usually employed in opposition to a perceived appropriation of public space, or as a reaction against social conformity...
and Direct actionDirect action is politically motivated activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political goals outside of normal social/political channels. Direct action can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the...
and Flash mobA flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse. The term flash mob is generally applied only to gatherings organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails...
and Smart mobA smart mob is a form of self-structuring social organization through technology-mediated, intelligent emergent behavior. The concept was introduced by Howard Rheingold in his book Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution. According to Rheingold, smart mobs are an indication of the evolving...
- Nude beach
A nude beach is a beach where users are legally at liberty to be nude. Sometimes the terms clothing-optional beach or free beach are used. Nude bathing is one of the most common forms of nudity in public...
- Nudity in sport
Nudity in sport is uncommon but has not been totally absent from ancient or current sporting activities.-History:...
- Naked Hiking
Naked walking, also known as naked hiking or freehiking, is a sub-category of the modern form of social nudity.-Context:Naturism has traditionally been an activity engaged in within a private space, landed club environment or designated beach. Modern naturism is moving towards a public space, as...
- Public nudity
Public nudity or nude in public refers to nudity not in an entirely private context. It refers to a person appearing nude in a public place or to be seen from a public place...
- Utility cycling
Utility cycling encompasses any cycling not done primarily for fitness, recreation such as cycle touring, or sport such as cycle racing, but simply as a means of transport. It is the most common type of cycling in the world...