Clothing-optional bike ride

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. This event takes place around the World on "20th of June" each year.

WNBR riders in London
FKK-Radtour 2001 in Karlsruhe

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

Recreational rides, not overtly political

Mostly artistic, non-political rides

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
  • 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
  1. Eye Weekly Jun 2, 2005 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada): "Nudist Profiling," accessed on Feb 23 2006. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-10-08. Retrieved 2007-03-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.