Here is the simple goal for those participating in Naked Bike Ride: Protest our dependency on oil and celebrate the power and individuality of our bodies. In America, most people tend to have a warped attitude toward bicycles. They see bicycles as toys and amusements, not as incredibly efficient and serious modes of transportation. More than anything else, Naked Bike Ride is an attempt to change this attitude and to get people to choose bicycles rather than gas guzzling motor vehicles, whenever possible.
This combination was pure marketing genius. If 1,000 people had assembled in the middle of St. Louis to promote alternative sustainable methods of transportation, the media wouldn’t have given a rat’s ass. Because these organizers promised to wrap this serious message about bicycle riding in a package of nudity, however, the media was there in droves. Here’s an video interview of two of the organizers.
Now, what kind of nudity did those curious media types actually see when they got to the assembly prior to the bicycle ride? Well, they saw some of this:
As well as some of this:
The evening could also have been accurately called Slogans Painted on Partially Naked People on Bikes Night, but that would have been unwieldy.
This use of nakedness to promote the message that we desperately need to start using sustainable transportation methods has been successfully executed in numerous other cities. Tonight, the event came to my home town. 
I decided to both participate in a minimally naked way . . .
. . . and report on the St. Louis edition of “Naked Bike Ride.” Yes, the message on my back was not creative. I went for the brutally clear approach.
The St. Louis organizers encouraged participants to push the nakedness to the legal limit, but not more than the limit:
[W]e also met with the police tonight. We wanted you all to know the official word after that meeting. Here’s the city ordinance that they went over with us. We are encouraging strategic coverage of the controversial areas (genitals, buttocks, breasts) but maximum exposure within the law and if people decide to bare it all you need to know that that is in violation of the 
ordinance and the police have to right to make arrests if there are complaints.
What goes on during Naked Bicycle Night? The cyclists have the opportunity to take a 12-mile bicycle ride on the city streets devoid of gas-slurping automobiles, along with hundreds of other concerned citizens in various states of cycling nudity.
Perhaps you are wondering whether it would be uncomfortable to ride a bicycle while naked. The national organizers dedicated several paragraphs to that topic here.
It might have been more accurate to call it Underwear Bicycle Ride, but there was, indeed, some nakedness, including several people riding totally in the nude. It was hilarious to watch the 
expressions of the numerous bystanders who saw the totally naked bicycle riders passing. Many of them had that look (“Oh my. It looks like . . . no, it couldn’t be . . . but maybe it is . . . but is that legal?” I would estimate that there were 500 riders tonight. We passed by a several thousand people staring out hotel and restaurant windows but many more cheering on the streets. Many people cheering knew about Naked Bicycle Ride and were lined up along portions of the route.
The crowds often shouted lots of enthusiasm, honked horns, jumped up and down and waved. As we passed through the applauding people early in the ride, a woman riding next to me said, “This is such a rush.” Indeed.
I snapped this shot as my group paused at an intersection in front of a brightly lit gas station. That’s what it’s all about, right?
There were many creative body paintings. Note this woman’s violin motif, for example. I took most of these photos while riding my bicycle, holding onto the bike with my left hand and shooting with the right, without looking through at or through the camera. Given the haphazardness of the situation, I was surprised that I was able to capture so many usable images. As you can see, this includes images of many people conveying the an unsurprisingly coherent political mood.
And lest you accuse me of being solely at the even for voyeuristic reasons, check out my post detailing dozens of reasons to commute by bicycle. Also, many of the slogans painted on the riders echoed many of the environmental and political concerns I’ve previously expressed on this blog. I was among kindred spirits.
I’ll end on this sad note. The fellow below peddled a classic old one-speed bike. Despite his light load of clothing, he needed to walk the heavy old bike up some of the hills. This is just to warn you next time you ride a one-speed bicycle naked.
It was a good time with a serious message, well-conveyed. I applaud the organizers for their dedication and creativity!
[Epilogue: The 2009 Saint Louis Naked Bike Ride will be held on August 15, 2009. Here are the details]
good time, great night for a ride, but jeez lots of mosquito bites in unusual places.
I don't have any mosquito bites, just a bit of a hangover from all the magreritas at the Atomic Cowboy.
I had a great time last night, thanks for posting the photos Erich. Do you have more, if so could you do a Flicker set of them?
Justin: I'm glad you liked the photos. I have others that just aren't very interesting–blurred or nothing much happening in the scene. The images posted at this site are the only ones I found worthy of posting. Let me know if there are other sites that have other photos from the St. Louis Naked Bike Ride.
Regarding mosquito bites, I think the trick is to stay clothed until right before riding. I had no problem with mosquitoes as long as I was in motion. I was wondering whether the people standing around unclothed prior to the ride were getting eaten up by mosquitoes.
I'd considered taking that ride, before running a fever this weekend. I'm usually out of town on Moonlight Ramble weekend (Aug 16-17, 2008 is the 45<sup>th</sup> annual). But I'll be in town this year! Let's see what excuse I come up with, or who goads me into joining.
There is a Flickr group for the St. Louis WNBR, with pics from several people already up: http://flickr.com/groups/nakedbikestl/
These are great photos too. It was a fun evening, and a good chance to get some publicity for the message.
So THAT's why its vitally important to have a chain guard…
For a first effort, not bad. But there is plenty of room for improvement. first, the meeting place was changed at the last minute. Not good. I drove in circles trying to figure out where people were at 7pm. Imagine trying to protest oil dependency and having hundreds of people driving in circles – sort of defeats the purpose, eh?
The official police response was no full nudity; however, the police officers at the scene told a different story – no lewd or lascivious behavior, and no complaints from the public – then bare as you dare. In other words, full nudity would have been permitted – as a few individuals demonstrated.
The route, or lack of one, had everyone confused. Make a plan, and follow the plan. Half the bikers were confused and went their own route.
If you want to look disorganized and confused, keep going at it. If you want your message to be heard, plan. The media wasn't promoting the oil dependency – brief mentions. Not one word of body image was broadcasted.
Have a few people with the right information ready to talk at the meeting place to make sure everyone knows what will happen and when.
Something to think about – having people drive all over the place to get there. Ride their bikes somewhere else and need rides back to their cars to drive home – having people drive from hundreds miles away, and having police cars driving all over town making other cars idle waiting for the bikes to pass – how much oil was wasted that evening? Probably more than properly inflated tires would save.
Hey, that's me with the "No Blood For Oil" written on my back. I suppose those undies that Leonie picked out (I promised that I wouldn't get arrested) really were "don't hit me yellow."
As per usual, I'm stricken with postsituational snappy remark syndrome. After I got home I realized that I should have asked for something like, "I lost 3500 lbs in one day!" (which is mostly true as we sold our BMW since I started riding my bike).
Next year I'll be riding the Xtracycle. In a couple of weeks I should be able to carry things that I couldn't fit in a regular car.
Way to go, Dave! It's sometimes difficult to recognize people you know when they are "naked."
wait a sec p2123! 🙂 Great points, but on my interview with ksdk I mentioned body image 🙂 NYAH! 🙂
That sounds cool (and the pictures are a lot less tame than another site about this that I was on). There were evidently quite a few hotties (who spent time getting perfectly groomed for the inevitable photos). I will say that I do like the view of the guy on the one-speed pushing it up. He has a really nice body (from what I can see) and probably wouldn't look as good on the bike.
Keith's "House of Carrots"? Any of the rest of you tried to read it? I must admit that my Esperanto is lacking. I needed to find an online translator: http://traduku.net/ to get a vague clue of what are his "botherrals"
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A Multnomah County judge has cleared a nude Portland bicyclist of criminal indecent exposure charges, saying cycling naked has become a "well-established tradition" in Portland.
Judge Jerome LaBarre said the city's annual World Naked Bike Ride — in which as many as 1,200 people took part this year– has helped establish the practice as a protest against cars and dependence on fossil fuels.
http://www.katu.com/news/local/34445764.html
Naked mountain hikers in the Swiss canton of Appenzell-Innerrhoden will in future face on the spot fines . . .
"We must protect our children from these immoral habits," the paper quoted Melchior Looser, head of the cantonal justice and police department, as saying.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29094739/
The 2009 Saint Louis Naked Bike Ride will be held on August 15, 2009. Here are the details
Great post…I've got some pictures up on my blog. My husband rode but I helped out with the body painting!