According to information posted on both Twitter and Facebook, organizers are planning a "clothing optional" ride "in solidarity with the WNBR" in New York City on Friday evening June 13, That's the night before most of the international WNBR rides, and there's, so far, been no mention online of an "official" WNBR in NYC on that Saturday.
The new evening ride is being promoted as "Bare as You Dare" and "clothing optional" probably to encourage more participants, who might not want to be associated with something with "naked" in the brand name.
As an after work, Friday Night Happy Hour, event in a city with millions of young singles such a ride might draw large numbers of riders and spectators before they head for home at the end of a work week.
It should be noted that New York City has a new administration this year, with a much more liberal mayor. Also new this year are widely available Citibikes, which can easily be rented. They are similar to the Boris, or Barclay's bikes in London. And New York has miles and miles of dedicated bike lanes.
Unfortunately, the NYC WNBR has, most years, offered a few dozen riders who appear to be mostly counterculture types, with a few guys and a couple of very brave women willing to risk an encounter with the NYPD by riding fully nude in the city. However, it should also be noted that in NYC it is ALWAYS Legal for women to walk around or ride a bike completely topless. So a fully legal ride full of babes wearing just bikini bottoms is much better than no babes at all. And the first few hours, from 6-pm until 10-pm, should offer enough daylight, at this time of year, for pictures.
The new ride will also start over the bridge in Brooklyn, and likely cross the river and into Manhattan. The downtown financial district is still pretty active on Friday nights in summer, but very quiet the rest of the weekend. It will also be interesting to see if the ride ventures up to Midtown, Central Park,Times Square, 5th Avenue etc. which are always very active. A few years ago they rode all the way to Columbus Circle through a busy Midtown on a Saturday afternoon, and they also had an escort of motor scooter police watching their every move. It has appeared that the police were less vigilant when they rode through neighborhood streets in Brooklyn, or an almost empty Downtown Manhattan on a Saturday afternoon. It will be interesting to see how the new ride goes, and, hopefully there will also be a daylight WNBR in NYC the next day.
If the night ride is anywhere near as popular as Portland, this could be the start of something really BIG !!!
