WNBR 2014

[danzo]

Originally Posted by meduse

Ouch !

aw, that sucks. She's my favourite. Sorry to see such a lovely creature have a rough time

[Everard]

And it looks like the guy in the car opposite got a good photo too!

[susancat]

Average video
newsflare.com/video/4189/charity-causes/world-naked-bike-ride-london-2013-no-music-overdub

[Davidavin]

Originally Posted by 27cows

It'll never be worldwide. Can you imagine WNBR Baghdad? WNBR Riyadh? WNBR Beijing? Yet the (picks words carefully) people from less enlightened countries seem to be the very worst behaved when it comes to any gathering involving people wearing very little or nothing. Which speaks volumes, I think.

If I had my way, the London ride would be scrapped and there would be two (maybe more!) in Brighton each year. The whole place is just one great vibe. I will never forget perching on the edge of that fountain at Old Steine as girls and boys, young and old, danced about under the cascading water in the glorious hot sunshine and thinking that this is about as good as life gets.

From what I know, Brighton is sort of a college town? I ventured down to Eugene, OR, another college town, on Saturday to witness their ride. My report goes like this:

Eugene, OR is a bustling college town of 150,000 and is home to the University of Oregon. Always at the cutting edge of west coast culture, this town would seem ripe to host a large, enthusiatic WNBR. However, despite the fact that Portland and its mammoth ride is only a scant 90 miles away, this town has never really put their WNBR on the map. I've attended 4-5, always in daylight, and always they have been lightly attended. Where are all those college kids? Eugene is also a very bike friendly town. But as many know, the kids don't generally come out unless its dark out. One year, this town did attempt to host a night ride, but it fizzled out and I recall spending a fruitless evening driving around town only to come up empty handed.

OK, so they do ride, but attendance seldom tops 50 participants, and its hit or miss if you are a photographer. So, last Saturday, I arrived with low expectations. At 4PM, the scheduled arrival time, few had showed, and even at 4:20, ten minutes before ride time, only 10-15 were on hand, mostly male and mostly clothed. Oh well, I though - I guess I'll head out. So I started to walk towards my car, but a little voice inside me said "hang around another 5-10 minutes - or at least until the ride departs". And so I did, and thank the lord for that! Five minutes later, three nice young girls arrived and two stripped to nothing. Within 5 more minutes, I had gotten my shots, and the ride was off. Unfortunately though, they rode away from me, not towards me. But thats OK - it wasn't a total loss and I'm glad I made the trip down. Eugene's bike ride may not be in a class with Portland's, but any one can have the potential to be productive.

Below are two pics and I have up to a dozen or so which I will try to post as soon as the London WNBR onslaught has cooled.

Davidavin (Klondike)

[Pedro the Fisherman]

Has anyone come across any more shots of these London girls, specially the one on the left, the best type of WNBR in my opinion! The sort of girl who you would never see naked normally.

[BeachBiker]

Originally Posted by Davidavin

thanks for the insights and once again, for the photos...

Hearing about London this year makes me worry a bit about the future of that ride. This is on top of the depressing news from NYC. These are both "world cities". They call it the WORLD naked bike ride, but I think it is going to be a long time before it can truly be considered to be a worldwide success.. I can take heart in the photos from Mexico City, where I would not expect a good ride. Otherwise, leadership from London and NYC would really help in this effort. London has done its part. NYC? - ugh.....

Davidavin (Klondike)

Klondike:

About an hour after I posted the latest update on those arrested NYC riders on Saturday, I was reminded of Willy ( no guys, not THAT ) but wise old Willy Shakespeare who wrote in Hamlet: The lady doth protest too much, methinks!


It seems the NYC naked riders really have been trying to provoke the police into arresting them for indecent exposure for years, and they finally succeeded right in the middle of Greenwich Village last Friday night. Those two naked riders were held in police custody for 24-hours, and now they will have their day in court. They may have the support of some hot-shot New York Civil Liberties lawyers who might attempt to LEGALIZE nude protests, like the WNBR, by claiming it's freedom of speech, or that it's not lewd or indecent behavior in that specific protest situation. Who knows what legal approach they might take?

It should be remembered that the naked bike riders of Fremont in Seattle started after some streakers were arrested at the parade, and that a judge's ruling in the last few years that naked bike riding was a "tradition" in Portland opened the flood gates for the biggest WNBR in the world. And in NYC, a court decision in 1992 made it legal for women to roam the city streets topless, although, it seems, the police weren't drilled in that law until recent years, and women don't take advantage of it often, anyway. Riding in the raw, apparently, is legal in the UK and Canada, but not in most US cities, where nude participants risk arrest.

So, those two guys who were arrested in NY on Friday, when the cop said "You can't ride around with your dick out!," may be leading the charge to a future huge WNBR in NYC, but they'll have to make their way through the courts and appeals. We'll see!

In London, it sounds like a little more police presence at the start and along the route might make for a better experience for all but the true pervs. The NYPD does a terrific job in handling the crowds, and many thousands of drunks, at the St. Patrick's Day Parade every year, a relatively small turnout of true pervs at a massive naked bike ride would be relatively easy to control. And the event could draw large groups of spectators, while giving a boost to the local economy.

[Looker81]

Originally Posted by meduse

Ouch !

Oh dear. I guess it had to happen. Which rider was she? Hope she was not too badly hurt. Does anybody know the outcome - and where is this shot from?

[Davidavin]

Originally Posted by BeachBiker

It seems the NYC naked riders really have been trying to provoke the police into arresting them for indecent exposure for years, and they finally succeeded right in the middle of Greenwich Village last Friday night. Those two naked riders were held in police custody for 24-hours, and now they will have their day in court. They may have the support of some hot-shot New York Civil Liberties lawyers who might attempt to LEGALIZE nude protests, like the WNBR, by claiming it's freedom of speech, or that it's not lewd or indecent behavior in that specific protest situation. Who knows what legal approach they might take?

If this was the genuine intent of the riders - i.e. to get arrested so that they could sacrifice themselves, if you will, go to trial and force a ruling that might turn out in favor of full nudity in public in NYC - well, they deserve some sort of medal, I guess.

But in San Diego, the woman who challenged the public nudity laws didn't succeed. It went to federal court but the court did not side with her.

we can only hope...

Davidavin (Klondike)

[Looker81]

Originally Posted by Pedro the Fisherman

Has anyone come across any more shots of these London girls, specially the one on the left, the best type of WNBR in my opinion! The sort of girl who you would never see naked normally.

Had a quick scan of my pics and I think I may have a couple but the quality not that great so I might not norally post. I'll take a fuller look tomorrow, but so far found this is one of the girl of the left. Looks as if she's texting.

[simonlintworm]

Originally Posted by 27cows

Would also add that this ridiculous discrimination against heterosexual male photographers gets on my bloody nerves. If you're a (clothed) woman snapping men (and making comments about their body parts while doing so) - fine. Clothed women photographing naked women - also fine. Gay men snapping gay and straight men, and gay and straight women - no problem. Straight men with a camera - pervs, the lot of them.

So much for body freedom and equality.

To put their attitude towards photographers into (a somewhat philosophical) perspective:

If a tree falls in a forest and there is no-one around, does it make a sound?