How Bare Would You Dare?
By Andrea Sanchez Benitez
Sustainability Editor
It was the 13th of July. I was walking downtown near Peel when an alarming number of police cars passed consecutively, one after the other. Naturally, I assumed some emergency was going on, and my curiosity was peaked. Soon enough, I understood that these police cars were there to clear the street, not for what seemed like an emergency but rather for a stampede of naked cyclists swarming downtown.
Once a year, a protest occurs across the world in which whoever desires must be as bare as they dare as they cycle around the city. In Montreal, this event went on from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and participants were allowed to use BIXI bikes so long as the seats were covered.
This event dates to 2003 when Conrad Schmidt founded the World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) to protest against the overconsumption of oil in a way that embraces the individuality of the human body. The choice of being naked is, according to the WNBR, a way to “demonstrate the vulnerability of cyclists on the road and is a protest against oil dependency.”
The participants are not obligated to be naked; however, the dress code is “As bare as you dare,” and participants are encouraged to challenge themselves. The route chosen for the cyclists is designed for less experienced cyclists, so one does not need to be an expert to partake in such an event.
In 2004, the most significant event was held in Portland, where over 10,000 participants participated. Last summer, although the official WNBR was cancelled in Oregon, a spin-off to this event was organized to protest Zenith Energy, which environmental activists and state regulators have criticized for lacking transparency and disregarding regulations.
There are participating cities in over 35 countries across different continents. The official World Naked Bike Ride website provides dates and locations.