[NOTE: I have “sanitized” the images here, but clicking some of the pictures or links may take you to the WNBR web site which contains really shocking pictures of folks like you and me without their clothes on. Be Warned.]
Velogirardeau, the bike club in my hometown of Cape Girardeau, MO, sends me email about upcoming rides and the like.
The St. Louis World Naked Bike Ride
This morning there was an interesting account of the weekend’s Cairo Wildcat Century, but the big news was the St. Louis World Naked Bike Ride scheduled for August 15.
Tower Grove Park is just down the street from Bro Mark. I bet he’ll be one of the first riders to show up. He’s a weight wienie who does everything he can to strip grams off his bike, so this is a perfect event for him.
Are there any rides around here in Florida?
Purely in the interest of academic research, I journeyed to the official World Naked Bike Ride web site and put Florida into the search field.
Four Participating Locations popped up
- Palm Coast
- Pensacola
- Saint Petersburg
- Tampa Bay
The Bad News
Palm Coast, Pensacola and Tampa Bay had ??? next to Date, Time and Location. Tampa’s site had links to media coverage of the Mar. 12, 2006, ride but nothing more recent.
Maybe the participants haven’t gotten out of jail yet.
The Sorta Good News
Saint Petersburg has picked a date, June 9, but it’s 2007. And all of the text looks like Russian. I bet it’s not Saint Petersburg, FL.
Yep, it WAS Russia.
Now there IS a new entry for Saint Petersburg, FL, on the list.
Date: Trying for the Summer 2008
Time: Not set yet
Location: To be decided. Might be in another county.
History: Hi all..We had a ride in 2005 and in 2006 but none in 2007..So if we can generate enough interest for a ride in 2008 for the summer ride, we’ll see what can be done to make this a all nude ride. If this falls thru in Saint Petersburg then we can see about having it in Pasco county just north of Pinellas county where they are not as much against nudity as these religious people are in Pinellas. Another good place would be in the Miami area but far away from Haulover beach or in another city besides Saint Petersburg or Tampa and if it is in another area then it will require the help of some others in that area to make the arrangements..I’m posting this in the Florida groups also. Lets see what can be done for 2008..Cheers..Keithmj
Sounds like we had better not count on the Florida Saint Petersburgians getting their acts together.
What is a naked bike ride all about and other questions?
The official site has an extensive FAQ that addresses just about everything you ever wanted to know about stripping down and hopping on your two-wheeler.
Actually, the FAQ says that “skateboards, inline skates, rollerskates, rollerblades” are welcome and “unicycles, tricycles, chopper bikes, tandems, recumbants and rickshaws” have also shown up. No petrol-powered conveyances, though, please.
Do I have to be naked?
Nope, just “as bare as you dare.”
Can I hurt myself?
“Only if you don’t wear sunscreen or if you fall off the bike.”
You’re on your own to get the rest of your questions answered.
If I am in town that weekend I will mosey on down there and snap a few photos and send you an account of the event as I see it. For the record, I will not be participating in the event in any form of undress. Not that I am overly modest, I’m just not interested in the event enough to join in. But I will let the photos and the first-hand account speak for itself when the time comes.
Last year the ride did go by the house and you could catch a glimpse of the brave-hearts with good intentions and poor judgement, but seriously….there must be a better way to get their message across.
I do work with an editor who also Refs at roller-derby events here in town. He said that several of the all girls teams were invited to the event this year. Yeah, they turned it down.
Stay tuned.
I sent an email thankyou to the velogirardeau member who posted the link and he replied, “Glad to help! We had a great time last year — it was really a hoot. People were pouring out of the downtown bars and taking cell-phone pics all the way.”
I think the next Lake Okeechobee Full Moon ride you organize should be a full moon ride.
—Matt