Nude cyclist spotted on Highway 101 in San Jose

Instagram user @nickmofaves captured video of naked man cycling on Highway 101. Instagram user @nickmofaves captured video of naked man cycling on Highway 101. Photo: Screenshot Via Instagram @nickmofaves Photo: Screenshot Via Instagram @nickmofaves Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Nude cyclist spotted on Highway 101 in San Jose 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

It's nearly impossible to avoid encountering the occasional nude man in public while living in the Bay Area, but still, it's not every day that a stark naked cyclist blazes past you on the highway.

Yet that was the rush hour spectacle that greeted a number of commuters Wednesday morning on Highway 101 in San Jose, around 9:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

"Dispatch was getting a lot of calls," said Officer Ross Lee of the CHP's San Jose office.

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Multiple 911 callers spotted the man, nude but for a well-groomed goatee, cycling between Story Road and Alum Rock Avenue with nary a care in the world. Three units were out looking for the man, who was spotted multiple times on the north and southbound lanes of Highway 101 — biking against traffic, at times — but he was not located, Lee said.

Lee said that while cyclists and pedestrians are spotted on the freeway all the time, the nudity element made the incident "rather unusual."

"We've had calls of naked males somewhere on the freeway in the past," he said, "but never a naked man on a bicycle."

Some observers were concerned not by the cyclist's lack of pants, but instead by the fact that he wasn't wearing a helmet.

"It's against California law to ride a bike without a helmet. Doesn't he know that," wrote Instagram user Nick Moezidis alongside a video of the naked biker. "I love the SF Bay Area always interesting."

Still others seemed to admire the man's bold choices.

"There was a dude butt naked riding his bike on highway 101. What an absolute unit!!" wrote a Twitter user named Ray.

Lee said the nudity was less of a problem than the safety issues posed by the situation.

"Our main concern is not that he was naked," he said. "The main concern is that he could have been killed riding his bicycle on the freeway or caused a collision."

That being said, the CHP doesn't plan to pursue the matter further unless it becomes a recurring problem.

Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on Twitter



