World Naked Bike Ride, Victoria

Looking for the 2011 version?

A carnival atmosphere accompanied Victoria’s 7th annual World Naked Bike Ride on Saturday.

It’s been some time since I roamed British Columbia’s backwoods buck-naked or baked my buns at Wreck Beach, so I thought I’d wander down to the start at the BC Legislature and see where things went from there.

Less Gas, more ass!

The first hot day of the year tempted hundreds to shed their clothes for … what?

The WNBR wiki page advertises the event as a way to “celebrate cycling and the human body … [demonstrate] the vulnerability of cyclists on the road and … protest against oil dependency.”

The chant “Less gas, more ass!” points to concern for the environmental and social costs of our addiction to fossil fuels, illustrated more urgently by recent images of oil-soaked pelicans, victims of the ongoing catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico.

Micah, a first time naked bike rider, acknowledged bike lanes developed in the city but feels there is a long way to go before Victoria is a truly bicycle friendly community.

“It’s terrible how aggressive drivers are towards cyclists and how they feel that we’re more of a nuisance than having an actual right to be on the road.” He hopes that events like this will turn some heads and change some minds.

Aaron Mercer, a five-time veteran, enjoys the solidarity felt among large groups of cyclists sharing the same appreciation for green transportation.

“One day I’d like to see Government Street as a car-free zone — just trees down the centre and no road anymore.”

Exposed skin also symbolizes the cyclists’ lack of steel exoskeleton.

“To ride naked is just to be vulnerable. It really highlights the way it is on the road [for cyclists].”

Mercer also opposes the introduction of the harmonized sales tax on bicycles (due July 1) “They’re going to be taxing bikes and subsidizing gas and that’s just ass-backwards.”

Arunima had a more unadorned reason for being there. “I appreciate the political statements as well, but I just want to be naked on my bike,” she said.

Another woman combined activism and nudism. While her skin graffiti suggested “BP lick my spoke nips,” her primary inspiration remained: “I just love being naked!”

Like critical mass rides, this event clogged downtown streets. Unofficial marshals directed traffic while riders cleared intersections.

Unlike critical mass rides, I personally did not witness a single hostile motorist response along the route. Perhaps it’s hard to become angry with a crowd having so much fun and — except for one prudish bystander, who thought the spectacle “disgusting” — most onlookers were swept up by the jollity of the occasion.

As one might expect, sailors in town for the international fleet review reviewed this parade enthusiastically. While shipmates were hip-hip-hooraying the Governor General out on the strait, a large crowd of seamen on Government Street hooted their approval loudly. So did hundreds of other spectators — residents and tourists alike — as the colourful ride zig-zagged through the streets of Victoria.

I’m guessing readers are wondering: did this correspondent do the full Monty? I’m ashamed, ashamed to admit I did not. I noticed others who started the ride adhering to some minimal code of modesty, who by the end were as naked as jaybirds. Unfortunately, I was too busy plying the tools of my trade to cast off sartorial encumbrances.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. See you there next year!

WNBR Victoria | WNBR Main Page