World Naked Bike Ride Launches Again

Those who enjoy Pants Optional Sunday might want to check out the World Naked Bike Ride.

Held annually in March in the Southern Hemisphere, the World Naked Bike Ride has been going on for a decade in some areas as a way to promote a "cleaner, safer, body-positive world" and emphasize cyclists' rights.

This is very definitely not for the faint of heart, or for those who get uncomfortable easily on a bike seat. Some 100 riders hit the New South Wales north coast with more to follow in Lismore and Byron Bay.

There are some individuals, however, who far prefer riding naked to the alternative. World Naked Bike Ride co-organizer James Fuller has been cycling through Northern Rivers hills naked well before the World Naked Bike Ride was conceived of.

"For men and women it's surprisingly comfortable as long as your seat isn't torn up," Fuller commented, explaining how he got started with the surprising trend. "About 20 years ago I was out on a bush track by myself and it was a hot day and I stripped off and cycled on an old 10-speed bike and I had butterflies just fluttering about me; they liked the salt and the moisture."

In Cambridge, Australia, the trend is fairly new; organizers are gearing up for their third World Naked Bike Ride, and are slated to meet with the Safety Advisory Group April 18, with plans for the event to follow.

The World Naked Bike Ride takes place in more than 50 cities worldwide. The event is designed to help people celebrate body types of all shapes and sizes and to protest oil dependency, and as such, people are generally encouraged to paint messages relaying the message behind the World Naked Bike Ride on their bodies.

There have been World Naked Bike Rides in Canada and the United States as well; while only one of the previous ride locations in the United States appears to have planned a new ride for 2017, there are many locations that appear to have committed to having new rides in the future.