Metroblogging Portland writer Alex Williams had a run-in with the Day Time Naked Bike Ride yesterday. He pulled up next to a group of cyclists sans-clothing on SE Stark.
The run-in inspired Williams to compare Pedalpalooza to the Rose Festival (an annual event that coincides with Pedalpalooza each June). Not surprisingly, he concludes that naked cyclists rule.
Here’s what he wrote on Metblogs.
“It was like seeing some rare, beautiful sight…What a great way to celebrate bike culture. It is as much an event about Portland as is the Portland Rose Festival. Even better, Pedalpalooza is an entirely non-commercial event. Just look at the Portland Rose Festival and how much it has been sodden by commercial interests. It’s like the event has lost all of its imagination.
But not Pedalpalooza — it’s all about imagining the possibilities. It’s an expression of what bike culture means to people here in Portland. Funny, the Portland Rose Festival is such an event about patriotism, civic culture, welcoming soldiers home, military style parades. It’s all about the past. Pedalpalooza, in contrast, is like this event that blossomed from some other world yet firmly represents Portland and its future. Viva Pedalpalooza!”
Look forward to seeing you out there Alex!