Portland’s annual love affair with cyling sans clothing once again swept through the city tonight as thousands of people took part in the tenth World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR).
The ride started in Normandale Park in northeast Portland, and local residents showed up in force to watch the spectacle unfold. Some people stood silently, fully clothed, in the middle of all the nakedness. Others had set up lawn chairs and had a cold drink in hand. Despite some concerns that a few disgruntled folks would protest, (or spread tacks on the ground, which was a rumor I’d heard), everything seemed to go smoothly. The park was teeming with people as the hour of nine o’clock rolled around.
Love Bomb Go-Go Marching Band danced and played while people painted their bodies, met up with friends, and wait for the start. Volunteers roamed through the fleshy crowd selling official WNBR seat covers, stickers (used as pasties), and asking for donations.
The people who came to ride were from all walks of biking life. They were young and old and every shape and size you can imagine. And everyone was happy.
Here are more scenes from the park…
Advertisement
Once we got rolling, there was a strong (yet not overbearing) and coordinated presence from the Portland Police Bureau. They expertly escorted the ride, corked the streets, and made sure everyone had a good time (thanks PPB!).
Unlike past years, the route didn’t go through downtown. The closest thing we had to that ambience was when the ride rolled down NE Alberta Street. The bars and cafes emptied out as we came through and huge cheers erupted. I’m always amazed at how much joy riding bicycle naked brings to people — both those doing it and those watching it (except for that one guy who was yelling “REPENT SINNERS!” from his porch).
You’d think riding naked with strangers would make you feel vulnerable and shy, but once you get rolling it actually makes you feel more alive, confident, and powerful.
Here are some scenes from the ride…
Thanks for checking out our photos. View the entire gallery here.
The Naked Bike Ride is part of Pedalpalooza, which is just getting started. View the online calendar for more bike fun and stay tuned for more coverage.
Great photos, and a great ride. My first WNBR. Loved rolling all the way down Alberta AND Mississippi, high-fiving bystanders who stepped out from the (big) crowds.
The vibe and the crowd reminded me a lot of the old Midsummer Night Ride that we used to have in Portland every year. Except of course that a lot more of the riders were naked.
This was my first ride in portland!
And I had a blast! Getting high fives from everyone -children included- the adrenalin, making new friends and riding in this lovely city. I will be abck next year.
Incredible photos here. You’re super Jonathan Mase! A great event this year. – I have a pretty good feature on this event over at my http://www.wizbangpop.com site as well.
This was the 13th Portland Naked Bike Ride.
The tradition started at Portland’s BikeSummer 2002, instigated by Jane and Rusl from Canada.
WNBR was started in 2003, as a daytime protest ride.
Portland adopted the “WNBR” title for its ride, but the programming remains true to its pre-“World-NBR” origins. It’s a “fun” ride more than a “protest” ride, and it happens late in the evening, not mid-day.
Ted Buehler
I should note that while Portland’s WNBR may be more “fun” than “protest,” that’s because it is a whole lot of fun, not because it is “light” on protest. I’m not intending to diminish the value of the protest, or the causes that the ride seeks to give representation to.
Too illustrate my point, you’ll see in wikipedia photos that the sister WNBR rides around the world don’t have the carefree body-freedom element as the Portland ride. In part since they happen in broad daylight and invite the media, not because they have a stronger “protest” element… i.e. just as much Protest as Portland’s ride, but not nearly as much Fun.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Naked_Bike_Ride
WNBR as a worldwide movement was the brainchild of Conrad Schmidt, a fellow bicycle activist with Jane and Rusl in Vancouver, BC. I suspect that if Conrad would have adopted the Jane and Rusl’s Portland Model for the WNBR rides in other cities that some cities around the world might have as many participants as Portland now does.
(Also, seeing the Wikipedia article, I see that the first “WNBR” ride, held around the world, was 2004, not 2003.)
FWIW,
Ted Buehler
I like your comment that it’s a fun ride at least as much as, if not in place of a protest ride. This was my second ride and the atmosphere is like a carnival, like being at Woodstock. The messages about oil and cyclist vulnerability were there, but can be conveyed more effectively in presentations to the City Council about energy sourcing for city functions and bike amenities funded without using water department funds. People at both rides were having a good time, not griping about big oil.
Great ride, kudos to the tireless Shifties that put this together every year. My friends and I all had a great time. Alameda Ridge was a nice touch.
Ted Buehler
CUANDO ESTAS EN BICI,Y ESTA EL TRAFICO NORMAL DE COCHES ESTAS DESNUDO YA QUE SI LOS CONDUCTORES NO TE RESPETAN PUEDES PERDER LA VIDA POR MONTAR EN BICI NUESTRA SOCIEDAD ESTA DANDO FALSOS VALORES A LOS MAS PEQUEÑOS YA QUE EN VEZ DE FOMENTAR EL HECHO DE USAR LA BICI PUES ES TODO LO CONTRARIO ESTA SOCIEDAD ESTA ARRUINANDO NUESTRO FUTURO Y EL DE TODOS AL NO DAR PIE AL USO DE OTROS MEDIOS DE TRANSPORTE NO CONTAMINANTES ……VUESTRA CICLOMARCHA NUDISTA TENDRIA QUE SER COPIADA POR MUCHOS MAS… EN HORA BUENA
Here’s the message above via Google Translate:
I couldn’t agreee more.
A non-computerized translation of the above comment:
When you are on a bike and there is normal traffic you are naked since if the drivers don’t respect you you can lose your life for riding a bike. Our society is giving false values to the youngsters as instead of encouraging the use of bikes well it is the exact opposite. This society is ruining our future and the future of everyone by not giving support to the use of other means of transportation that are non-polluting …… Your nudist cycle/march should be copied by many more….. Congratulations
More tanning.
Do they tan in Portland, or simply rust?
My favorite beer is a half pilsner, half wheat mix – I call it a “Portland Tan.”
Great photos! It looks like Jonathan must have upgraded his camera; I have not seen such crisp evening pictures before. Good job Jonathan!
Actually Mark… I can’t afford to upgrade, but I’m very lucky that my friend Ethan Jewett loaned me one of his cameras and a very nice lens.
Jonathan, that’s terrific… GO, Sharing Economy! 🙂 If you crowd-fund a photo gear upgrade, I’ll contribute.
So much fun! Only regret? Waiting a year for the next one!
Great photography! I had a blast. This was the 1st year I was able to attend, and will be back next year. I met some great people!!
The band is love bomb go go. lovebombgogo.com.
“I should have told them they’d have much more fun without clothes on. Oh well.”
Is that Scott Wheeler from Skyline Blvd infamy?
Heckling heard toward the guy jogging fast the whole route: “He’s so powerful! He must eat quinoa.”
What was that all about? He made one hell of a run and Kudos to the skate boarders too!
Also great work to the few people I saw on roller blades.
My son and I enjoyed our “bike parade” on our street! That was the most excitement on a Saturday night in a while and the bikers were extremely respectful of everyone’s property. It was a celebration of humanity IMO. See you next year!
Great weather this year, again. Any word on how many people attended?
Wow what camera did you use, great photos!
Hi Rachel. Thanks. The camera was a Nikon D800 and I was shooting with two lenses, a 24-70/2.8 and a 70-200/2.8.
“(except for that one guy who was yelling “REPENT SINNERS!” from his porch)”
He was probably warming up for the Gay Pride parade next weekend.
Haha that is our next door neighbor! Hilarious.
Superb photos, Jonathan. I think, though, that the fourth from the last (above) is my favorite. Every bit as good as any nude lady on a bike artwork I’ve ever seen. Mercury editors, artists take note.
Photo #80 I believe… you beat me to it! A lovely modern rendition of the French classic: http://www.cyclesgladiator.com
Had a fantastic time, a huge shout out and thank you to all the volunteers and the hard work that goes into the WNBR!
If you attended and didn’t donate, please pop back over to the WNBR website and click “support” for the donate button and kick down some cash to support this great event. 🙂
Also, may god have mercy on your webserver today, Jonathan 🙂
Excellent photographs. They really capture the beauty of the ride experience. I was stuck at the back of the ride and the riding was very slow and very dark on Alameda.
My only wish is that the ride could return to wider streets with streets lights. It makes for excellent night shots.
Thanks again.
I’m a Normandale Park neighbor. It was a fun and festive and well run event. Not Riding is my personal choice but I would support holding the event start at Normandale Park again.
As one of the organizers of the event, THANK YOU FOR YOUR FEEDBACK! We definitely appreciate the support of the neighbors and as someone who also didn’t go on the ride and was there late into the dark night ensuring that the park was picked up (and then another sweep was made again in the morning) – we hope we left it better than we found it. Thanks for letting us into your neighborhood. If you have any other input you can contact us here: http://pdxwnbr.org/contact/
You may’ve noticed that one of your neighbors put up signs with city hall contact info on them, encouraging people to complain about the event. It’s easier to drum up complaints than praise but if you, or anyone else, wouldn’t mind sharing your thoughts with city hall, it could help balance out the irate rantings of a vocal minority.
I thought the neighborhood and the police handled the crowd beautifully. If you support this peaceful free speech exercise, please speak up. Short notes and voicemails are fine.
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/mayor/60975
I don’t get it. The point of riding in the nude in mass is to encourage people to ride bikes, Bike are better than cars? Because it is safe enough, so you can ala The Realty Association and the Chamber of Commerce? Because streaking is not illegal in Portland ala the Police Department? I’m at a lost?
“I’m at a lost?”
It sounds like it.
@9watts, give her a break. English is a second language for many commenters, and it comes out in such ways.
The point of riding en masse in the the nude, as stated in many FAQs associated with the ride, is to bring greater awareness to the protest. The protest has three main points (the first being the original):
1. We are too dependent on oil for transpiration and it pollutes
2. Bike riders are vulnerable on the road (we are “naked” against vehicles)
3. Everybody’s body is beautiful – there is no shame in one body over another.
Nudity as a form of protest (i.e., free speech) is protected by the Oregon Constitution. Despite Portland having a no nudity in public statute, it cannot supersede the state’s Constitution and has been superseded in court numerous times.
The Chamber of Commerce has no bearing on the WNBR except maybe influence on the permitting process, indirectly.
I agree with the sentiment but according to Brother Ted above:
“It’s a “fun” ride more than a “protest” ride…”
What’s the point? As awesome as Ted is, he’s one person – he doesn’t speak for everyone. There are a lot of reasons to ride WNBR, some of them include “fun”, some of them include “protest”. As a former co-organizer, I feel comfortable saying that by and large the event organizers consider it to be both fun AND a protest – pro-body, and pro-bike, and anti-oil dependence. There’s no way to ensure that all participants adhere to those views, though, nor should there be. The event continues to be fun, and a protest, and self-promotional, and shocking, and pro-family. Those only contradict each other if one believes they do.
by and large the event organizers consider it to be both fun AND a protest
i pointed out ted’s comment because i strongly disagree. this ride was held on a weekend night, avoided downtown, and used a permitted pre-planned route. not much of a protest, imo.
Clear and completely explains the ride to all of us around the U. S.! I am happy we can protest!! What a country!! Especially today as we learn extremists are sweeping through Iraq, where any rights gained will be swiftly taken away!! I love my country!
You can find out more about why we ride on our info page here: http://pdxwnbr.org/why/
Wonderful work Jonathan. It was indeed a splendid ride. Not too cold, respectful bystanders and drivers, everyone had a blast
It was nice, even with some of the creepers with cameras, to have them keep a more respectful distance. There was far less corking by bystanders on this route.
Easily one of my fave WNBR’s, and I’ve done almost all of them since 2007. Loved the start point, loved the route, had a total blast.
I wonder if you saw this woman
My first time & I cannot wait for next year! I absolutely loved the energy & saw lots of people get out who don’t normally ride their bike. Riding down Alberta was a blast. Thanks for a smooth set up.
Did we get a count of how many riders?
My fav moment was the man who crafted a wagon to carry his very pregnant lady 🙂
Love the fountain helmet (or hat) in the 9th picture. LEDs and lit up at night?
I’m also a Normandale Park neighbor. We walked over to the park after dinner, as we do multiple times per week and were in awe of the safe atmosphere with so many people and of all the fun being had! I was a tad disappointed to see so many cars packing the neighborhood, but I think a lot of those were the “creepers” you’re talking about not actual participants. This morning the park looked great and was “business as usual” it all seemed like a dream. We just happened to catch the announcement at the start that said “this ride is for everyone”..I loved that. If it starts in Normandale again next year we are definitely going to join you 🙂 Great job!
I live in the Normandale Park neighborhood, too, and heard only positive things. By the way, I find the photos of WNBR participants with the stacked I-5/Fremont Bridge flyovers in the background incredibly evocative. Nice work, JM.
I am a normandale neighbor, loved that the ride started in my ‘hood, looked very well organized, safe. please come back next year!
Great Ride, Lots of Fun. Thank You to all the volunteers!
one question: Why did we not cross the bridge into downtown?
I asked this and was told that the route was chosen by PPB…and that if we did go into downtown that we “would not be allowed to do the ride next year”.
What? This ride has always been about maximum visibility, to make the biggest impact we have always gone into downtown.
Limiting the ride route to N. and N.E. Portland is not concurrent with what the ride is all about. It made me sad. I felt like I was 5 again and was being punished for trying to play outside the sand box 🙁
It kind of sucks that we did not go downtown but, at least we got to ride and have a great time.
I was personally thrilled not to go downtown. The crowds on Alberta and Mississippi were enthusiastic and respectful, not grabby and rude like the crowds downtown were the first / only previous time I’d participated in the ride (2009). Maybe SE next year?
WNBR designs the route and decided not to go downtown to avoid the Rose Festival/Fleet Week crowd, MAX track and things like that. Maybe we will do that next year. Maybe we won’t. There were no “threats” by PPB that it won’t happen next year or whatever. We work with the PPB to ensure that it’s safe and that there are no conflicts, etc.
Yes the ride is about exposure and about letting people see it – the people downtown have seen it – just like the people on Hawthorne – there were a bunch of msgs asking about if we were coming up so they could and I quote “set up lawn chairs.” We didn’t want that. We wanted NEW people who have never had the experience of 8k+ cyclists coming by. The people on Alberta and Mississippi were surprised and astonished – it was like Christmas to them because they weren’t expecting it.
The people who were sitting around for hours downtown. That’s creepy and lame.
Thanks again for making the WNBR happen. I agree that the people on Alberta and Mississippi were pleasantly surprised, and it was nice to ride to new areas.
That being said, it makes me sad that this ride has become a permitted and approved thing, really annoying that we need approval to ride…but then do we really? what would have happened if some of us had splintered off at the end and rode downtown?
Permits and approval aside, it was a great ride…ALAS…there is no feeling akin to riding across the Willamette river naked with thousands of others!
Bravo and thank you for that. I enjoyed both riding the other route and having new people delighted by it. Woul I have liked to cross the river? Sure. But I get why we didn’t this year. There are many more years to have a chance.
What I don’t get is the secrecy. The whole point is to make noise and be heard, right? So, why hide the ride?
I was one of several hundred people waiting downtown to cheer you own, until the police came at about 10:30 saying to go home. What is the point of the ride if you don’t want to be seen and have your message heard?
Most people don’t know what the message is or even care if there is one. It’s a chance go be naked. People are excited by that.
I’m sure you’re a lovely person, but the thousands of other lovely people drinking downtown during Rose Festival / Fleet Week tend to crowd the street, cause a dangerous situation, and make people very uncomfortable.
Crowds of ardent fans and enraged prudes can cause dangerous situations so it’s safer if the route is not predictable. This year, there were surprised and delighted crowds on Mississippi and Alberta — districts the ride has never visited before. Maybe the ride will go downtown next year and maybe it won’t.
Want to be sure to see the ride next year? Go on it.
Naked bodies are so much fun!
EXCELLENT collection of photos. THANKS!
Wow! First WNBR and I was super impressed! Thanks so much to the Portland police for your support and involvement!!!!!!!!!!
BikePortland: providing coverage beyond the pale and below the fold!
more NSFW bikexspolitation for fun and no profit: http://bikeporntour.blogspot.it/2014/05/call-for-entries-bikesmut-8-comeagain.html
F*** BIKES!
Ah, you are promoting it. A wee subtle there.
Hey Maus, many of us visit this site at our place of work. How about putting a safe for work photo on the main page? Are you going for ratings or something?
“Hey Maus, many of us visit this site at our place of work. How about putting a safe for work photo on the main page?”
Maybe the Monday after the WNBR is not a good time to check bikeportland at work? Just a suggestion.
Thanks for your suggestion, but some people come here for other bike-related news. I think there is probably an abundance of photos that convey the point of the story that are safe for work. We can’t all work from a MacBook in a coffee shop.
This is hilarious. Given your attraction to anything WNBR on bikeportland, how do you suppose you protect your coworkers from you broadcasting WNBR on your screen?
I’m sure he IS going for ratings. He is a privately run website after all.
How big is your monitor anyway? On my ginormous 19″ widescreen laptop, I still can’t see anything that is bigger than sz 8 font.
I have a 24″ monitor, and had to be very careful not to scroll down too far so that I could get to the Monday Roundup.
Even the front page would have been clearly discernible as a bunch of nude bodies by my coworkers. Despite WNBR not being about sex, most companies’ anti-harassment policies don’t recognize that distinction. At least making the front page SFW would be helpful, and would not be difficult to do.
Easy – in chrome, click on the wrench icon in the corner, go to options, click “under the hood” – go to “content settings” go to “manage exceptions” under images and add bikeportland under the image exceptions – then it will hide all images and you can load just the ones you want to your heart’s content. Because we know that your Very Important Job is super reliant on you living vicariously though Jonathan and Michael.
I knew this would provoke some snarky comment about using a work computer for personal purposes. Thanks for the flashback from the 20th century.
First, many companies have clauses in their employment contract governing the use of the Internet for personal versus work reasons, regardless of content. Second, if you’re going to browse ANY non-work-related site, it’s probably best to do so in a manner where you won’t be seen. Third, use a secure browser like White Hat Aviator, but realize that all content coming into your workplace is tracked/monitored at the firewall anyway.
Unless you’re working from a MacBook in a coffee shop…
(in which case it’s tracked by someone other than your employer).
Sooooooo jealous of you guys!!
At the WNBR in Barcelona there were only 20 of us! There was no promotion and it was badly organised, but we were nowhere near what you did, in Portland it looked like a real celebration!
We had a lot of fun, though. Here’s a post and the video taken from the inside, looking at the viewers’ reactions: http://nudeinspain.com/blog/nudist-events/cycling-naked-around-city-wnbr-2014-insider
Nudeinspain —
Have you/they considered starting the ride at 10:00pm? I suspect you’d get more participants and have more fun.
Ted Buehler
Did the ride start earlier this year than in previous years? I’ve done it for about six of the past 8 years it’s happened, and don’t ever remember it being light out for the ride. I kinod liked the exotic element the dark gave to the ride…
Yes, the ride has moved from its original 11:59 start time to 10:00 in 2012 and 9:00 this year.
2004, 11:30 pm http://www.shift2bikes.org/pedalpalooza/pp2004.shtml
2005 – 2011, 11:59 pm hhttp://www.shift2bikes.org/pedalpalooza/pp2005.shtml#June11:Naked Ride
2012 – 2013, 10:00 pm http://shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2012.php#16-2823
2014, 9:00 pm http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2014.php#07-4129
Cars are awesome and mine loves oil! Drive naked!
Why so early?
now is all we have
I recently decided to move from the Deep South to Portland. There were so many reasons for this (duh!), and now I have one more.
wowsa. that is BIG! Well done to all that took part..
why is the ride down partly at night, though?
because many organizers are opposed to active protest aspects of wnbrs.
Seems a night ride causes less inconvenience to the residence, and makes for better relations with the cops and such.
this is some sick stuff. no one should have to worry about going outside and seeing others riding on a darn bike naked. no one should have to fear being in the car, walking or whatever the case maybe with their children and have them see these silly looking naked bike riders. this is crazy. any other time you will get charged with indecent exposure, but all of a sudden during this time it’s ok to flaunt yourself? you wonder why there’s rape crimes and everything else going on. I feel this type of stuff shouldn’t be allowed at all. this is beyond crazy. im born and raised here and I must say that at one point this wasn’t going on and it needs to go back to being that way. I cant see how they even ok the situation at all. giving the predators victims to prey on. smh. crazy all the freaks come out during this weird ass event.
Of all the things in the world to get upset about, a bunch of joyful, naked people seems a funny target. What about their spectacle exactly is so upsetting? Have you never been joyful or naked?
“any other time you will get charged with indecent exposure”
False. Public nudity is legal in Oregon as long as it’s not done with intent to arouse.
If you were aroused anyway, well that’s how your brain works. Don’t blame everyone else for your hangups.
And the ride starts at 9pm. If your kids are young enough to be traumatized by nonsexual nudity, shouldn’t they be in bed already?
Also, W T F does this have to do with rape crimes and “giving the predators victims to prey on?” Please explain. Bet you can’t.
I’ll pay you $100 for each study you show me scientifically indicating a causal effect (not correlation) between exposure to public nudity (at any age) and impulse to rape.
http://blogs.webmd.com/sexual-health-sex-matters/2006/10/correlation-between-sexual-images-online-and-rape.html
Wow. That’s quite an intriguing little study you linked to. Thanks.
It makes a good argument in this context (that exposure to nudity in public isn’t the source of arousal many believe), as the commenter seems to apply an unfounded bias to the actions of WNBR participants. Unfortunately 1) too many rapes go unreported, skewing these numbers, and 2) rape is often a crime of violence, so demystifying sex doesn’t offer a solution to misogyny.
“…you wonder why there’s rape crimes and everything else going on.”
FALSE. Rape does not happen because of clothing choice – you’re victim blaming and FAR OFF here, you’re perception is not only skewed, it is WRONG. Rape happens because of the sick individual who decides to rape someone. You should be ashamed of that statement.
Ride on people! I live in Bloomington, IN and it’s still illegal to even expose your breasts in public. Boo. I’ve definitely participated in a (secret) naked bike ride after midnight swimming, though. It’s a joyous experience.
It would be interesting to get 92 yr. old Mary Fitzgerald’s post ride comments after her experience at WNBR. Your awesome Mary!
nothing says “lets stop using oil” like needlessly gridlocking thousands of cars, making them sit for 2 hours at idle, you know, the most polluting way to run a car. science, people, do some research. next week i’ll be protesting gun violence by shooting people in the face.
“needlessly gridlocking thousands of cars, making them sit for 2 hours at idle, you know, the most polluting way to run a car.”
Is that your takeaway from this event? Wow.
How do you explain the ~8,000 naked folks having so much (free) fun, while you and your ~dozen imagined cronies are, apparently, seething while idling your engines on that one evening a year when this event occurs? Did you not get the memo? Could there be a lesson here?
There’s this thing in modern automobiles called an ignition switch…
I always wondered how that WORKED when boys ride bikes…..now I can see in stead of trying to imagine! It DOESN¨T! haha!
Looks awfully white, where are the African Americans?
“Looks awfully white, where are the African Americans?”
I saw a few African Americans, both male and female. As well as a few people of other non-white races.
Not many, but unfortunately that’s typical for any bike event in The Whitest City In America. Feel free to post the same comment to every bike event that ever happens here.
I saw one!
Serious envy here. We just did the SF ride, and it sucketh verily. Badly organized, low attendance, and the perv element from Folsom Street proudly displaying erections. My wife stayed dressed, because the vibe sucked. Next year, we’re coming up to Portland for your ride.
I go there for the Folsom festival. No other reason for me to go there at all.
My friends that used to live there moved to Oakland since it was far to expensive to live San Francisco anymore, the pervert element is always a mark on the high meter when ever nudity is involved, and why bother to go there for a naked bike ride if it is perv thing? I can do pervy things right here in Bellingham.
Gromit801 — maybe you could propose that the SF ride time be moved to 11:59pm?
I doubt the time would make any difference. It needs an organizer that will discourage things like riders posing for the photographers with erections.