Note: I'm currently on a family trip and not working normal hours. Email and message responses will be delayed and story and posting volumes here and on our social media accounts will not be at their usual levels until I return to Portland August 12th. Thanks for your patience and understanding. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor

Five things to know about tonight’s World Naked Bike Ride

(Photo J. Maus/BikePortland)

1) It’s not about sex. The WNBR is about loving your body, loving low-car or car-free life, demonstrating the power of bikes in mass motion, metaphorically conveying the vulnerability of people on bikes, experiencing the city in a new way and loving the friends and new friends you’ll see before, during and after. And although all of those things are almost certainly good for your sex life, you’ll be surprised how much fun nudity (or near-nudity) is without sex.

2) Nobody cares that your body is not perfect. Nobody’s body is perfect, so for one night, everybody’s body gets to be perfect.

3) Read the fine print. We did a post on Thursday with the details. The official WNBR FAQ is also excellent.

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4) It’s okay to not be into naked bike riding. WNBR is not everybody’s thing and you should not feel bad if it’s not your thing. But you definitely shouldn’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

5) Events this big are only possible because the participants make them possible. The naked ride doesn’t happen by magic. As The Oregonian wrote this week, it’ll only survive if its culture remains mostly healthy and safe and supportive. Be the ride you want to love.

Have fun, everybody. BikePortland’s coverage begins very early tomorrow morning.

(Did this post ring a bell? That’s because it’s an annual tradition in these parts.)

Michael Andersen (Contributor)

Michael Andersen (Contributor)

Michael Andersen was news editor of BikePortland.org from 2013 to 2016 and still pops up occasionally.

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