Bare Bikers took to the streets of Brotherly Love in this past weekend’s 9th annual Philadelphia Naked Bike ride
Thousands of moderately to fully nude cyclists rolled through Philadelphia on Saturday as activists for the environment, cycling, body positivity, and to enjoy their bare selves.
Hundreds gathered at Glendinning Rock Garden Saturday at 3pm to prepare to take off on the ninth annual Philadelphia Naked Bike Ride, as one of many participating cities in the World Naked Bike Ride Movement.
The crowd consisted of folks of various genders, ages, body types, and backgrounds. While most participants comfortably promenaded the grassy area sporting nothing but sneakers (and the occasional shaft ring here and there), the event organizers welcomed all levels of nude.
In preparation for the ride, the naked cyclists got creative with body paint and costumes, sending messages in support of LGBTQ+ rights, veganism, body positivity, cycling, responsible energy consumption, and plain self expression. The organizers’ website set guidelines to prevent and eliminate any forms of sexual or physical harassment. Weaving through the bare crowd, one could encounter naked jugglers and acrobats showing off their skills, ornamented areolas, and even a naked Disney Minion. The diverse and colorful crowd cultivated a welcoming and celebratory atmosphere.
At around 5pm, fully-clothed onlookers pulled out their phones as the naked biking brigade took to the streets on this ten-mile ride through Benjamin Franklin Parkway to Chinatown. Police cars blocked off sections of major roads to make way for the ride where cyclists were greeted with a mix of cheers, high fives, dirty looks, and a couple of “FOH’s” (in less vulgar terms meaning “get out of here”).
Among the sea of bare-backsides, were skateboards, roller skates, and even a few rented city bikes scattered. Families seated for dinner at Rittenhouse Square looked on in awe as now thousands of mostly naked bikers rode by, now joined by random cyclists off the street and even Philly bike tweens popping wheelies among the nudes. No matter what cause cyclists subscribed to, the Philadelphia Naked Bike Ride proudly pedaled through the streets of Philadelphia in celebration of their own nudity and self expression.
See what people had to say about the PNBR 2017 here.