There They Go Again
Well, it must be spring again. They're back again this year, swarming all over, making noise and drawing attention to themselves. No, not the cicadas - well, them too, but in this case we're talking about the naked bike riders. They show up around this time of year.
BRIGHTON, England - With strategically placed helmets and slogans painted on bare skin, scores of people shed their clothes and rode through this seaside resort on their bicycles Saturday to promote cycling as an environmentally friendly mode of transport.
"It is time more motorists stripped off their armor plating and moved around more gently on this earth," said Duncan Blinkhorn, 45, one of the event's organizers.
More than 200 cyclists in various stages of undress took part in the World Naked Bike Ride in Brighton and Hove, sister cities on the southern coast of England, to promote cycling.
Cyclists met with police chiefs ahead of the seven-mile ride to seek their advice about avoiding problems or formal complaints about the nudity.
"This is a fun, if outrageous, way to make the serious point that we should not have to tolerate roads, cities and a planet dominated by the brutishness of cars that routinely foul the air we all breathe, destroy lives and impoverish the environment," Blinkhorn said.
Wow, naked and sanctimonious. Quite a combination. Now, seriously, there are a few things that should be considered here. First, in this day and age, it is utterly certain that some of the participants in this sort of event are not motivated by concern for the earth. These would be known as exhibitionists at the very least. It could actually be worse than that. Second, should one of the riders take a fall off that bike, there is going to be road rash in some unusual places. (Which would serve them right, mind you). Third, if you search for some of the pictures of past events, one can state, with certainty, that some of the participants should consider never being seen in public with their clothes on, much less naked.
Me, I'll stick with the brutishness of cars. Cuts down on the road rash.
World news | Gaius Saturday, 9 June , 2007
By old_dawg, Saturday, 9 June , 2007 @ 1:23 pm
I’ve always wondered why the people who are most often seen running (riding) around completely exposed are also the ones most deserving of a burkha.
By feeblemind, Saturday, 9 June , 2007 @ 2:48 pm
Amen Old Dawg. My brother-in-law used to get a nudist magazine and the people in it had no business being photographed with their clothes off. Whew!!
By Purple Avenger, Saturday, 9 June , 2007 @ 3:06 pm
I was in a jump plane once where some idiot woman went out the door naked. At 13,000′ even on a summer day its chilly up there, and add 120mph or so of wind chill factor and it can be cold.
These people are nuts.
By mockinbird, Sunday, 10 June , 2007 @ 9:35 am
I’m takin’ my shirt off right now, an’ I ain’t stoppin’!