Your First Naked Ride
This year's naked ride will start from the Pedalpalooza Kickoff Dance Party at the Track 7 warehouse, located in Northwest Portland at NW 30th and Industrial.
If you’re contemplating making this your first naked ride, you aren’t alone. Portland's World Naked Bike Ride has been growing by at least 50% each year. Last year we had around 800 riders, which tied us with London for the biggest naked ride in the world. This year we're hoping for 1200-1500 and the biggest naked ride this planet has ever seen. Obviously we want a lot of first-timers.
If you want to hear other people describing their experiences on their first naked ride, read the comments on BikePortland.org:
What to Expect
First, an important point of etiquette: Ride your bike to the dance party. Arriving by car with bikes stowed as cargo is a big faux pas. It violates the idea of oil-free sustainability that the ride is all about. If you live in the 'burbs, consider riding MAX part of the way. (The last MAX leaves Pioneer Courthouse Square at 1:32am, and you'll probably want to have clothes on when you board, so plan ahead.) Or park at an urban friend's house and ride from there in a group.
Your bike is your ticket. This is a private party for cyclists, and you must arrive at the front gate with your bike to be admitted to the party. (Other human-powered transport such as skateboards will be accepted too – we're all equally sustainable and vulnerable, right?) You must also be 18+ years old, and bring your ID to prove it.
(If you're under 18 then you aren't invited to the party. Sorry. You can still ride with us since the streets are open to everybody, but at the party we must enforce the 18+ rule to protect our own asses, liability-wise.)
There will be racks available for you to lock your bike to. Yes, lock it! You are responsible for protecting your own property here. We can't afford property liability either.
Don't bring outside alcohol into the event. The OLCC is on hyper-alert after last year's party, so we can't have any infractions this year. Please work with us on this! It matters!
The dance party starts off as just a dance party – a place for riders to congregate before the ride. Boogey down. Socialize. Please talk about more than just the naked ride: What other Pedalpalooza events sound fun? What's it like to live car-free? What kind of bike are you riding tonight?
You’ll gradually see more skin as people loose their shirts for bodypaint, but that's nothing. (The bodypainting area is likely to be swamped, by the way, so don’t wait until 11:45pm to get painted.)
Beer will be offered for sale. Don’t ride drunk! Alcohol won’t make you feel any braver about nudity anyway, if that was your plan. Being among hundreds of other nude cyclists is what'll give you courage. Believe me, when everyone else is naked, riding naked is easier than riding with clothes. (On the other hand, beer sales are pretty much our only source of funding for this shindig, so please imbibe a little.)
Around 11:55pm the announcement is made that it’s almost time to ride. We strip down, and either check our clothes into the secured “coat check” room or stuff them into a backpack/fannypack/pannier/saddlebag to take with us. (Backpacks and bodypaint are natural enemies – don't mix them!) Then we go unlock our bikes, and wait for the rest of the crowd. There will be a countdown so we can all start en masse.
It’s usually cold at midnight, but you won’t feel it for long; adrenaline is a wonderful drug. We'll weave our way around the railroad tracks to get downtown to buzz the bars. Crowds will roar their approval. High-fives will spring forth. We may gain a few extra naked riders along the way. It's absolutely amazing.
Adrenaline can also make you want to ride fast. Resist that urge. Not everybody has a fast bike, or fast legs. And even some who do will want to savor the experience slowly. This isn't a race, folks! We want to stay together as best we can.
There is no set route, but typically we buzz the downtown bars along 2nd and 3rd avenues, and along NW 21st and 23rd. Since we're starting in the NW this year, a lot of riders will probably start by buzzing 21st, then bombing down Burnside, hitting the Oldtown bars, and then returning up Burnside to buzz 23rd. Many people do multiple laps, or detours past their favorite sites. Some like to buzz the Eastside bars too. I'm thinking of leading a group to the previous years' start locations on the Eastside. It's glorious chaos for an hour or more. If you've never done this before, then you might want to follow somebody who has.
Eventually we return to the dance party. Some go inside to dance naked. Others hang around outside just for the novelty of hanging around outside naked. Gradually, individuals decide for themselves when to put clothes back on.
Do not block traffic. The police won't arrest you for plain ol' nudity, but they will arrest you for blocking traffic.
About Nudity
“Nudity – it isn't just for sex anymore.”
If you think you're going to an orgy, then you're going to be very very disappointed. Here we're using nudity mostly just a type of costume, a way to give the dance party a sense of occasion.
It is also a way to draw attention to cycling, and the folly of oil dependency. We hope motorists will begin to suspect cyclists have more fun, and hence maybe they don't need their cars as much as they thought. See the http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/ web site for more socio-political propaganda.
It's also good, goofy fun.
The party has rules. The party organizers' mantra is “Safe, Comfortable, and Fun,” so anybody who makes other participants feel unsafe or unconfortable will be asked to leave. The use of cameras is not allowed at the party, with the exception of sactioned film crews who'll be following strict rules. Alcohol must remain in the Bar area; if the OLCC inspectors spot you drinking outside the Bar (e.g., on the dance floor or outside the building) then both you and Shift may be subject to severe fines. Really, you could kill Shift by doing that.
The ride itself has no rules since it takes place on public streets, outside of our control. That's why it's important for riders to take care of each other.
About Your Bike
Ride the bike you have. Don't obsess over the hardware; any bike will work.
If you have multiple bikes (and aren't loaning out the extras to friends) then I'd recommend a fat-tire mountain bike or cruiser over a superskinny-tire road bike. This is because fat tires are less likely to get a flat, or slip on railroad tracks or a steel grate bridge. But really any bike will probably work just fine.
You should bring a spare tube. If your bike doesn't have quick-release skewers, then you should also bring wrenches that fit your bike's lug nuts. If convenient, you should also bring a pump and tire levers, though you could probably borrow those from another rider in an emergency.
Legally, your bike must have a white headlight in front, and a red reflector or red light in the rear. This is important! The police can't hassle all 1500 riders, but if you're the only one who fails to obey this simple law then maybe they'll focus all their frustration on you.
Many people decorate their bikes. There won't be any decoration supplies at the dance party, but the Kickoff Parade (June 12) usually has that sort of thing. Think of this as another reason to do more bike fun than just this naked ride.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I strip down? The dress code is officially “As bare as you dare.” Guys typically wear shoes and maybe a helmet. For women there is no consensus – shoes and a helmet make some happy, while others add some combination of a bra, panties, and/or stockings. Strip down to whatever level will maximize your fun. We wouldn't presume to tell you what that level is.
What if I fall behind or get lost? This isn't a race, so nobody wants to leave you behind. Traffic will cause us to split into smaller groups, but even if you end up in a group of 20 instead of a group of 1200, you'll feel safe. Really, you'll be okay. We take care of each other.
What if I get a flat tire? There will be bike mechanics along the ride. You can also expect other cyclists to help. But self-sufficiency is the only thing you can actually plan on, particularly since there is no set route, so I suggest that you bring a pump and a spare tube. We’ll never be more than a couple of miles from the dance party, so first just re-inflate the tire and continue on in the hope that your leak is a slow one. If you must change your tube, change it with the expectation that the naked horde will continue cycling past you for a long, long time. Even if we try to stay in a tight group, a peloton of 1200 riders would be about one mile long.
What if I fall? Injuries are rare. So far I only know of one person who has been injured so badly that he couldn't finish the ride, and I saw him up and walking the next day. There will be medics riding along to patch you up, or call 911 if something really bad happens. By the way, the most common reasons for falling are hitting potholes (especially bombing down Burnside), getting caught in the train/MAX/streetcar tracks, and collisions with other cyclists. Watch where you’re going!
Won't I get cold? Yes. You'll start off cold because at the start of the ride we stand around waiting for the stragglers to get ready, so we can all leave together. But once we start, we'll climb a modest hill and that should warm us up. After that, I promise you won't feel cold, you'll just feel a rush. Typically we get a temperature around 60 degrees with light wind.
What can I do to stay warm? Wearing shoes and a helmet help. Big socks. Arm warmers (old socks with the toes snipped off). Maybe a Superman cape. Sadly, I haven't figured out a way to use those chemical hand warmers while naked, though they sound like they'd be great. If you have any suggestions, please mention them in the forum.
Isn't this illegal? The city of Portland wishes it was. See The Law.
What if I see a cop? You will see a cop, guaranteed. Maybe dozens of cops, and Sheriff's deputies, and possibly even Shore Patrol. Just remember that on this night, they're more interested in safety and peace than they are in strict application of the law. As long as you're riding in a safe manner and not inciting violence, you're probably okay. On my first naked ride, I encountered my first cop car just one and a half blocks into the ride. What did I do? I waved.
Can I participate without a bike? We've had skateboarders join us before. Anything human-powered is welcome.
