News

World Naked Bike Ride

Are you ready to strip off and join the protest?

Means Happy

Aug 10, 2024 — 7 min read

If you've ever been curious about taking part in a World Naked Bike Ride, you'll probably want to check out the work of Totally Bear.

A recent guest on the Naked Men Talking podcast, Totally Bear shares his experiences and insights from the World Naked Bike Rides that have been taking place around the UK over the summer.

Totally Bear is pretty much the unofficial photographer of World Naked Bike Ride events in the UK - in the conversation, we go deep on a summer of getting naked and cycling through the city streets.

Listen to the episode.

I wanted to catch up with you for a debrief on the World Naked Bike Ride. I've been following your Twitter very closely, you’ve beenposting from bike rides all around the UK. I recently did the London World Naked Bike ride, which was my first one, and I was disappointed that I didn't run into you there, but there were quite a lot of people.

There were a lot of people. It is the biggest ride I ever do.

How many bike rides have you actually done this summer?

This summer I've done four - London, Brighton, Cardiff, and Bristol.

How many people would you say there was at the London ride - I want to say something like 2,000?

It’s really hard to tell because you get about five starts and they all merge together and you can never really gauge how many people are actually on the ride because it is such a snake that winds through the streets of London.

From the vibe that you felt on the day, was that kind of in line with previous versions of the London ride?

Yes, it was about normal. I feel there were more people spectating and more people at the start and endpoint.

Whereas if you go to somewhere like Brighton, it’s cordoned off and you have space to undress.

So it depends on whether you want to be an exhibitionist or whether you're there as a naturist on the ride and want to be a bit more shy.

Which start did you do in London?

I did Tower Bridge. I don't have anything to compare it to, but it was very crowded and very busy - thronging with people.

There were lots of bike riders there - turning up with their bikes, getting naked - but we were surrounded by people who obviously were nothing to do with the cycling but were taking photos and videos and were really excited by what was going on.

The thing with the World Naked Bike Ride is that it's primarily a non-sexual social naturism kind of space, right? The primary purpose is an environmental protest - protesting against car culture really is what it's all about?

I think we got to the stage where you can make the bike ride whatever you want to make it.

There was a guy on the London ride with a big blow up inflatable cock protesting about Brexit.

But the original bike rides - which started 20 years ago - were to curb car culture and highlight the vulnerability of cyclists on the road.

How long ago was your first one then?

My first one was in Southampton in 2011. I’ve done 32 in total.

While it is a non sexual event, I did see a couple of boners which I was quite pleased about. Is that the exhibitionist is just getting excited by being naked in a very public way?

That is the biggest question I get asked, you know, in DMS, on Twitter and things like that, is what if I get an erection?

It's only natural, isn't it? It's a natural thing that happens.

We talked a little bit about the number of people taking photos, particularly at the start of the event, but also just along the streets. You're almost the official photographer of World Naked Bike riders, in that you take a lot of photos and you post a lot of photos?

I love taking photographs. I take photographs not just of naked people but of everything around me.

On the ride, I like to take photographs that aren't posed and that are just of people getting on with the ride.

At an event like the Naked Bike Ride, are there people that you encounter who definitely don't want their photo taken?

Yes, and they'll let you know if you’re pointing a camera at them.

Does anyone contact you afterwards and say, oh I see you've posted a photo of me, I'd actually prefer you if you took that down?

Very rarely, but of course, yes. I would instantly take it down for them.

I did see a good photo of you in Starbucks naked on the London bike ride?

Yes, getting my decaf skinny sugar-free vanilla latte, butt naked.

I've got a wonderful photograph of a naked queue outside that Starbucks waiting to get in because they have to manage the amount of people wanting drinks.

The whole thing's surreal, obviously, but that bit where we're riding down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace and the sun was finally shining and this naked peloton of cyclists is heading towards the palace.

Yes - you can't quite believe that it’s happening. It's just madness.

Does the reaction of people - of onlookers on the street - does that vary between the different cities?

I think Brighton is probably the easiest crowd, if that makes sense. Same for London.

In Bristol this year, I was cycling along and a guy who perhaps had too much cider pushed one of the bikes in front of me, told him to put his cock away.

You do get people who don't find it funny and who don't find it amusing - you do get shouted out.

We got that on the London ride only once - it was some drunk football supporters, white guys, middle-aged, obviously had too many beers. That was the only abuse we got was from some middle-aged white guys.

There are people who don't like it, but I would say not to let that discourage anybody because the vast majority of the rides that I've ever done, we've been welcomed and everybody claps.

Which have been your favourite rides?

I think my favourite ones are the ones where there's lots of noise, there's lots of drums, there's lots of music, there's lots of people with whistles and we're all having a good time.

Sometimes it's a little bit quiet, you know, you're just going cycling naked down the road quite slowly and you know people aren't getting into it.

The ones that stand out for me are the ones where everybody's having a good time and the crowd's being good.

If someone was interested in taking part in a World Naked Bike Ride event, what advice or guidance would you give them?

If it was your first one, and you’re doing the London one, I'd say choose your start well because some of the starts are quieter. If you want a lot of people, a lot of photographers, choose Wellington Arch.

I think my other tip would be to take some clothes with you. I did a ride in Coventry once where somebody's bike broke and they'd left their clothes in the clubhouse where we started from. They were stuck totally naked with no clothes and no bike.

So that brings me on to my next tip, which is make sure your bike is roadworthy.

Another thing to remember if it's your first one is that it is clothing optional. You don’t have to take everything off.