We live in liberated times – all over the country women are breastfeeding on public transport and thong-bikini clad housemates are broadcast unabashed on national TV. So when our summer shorts have mysteriously shrunk over the winter, and the crammed tube journey is causing a little under-arm humidity, it’s no wonder that the temptation to go starkers becomes too great for some of the capital’s good citizens. And it’s not just our capital either - this Saturday, in cities all over the world, hundreds of plucky cyclists will be stripping off, painting themselves up and parading around the streets. Not, as you might imagine, for titillation and spectacle but in the name of political protest.
The World Naked Bike Ride is a protest against oil dependency and the environmental damage caused by cars. It’s also meant to be a stark symbol of cyclists’ vulnerability on the roads. You don’t have to be naked to join the ride but nudity and creative body-painting are absolutely encouraged. There are body painters on hand before the ride starts to make the most of your wobbly bits, but before you find yourself requesting a “tiger please, miss” as a knee-jerk homage to your childhood days, remember that horizontal stripes are terribly unflattering.
Get your bod and your bike to Wellington Arch in Hyde Park Corner for 3pm.
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