Several hundreds of men and women have take part in the world naked bike ride as they strip completely nude in public.
Hundreds of cyclists were spotted riding their bikes through the
streets of Manchester yesterday, (and if you saw them without clothes
on, you were not dreaming).
These people really were in the buff.
Why? Because they were all taking part in the 11th annual World Naked Bike Ride.
Dozens of nude and partially-clothed bikers set off in the evening
on Friday from All Saints Park in the university area of Oxford Road.
The dress code for the ride, which passed landmarks including St
Peter’s Square, Manchester Town Hall and travels along Deansgate, is
‘bare as you dare’ and full or partial nudity is encouraged.
And there is a meaning behind it all.
The annual event, which takes place in more than 70 cities across
the world, aims to draw attention to the vulnerability of cyclists on
the road.
It’s also about celebrating bikes and cycling, bodies and low-impact living.
Participants travelling across the world from as far as Australia
were invited to turn up to the park with a bike and encouraged to paint
their bodies with pro-cycling messages.
One rider had the message ‘fragile’ painted on his back and another brought a giant inflatable globe to wear.
Others painted themselves with black and yellow stripes to resemble
bees, or with the worker bee symbol, to celebrate the city of
Manchester and to pay tribute to those who died in the Manchester Arena
bombing last month.
Becca Warren, from Stretford, proudly took part in the ride with her friends.
She said: ‘I’ve done this event almost every year. This year we
wanted to go with a Manchester bee theme to pay tribute and to celebrate
Manchester.
‘And bees are important to our existence.’
Joe Smith from Withington, who had his back painted with bee symbols, added: ‘We want to pay tribute to this great city.’
Participants joyfully sounded their bicycle bells as they turned
the corner from the park and onto Oxford Road as supportive bystanders
took photos and cheered them on.
Organisers of the World Naked Bike Ride have explained why cyclists
get away with baring all, stating that nudity is not illegal in
England, as was established in the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
But using nudity to intentionally cause harassment, alarm or distress may be illegal.
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