Page 14 - IAV Digital Magazine #577

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Riders In Various States of Undress Cruise Philadelphia Streets In 14th Naked Bike Ride
By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA and RON TODT
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Hundreds of peo- ple in various states of dress -- or undress – set out Saturday for a ride through some of Philadelphia’s main streets and sights for the 14th Philly Naked Bike Ride.
The annual ride, which started in 2009, is billed as promoting cycling as a key form of transportation
and fuel-con- scious consump- tion. It is also meant to encour- age body positivi- ty. Organizers stress, however, that participants aren’t required to ride completely in the buff, telling them to get "as bare as you dare."
The course, roughly 13 miles (21 kilometers) this year, changes annually but generally passes city land- marks. This year, bikers went by the Philadelphia
Museum of Art, site of the steps featured in the “Rocky” movies, the historic City Hall, tony Rittenhouse Square and the South Street entertainment area. The ride was to end at Independence Hall.
Garry J. Gadikian, from Atlantic City, New Jersey, speaking in Fairmount Park at a pre- race get-together, said the ride was something he had wanted to do
for years.
“It’s a very free- ing experience, and definitely something that you should do once in your life for that freedom,” he said before joining about 100 fellow partici- pants who were having their bare flesh adorned with body paint and glitter.
Christopher Jordan, who works in informa- tion technology in New York City, also joined the ride for the first
time. He said he thought it was “more than just about taking the clothes off.”
"It’s just feeling comfortable with your own body and it’s OK to look at other peo- ple too, compare or not compare or just see how other people feel comfortable in their own bod- ies,” Jordan said.
Organizers said the ride wasn't limited only to bicycles. Scooters, e- bikes, rollerblades, skates, skate- boards, and even joggers were also welcome, although motor- ized bikes and scooters were asked to watch their speed. Organizers also point to a code of conduct that bars any kind of physi- cal or sexual harassment.
"Having a column of nude cyclists extending blocks behind, blocks through the city,
and causing a decent amount of disruption, inter- rupting dinner hour" helps show how many cyclists the city has — telling drivers “they need to share the road,” said Wesley Noonan- Sessa, an event facilitator who regularly rides his bike in Philadelphia.
But, he said, he thinks the naked element also helps in ”desexu- alizing nudity."
The ride used to be held in September, often in temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21.1 degrees Celsius), but enough of the naked riders mentioned feel- ing chilly that it was moved to August beginning a few years ago. The 2020 ride was called off because of the pandemic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te7UtENB0Jg
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine