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World Naked Bike Ride coming to St. Louis

Trends always are a bit slow in coming to St. Louis -- mullets remain a popular hair style in pockets of the St. Louis area -- but the city is getting its version of the World Naked Bike Ride.

The St. Louis edition of the World Naked Bike Ride is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 2, at the city's Tower Grove Park. The ride is slated to begin at 9 p.m. at the park's Pool Pavilion near the north entrance at Tower Grove Avenue and Magnolia Street. The route is not complete as of yet. If you have any suggestions of where you'd like to go, shoot organizers Stephanie Co and Mariah Pittman an e-mail at nakedbikestl@gmail.com.

The goals of the World Naked Bike Ride are to protest oil dependency, promote comfortable body image, increase awareness of cyclists in a motor-driven world and provide exercise and fun for all those who participate.

Anybody can participate, including children, the organizers say. Bikers are encouraged to go as "bare as you dare." It is not mandatory to go completely naked, though encouraged. In fact, participants can come fully clothed if they wish. Body paint -- a body painting "bonanza" will be held at 7 p.m. Aug. 2 at the park -- and other creative body coverings are encouraged, as are helmets and other protective biking gear. Also, if you would like to participate without a bike, any sort of transportation that is not a car (i.e. skates, skateboards) can be used.

To promote the event, St. Louis organizers will be hosting a screening of the movie "Indecent Exposure to Cars: The Story of the World Naked Bike Ride" at 9 p.m. July 26 at the Community Arts & Media Project center at 3022A Cherokee St. in St. Louis Donations of $1-2 dollars for cyclists and walkers and $3-5 for drivers are requested, or body paint in place of dollars.

You can see a trailer of the movie over at YouTube. The trailer has mild bits of nudity, although probably nothing worse than you've seen on network TV.

Am I going to the World Naked Bike Ride? Probably not. One, I probably have to work that night. Two, I'm simply not that comfortable with my body image!

Labels: advocacy, bicycle rides, St. Louis

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