The World Naked Bike Ride is at once an oil-consumption protest and a body-positive event. Bicycle and cyclist awareness are also emphasized. In the most basic terms, the WNBR is a mass bike-riding event in which participants are mostly nude. Nakedness serves to draw attention to the vulnerability of cyclists within a car culture and to celebrate the human form. It has taken place annually in cities all over the world since 2004 and is the world's largest naked protest! The Montpelier Naked Bike Ride has been run once a year since 2007.
June 2010 will mark our fourth Ride!
- You do not have to ride 100% naked. All level of dress or undress is OK with us if it's OK with you. The motto of the WNBR has always been, "Bare as you dare!"
- You also do not have to ride a bike. Other forms of person-powered, non-petroleum consuming "vehicles" are fine (e.g., skateboards, skates, wheelchairs, unicycles, etc.). No electric or battery-operated vehicles either, please.
- You do not have to have a "specimen" of a body! This event works best when all kinds of humans, of all genders, all ages, with all sizes and shapes of bodies participate. So don't be shy! The Montpelier Ride, specifically, has a nice history of being multigenerational and multigendered.
- Know the laws about public nudity and the laws about bicycling. We can have a safe event and avoid any unwanted contact with police if we all observe the following:
- NUDITY
- At the state level, in Vermont, while it is not illegal to be naked in public, it is illegal to disrobe in public. (This may be conceptualized as an anti-flashing law.) Please respect this law and disrobe indoors only. The Ride will provide indoor disrobing & rerobing space; you must use it.
- At the local level, Chapter 11, Section 700 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Montpelier reads, "INDECENT EXPOSURE. No person shall publicly make an indecent, immodest or immoral exhibition of his person..." In the modern era, using contemporary community standards, this clause is generally interpreted as referring to lewdness. Notice in the description of the WNBR that this event is about being naked...it is not about being sexual. Please do not engage in any behavior in which the former crosses over into the latter. Lewd behavior (including language), whether you are naked or clothed, can get you arrested.
- BICYCLING (for comprehensive coverage of this topic, see http://tinyurl.com/MontpelierBicycleLaws)
- Ride on the right, in the same direction as traffic, but move to the left to avoid road hazards, car doors that are opening, or to prepare for a left turn.
- Ride no more than two abreast, let faster moving traffic (such as cars) around you, and yield to pedestrians.
- Obey all traffic signs & signals.
- It is illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk in downtown Montpelier.
- You do not have the right-of-way in a crosswalk unless you are walking your bike.
- NUDITY
- "Chase cars" are not allowed. Don't forget that this is an oil-consumption protest, so having a friend in a car try to lead us or follow us is antithetical. It is also dangerous—we would like as little car traffic on the roads as possible. Everyone's cooperation is needed on this front.
SPECTATORS & PHOTOGRAPHERS: If you want to watch the event from multiple locales, please refer to the map below, and stage yourselves on foot or on a bike anywhere along the route. Do not use a car to get from point to point—you wouldn't get far; automobile traffic moves very slowly during this event. (Please note that our start & end point is a designated rider sanctuary accessible immediately before & after the Ride only to participants and their invited guests.) - It is traditional in the history of this event worldwide that some participants decorate their bikes and/or bodies. Why not make a picket-style sign that expresses your views about oil consumption, car culture, bike culture, or the human body? Also, think: body paint! Just make sure any "costumes" or signs are not so cumbersome that they impede your ability to safely ride your bicycle. Please keep the language on signs inoffensive in nature. (Need an idea for a sign that is "on message"? Click here.)
- If you elect to ride completely naked, keep in mind that there might be some things that you do need or want to wear (a helmet? shoes? sunscreen?). The weather is still unpredictable in June, and this event happens rain or shine, so be prepared for anything. It is also a good idea to carry on your person or on your bike some light articles of clothing that you can jump right into if you need to. Accidents, flat tires, and thrown chains do happen, and it's never fun to have to remedy these problems in the nude.
- It is impossible to prevent people who watch this event from snapping photos and taking video. In fact the WNBR has a long history of prolific turnout of "amateur photographers." These people may be people known to you, or they may not. They may be members of the press or they may not. Images of you could end up anywhere: from the newspaper, to television, to this Web site, to the Internet at large, to someone's "private collection." While you may always instruct any photographer that they do not have your permission to photograph you, if you have more serious concerns about being photographed naked, please carefully consider your participation in the WNBR.
PHOTOGRAPHERS: The Ride's start & end point is a designated rider sanctuary accessible immediately before & after the event only to participants and invited guests. Refer to the map below for other places along the route from which to photograph the riders. Always ask permission before you take a person's photograph. Importantly, it is in your best interest not to approach the riders too closely, or you yourself will end up in every photo looking like a creepy lecher.
2009
APPROVED BY THE MONTPELIER POLICE DEPARTMENT
The route was almost 3 miles long, basically flat, and took about 30 minutes to ride at a leisurely pace. These directions correspond to the map below.
- START AT FREERIDE, 89 BARRE STREET.
- LEFT OUT OF THE PARKING LOT ONTO BARRE STREET.
- RIGHT ON MAIN STREET; GO ALL THE WAY TO THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE.
- "TEN O'CLOCK" OFF THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE ONTO SPRING STREET.
- LEFT ONTO ELM STREET.
- LEFT ONTO SCHOOL STREET.
- RIGHT BACK ONTO MAIN STREET.
- RIGHT ONTO LANGDON STREET.
- RIGHT ONTO ELM STREET.
- LEFT ONTO COURT STREET.
- LEFT ONTO TAYLOR STREET.
- RIGHT ONTO STATE STREET.
- STOP IN FRONT OF THE STATE HOUSE. (THIS WAS THE HALFWAY POINT AND WE REGROUPED HERE.)
- WALK YOUR BIKE ACROSS THE CROSSWALK TO THE NORTH SIDE OF STATE STREET (I.E., OPPOSITE THE STATEHOUSE), AND RIDE EAST BACK TOWARD DOWNTOWN.
- RIGHT BACK ONTO MAIN STREET.
- LEFT ONTO STONE CUTTERS WAY.
- LEFT ONTO GRANITE STREET.
- LEFT ONTO BARRE STREET.
- LEFT BACK INTO FREE RIDE PARKING LOT.
- END AT FREERIDE, 89 BARRE STREET.
2009
APPROVED BY THE MONTPELIER POLICE DEPARTMENT
This map corresponds to the directions above. Freeride, 89 Barre Street, was the start and end point of the ride and is marked by the red dot. Arrowheads indicate the direction of travel and are also quarter-mile markers. The State House indicates the halfway point of the ride.
Forty-two (42) riders from ages 8 to 77, and every generation in between, made the third annual Montpelier Naked Bike Ride a huge success! Participants included one inline skater and one longboarder too! Temperature made for a perfect day to go naked outside: 74 degrees & partly cloudy. A 20% chance of rain manifested in the form of a couple or three cool drops that hit us right as we began to ride out of the parking lot of Freeride, the bike co-op that for the past two years has been our start & finish. Hundreds of spectators—most prominent on the northwest corner of State & Main and again in front of the Statehouse—cheered us through town. No police escort this time, and although we missed the company of our bike patrol pals, we did just fine on our own. A pleasant ride was had by all. Just check out all the smiles in the photos...and join us next year!
2008
The Second Annual Montpelier World Naked Bike Ride went off without a hitch! We had 38 riders (37 bikers + 1 inline skater), hot weather that touched the 90s, and a roaring crowd of hundreds upon hundreds of supportive spectators (and "amateur photographers") who mobbed the sidewalks of downtown. We were also graced with an indoor disrobing & rerobing space at Freeride bike co-op, as well as a double escort of the Montpelier PD Bike Patrol. Thanks to everybody—riders, community, volunteers, police, and the City—who helped to make this a safe and positive event. The Ride succeeds because of you. Because it’s obvious this community supports healthy, creative, and communicative protest...we'll see you again next year, Montpelier!
2007
After being thwarted by fate in their efforts to participate in the Burlington WNBR, Will, Jill, & Jen took it upon themselves to spontaneously kick off the inaugural Montpelier WNBR. The reaction was nearly 100% positive, with only one passerby shielding her child's eyes. Everyone else voiced their support by hooting & hollering, smiling & waving, or giving a thumbs up. All over downtown, cell phones materialized quickly. They served two purposes: First, to snap photos, and second to phone Montpelier PD...a lot. When police caught up with the riders, they were friendly and supportive and only wanted to check to make certain everything was OK. Thanks, guys!
Ride naked in 2010! There were 42 riders last time, and each year we grow a little bit more, so you'll be keeping good company. Our goal is 50 riders in 2010.
The next World Naked Bike Ride in Montpelier Vermont will most likely take place on a Saturday in early June 2010. The date for all WNBRs is set globally sometime around the new year, so check back at this website for further details as the time draws nearer.
In the meantime, direct all comments & questions about the Montpelier WNBR to:
13june2009@montpeliernakedbikeride.org
Our ride's Wikipedia site
(Frequent updates specifically about the Montpelier ride are posted at this site)
Home page of the World Naked Bike Ride
Wikipedia informational page
Get any question about naked bike riding answered @ the FAQ here.
Find a Ride that is geographically closer to you here.
Start your own Ride here.