Nekkid Jousting

I was in San Francisco a few years ago and stumbled completely by accident onto a Critical Mass ride. There were hundreds and hundreds of riders. However, there was one rider in particular among the masses that really stood out - he was wearing a Lone Ranger mask and was completely nude. I was standing in Union Square, one of the busiest places in SF, especially on a Friday night, so there were thousands of on-lookers. As this chap passed, I snapped a quick picture and he flashed me a peace sign. It was pretty awesome and has stood out as the craziest thing I've ever seen on a bike. That is, until this afternoon.

I was looking at the calendar of events for Pedalpalooza and noticed there was a little something called the 'Sunny Nekkid Ride'. The starting point was only about 60 blocks down from me, so I wandered down to check it out. Slowly clothed riders trickled in and slowly each disrobed. Some down only to underwear, but most, nearly all, completely nekkid, as the name would suggest. It was insane. Keep in mind, the ride started on a busy, heavily trafficked round-about in the middle of a very busy area. This was not an out-of-the-way location at all. The point was to be seen and by as many people as possible. It must've been legal, because a couple of bike cops came over, and laughing, started high-fiving the nude cyclists.

The ride got underway and since I was still clothed, I went off in different direction, headed towards another event called 'Stumptown Joustdown' - which is exactly what it sounds like, but way funnier. I snapped some pictures, which can be seen here along with Nekkid Ride photos, and shot several video clips in addition to the one below, which can be seen here. And yes, they did this naked, too.

Tonight is the World Naked Bike Ride downtown. The website says they're expecting between 1200-1500 people to participate.