When we lived in Portland, OR, a rite of passage for many residents each summer was the famous (and infamous) annual naked bike ride.
Though it might sound crazy, seeing (or joining) thousands of locals pedaling through Portland’s streets buck-naked was actually pretty awesome. And just one of the myriad ways Portland locals expressed — and reveled in — the city’s “weird” brand.
After my husband and I left the States for Guadalajara, Mexico in 2022, I thought such esoteric, free-spirited public events were a thing of the past for us.
How wrong I was.
This weekend Guadalajara plays host to its own naked bike ride — a clothing-optional event to celebrate and promote a cleaner, safer, and more body-positive world.
Under the “World Naked Bike Ride” (WNBR) global movement, rides are now held in around 80 cities each year. In Mexico, Puebla will host its version this Saturday as well, following Mexico City’s edition on June 8th.
A Ride with a Mission
Beyond a celebration of cycling, the human body, and free expression, the ride was conceived with a serious mission.
According to Miguel Asa, one of the Guadalajara event’s organizers, the ride is held as a challenge to car culture, and the damage it does to both the human body and our environment.
“What we are looking for is for people on the street to question and criticize the excessive use of automobiles, to promote the use of means such as bicycles, to reflect on the way we move because a large part of the city is built for cars and there is little space for cyclists.”
Apart from the shock value, why do they embrace riding naked?
Riding sans protective clothing is meant to symbolize both the vulnerability of bikers to automobiles, and humans’ “indecent exposure” to fossil fuel emissions. According to the bike activist group Bicicleta Blanca, at least 327 cyclists have died in road accidents over the past 15 years on Guadalajara’s streets.
Additionally, new research by my alma mater Johns Hopkins, in cooperation with Guadalajara’s City Council, found that 82% of traffic-related deaths on our local public roads happen to pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.
Ride Details
The ride kicks-off on Saturday, June 22nd at 5 PM from Explanada Alcalde (Avenida Juárez and Pedro Moreno) in downtown Guadalajara.
This year’s route spans roughly 25 kilometers, with the ride expected to last several hours. It begins by winding through Juárez and Vallarta to Glorieta de la Minerva circle, then heads north along Avenida López Mateos, to Circunvalación and onto Enrique Díaz de León, then Ávila Camacho. The ride then turns south and wraps up back on Vallarta.
Below is a broad sketch of the ride’s route.
For more information on this year’s ride, check out the event’s official website.
As for Portland, I discovered there will be no WNBR to usher in the summer season this year. The event is reportedly taking a one-year break.
But Rose City residents won’t lack for freakish bike excursions. According to a veteran WNBR organizer, Portland will still host “full moon rides, a fig leaf ride, and a naked zombie ride” in summer 2024.
In other words, Portland will still be Portland.