World Naked Bike Ride Comes to Houston (Semi-NSFW)
(For more Semi-nekkid pics, check out our slideshow.)
Photos by Marco Torres
A select group of free spirits congregated at Super Happy Fun Land on Saturday night for the first-ever session of the World Naked Bike Ride to be held in Houston. Organizer David Collins, who dubs himself the "Naked Emperor," promoted and recruited for the event through Facebook. He tells Hair Balls that he first dreamed of organizing a ride last year, but a scheduling conflict postponed his dream.
As we walked into the East End art space, we were greeted by an already nude Collins and a gentleman named Russell Buck. We asked Russell what brought him to the WNBR. He responded by informing us that he is an avid nudist and a cyclist, and the event was a perfect way to promote both. In his opinion, the Houston Police Department takes the nudity issue to an extreme that he does not agree with. As long as he is not offending anyone, he believes that the act of being nude is his own business, and the law should not interfere.
One of the main motives behind the WNBR is the protest against humanity's oil dependency. That protest can take many forms, whether the issue is the desire to end wars in oil-producing countries, or the disapproval of how the auto industry has affected the economy. Cycling plays a part because it is a form of environmentally responsible transportation.
Others are attracted to the WNBR as a means to celebrate the diversity and beauty of the human body, regardless of size, build, appearance or age. Saturday's event included teenagers from Rice University as well as a sexagenarian, and everyone in between. One rider commented that he was not participating for political reasons, but merely wanted to "ride [his] bike downtown naked." Of course, full nudity will get you in hot water with HPD, so some sort of garments did cover the most private parts of every rider. Another gentleman proclaimed that in doing so, he was "observing the letter of the law, but not the spirit."
Other responses to the "Why did you come to the WNBR?" question included:
"Why the hell not?!"
"I heard about it and just had to do it!"
"We wanted to be a part of the first ever ride in Houston."
"To have fun!"
"It's all a part of 'Going Green.'"
In the end, a total of about 30 riders participated in the event. "It's a good start," proclaimed Collins, "definitely room for growth."
Click here for our slideshow of the World Naked Bike Ride.
Here is a video by a participant named Tim, who attended the event in an attempt to "blend in with the naked hipsters riding their bicycles."
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