Bicycle Coalition

By Sam Klugherz

This Saturday, August 24th, one of the most popular Philadelphia cycling events will take place as hundreds of naked and almost-nude cyclists gather in the city for the 11th-annual Philly Naked Bike Ride. PNBR is a 10-mile bike ride on a mostly flat route through Philly that encourages cyclists from all over to come and join others in riding as “bare as you dare” to promote “fuel conscious consumption, positive body image, and cycling advocacy.” 

The pre-ride festivities start at 2:30pm, and the ride begins at 5 PM. The starting location will be FDR Park at the Broad & Pattison entrance. The ride will end at Eakins Oval.

If you are coming in from out of town or a surrounding suburb and planning on driving into the city, PNBR recommends you park near the ride endpoint (or you could take SEPTA Regional Rail and the Broad Street Line to NRG Station if you are coming from the suburbs). 

If you are planning on spending the entire afternoon and evening with other PNBR riders, there are activities both before and after the ride on Saturday. 

Starting at 2:30 PM, the organizers will host pre-ride festivities with body paint and other fun activities at the starting location. Participants are encouraged to get creative with paint, costumes, hats, and other accessories. Note that body painting closes at 4:30pm, so get there early to partake! After the festivities, the ride begins at 5 PM, lasting about 2 hours. 

Because of the diverse skill levels of the participants, the ride will be slow and conversational. After-parties will follow the ride at three bars, two of which are clothing-optional events. The names of the bars can be found on the PNBR Facebook page

PNBR is free and no registration is required, and we highly encourage all those interested to join. If you want to participate but don’t have a bike, PNBR has offered the following suggestions for places to rent a bike: Fairmount Bicycles, Transport Cycles, Wheel Fun, and the Indego Bike Share.

If you are renting, PNBR strongly recommends wrapping your bike seat with a towel or t-shirt. Also, you are by no means required to go completely nude. PNBR wants all riders to feel comfortable and have a good time.

More information can be found on the Philly Naked Bike Ride website. Any specific questions can be directed to phillynakedbikeride@gmail.com. Remember to check the Facebook event sometime this Friday for the official route and starting point!

 

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