The World Naked Bike Ride is at once an oil-consumption protest and a body-positive event. Bicycle and cyclist awareness in general 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 cause and to celebrate the human form. It has taken place annually in cities all over the world since 2004. The Montpelier Naked Bike Ride has been run in 2007, 2008, & 2009 will be our third year.

1. You do not have to ride 100% naked, although it is encouraged. The WNBR is "bare as you dare."
2. 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, etc.). No electric or battery-operated vehicles either, please.
3. You do not have to have a "specimen" of a body! This event works best when all kinds of humans, of all genders, with all sizes and shapes of bodies participate. So don't be shy!
4. Know the laws about public nudity and the laws about bicycling. We can all have a safe event and avoid any unwanted contact with police if we all observe the following:
   1. NUDITY
      1. 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 robing & disrobing space.
      2. 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, whether you are naked or clothed, will get you arrested.
      3. At the local level, in Montpelier, it is illegal to swim naked in the Winooski and the southerly portion of the North Branch. As our ride takes us past the river, please just continue riding. Do not stop and swim if you aren't wearing anything.
   2. BICYCLING
      1. Obey all traffic laws. Always allow faster moving traffic to get around you, and yield to pedestrians. It's the law!
      2. At the local level, in Montpelier, there is an antiquated bike licensing law that is generally not observed anymore.
5. "Chase cars" are not allowed. Don't forget that this is an oil-dependency 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. If you have friends who want to watch the event, refer them to the map of the ride (below), and ask that they stage themselves on foot on a sidewalk along the route somewhere. Everyone's cooperation is needed on this front.
6. 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 too cumbersome to ride with and that they don't impede your ability to safely ride your bicycle. Please keep the language on signs inoffensive in nature.
7. If you elect to ride completely naked, keep in mind that there might be some articles of clothing or equipment that you do need to wear (e.g., shoes, a helmet, etc.). The weather is still unpredictable in June, 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.
8. 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." If you have any concerns about this, please carefully consider your participation in the WNBR.

APPROVED BY THE CITY OF MONTPELIER AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT

The route was 3 miles long, almost completely 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 AT THE CROSSWALK IN FRONT OF THE STATEHOUSE. (THIS IS THE HALFWAY POINT AND WE WILL REGROUP HERE MOMENTARILY.)
• WALK YOUR BIKE ACROSS THE CROSSWALK TO THE NORTH SIDE OF STATE STREET (I.E., OPPOSITE THE STATEHOUSE), AND RIDE EAST BACK TOWARD DOWNTOWN.
• LEFT BACK ONTO ELM STREET. (THERE IS AN UNRELATED EVENT BLOCKING OFF STATE ST; YOU CANNOT GO STRAIGHT.)
• RIGHT BACK ONTO SCHOOL STREET.
• 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.

APPROVED BY THE CITY OF MONTPELIER AND THE 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 dark green line is the outbound route (i.e., the first mile-and-a-half), and the light green line is our inbound route (i.e., the second half of the ride). The blue arrowhead, outside the Statehouse, indicates the halfway point of the ride.

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 robing & disrobing 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!

All 2008 photos courtesy of Cara Howe (unless otherwise noted). Please contact howenowphoto@yahoo.com for hi-rez, reprints, permissions, etc.

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 2009! Express yourself! There were 38 riders last year. What about trying for one-and-a-half or even two times that? Let's break 50 in 2009!

Stay tuned to this Web site for more information about the next ride. The date is set for June 13th, 2009, which is a Saturday. (The time and the specific route have yet to be determined.) We are currently hard at work on all the local-level logistics.

IMPORTANT: Help us keep an accurate headcount! If you intend on participating in the 2009 Montpelier Naked Bike Ride, please send an email to:

13june2009@montpeliernakedbikeride.org

(The email can be anonymous.) Use this same address for all other questions & comments about the ride.

Our ride's Wikipedia site
(Frequent updates specifically about the Montpelier ride are posted at this site)

Freeride

Home page of the World Naked Bike Ride

Wikipedia informational page
(There is an excellent, exhaustive FAQ here!)

World Naked Bike Ride, Vermont

World Naked Bike Ride, Burlington