Here’s a story that’s making the rounds about Portland, Oregon’s contribution to the World Naked Bike Ride:
PORTLAND — Thousands of cyclists were expected to ride Saturday at 10 p.m. in the Portland version of the World Naked Bike Ride.
The bikers will start gathering around 9 p.m. at Southeast Water Avenue and Salmon Street.
Portland police were recommending that riders wear helmets and shoes to avoid potential injuries.
. . .
According to police, being naked in public in Portland is legal if it falls within the guidelines of ORS 163.465.
Just what sort of potential injuries are they expecting that require shoes? OK, I can maybe see helmets if you fall off your bike or crash into anything. But if that happens, exactly why is it that feet would need to be better protected than naked backs, thighs, arms, butts, and other even more sensitive parts? (If you follow the link in the story above, there’s a picture: a bunch of otherwise naked people, no helmets, wearing shoes, and having their butt cracks with obscuring dots over them.)
As I have mentioned before, there seems to be this strange perception in the nudist community (actually, it seems, practically everybody) that naked doesn’t really mean naked. From The Free Dictionary:
naked: 1. Having no clothing on the body; nude.
(Emphasis added.) What part of “no” don’t they understand?
OK, I’ll admit that many bicycle pedals have protrusions for traction and that might be too difficult for normally shod people. So wrap those pedals in duct tape for the ride, so that naked really means naked. Otherwise it just looks like the point is to find an excuse, not to be naked (and enjoy the feeling of air and freedom on every part of your body), but merely to expose naughty bits.
By the way, you can get bicycle pedals that really are barefoot friendly:
(Click on the photo to go to the Amazon product description.)
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