‘As Bare As You Dare’ World Naked Bike Ride Returning To Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE, WI — Cyclist-enthusiasts around Milwaukee on June 24 will have a chance to shed all inhibitions for an off-the-charts bicycling event, the World Naked Bike Ride. Just remember to bring sunscreen.

Dates vary for the clothing-optional bike ride and stretch into August, but at least 70 cities in 20 countries are hosting what are billed as “craziest, wildest, most insane events of the year.” In the United States, events are planned in about a dozen cities.

While World Naked Bike Ride does appeal to and include people who are part of public nudity groups, it doesn’t actively promote social nudity, according to organizers.

The first events in the early 2000s drew a tangential connection to the“indecent exposure of people and the planet to cars and the pollution they create,” but have since evolved to tout the health benefits of cycling and promote positive body images.

In Milwaukee, the "bare as you dare" event is billed to promote body positivity, cyclist awareness and energy independence. The city first saw a naked bike ride in 2021.

Go “as bare as you dare,” organizers say, which means local ordinances regarding nudity may still apply. However, the organizers say on the FAQ page that there’s “safety in numbers” and even if the local law prohibits nudity, “police typically won’t take action to cite/arrest riders participating in a large group ride.”

For the record, "publicly and indecently" exposing one's genitals or pubic area in Wisconsin is called "lewd and lascivious behavior" in state statutes, and it could land you a low-level misdemeanor. Patch asked police in Milwaukee how they might handle such an event, but we did not hear back.

Plans are underway in other U.S. cities for other naked bike rides, including Chicago, Madison, St. Louis, Buffalo, Montpelier, Philadelphia; Houston; Los Angeles; New Orleans; Portland, and San Francisco.

New events may be added as summer rolls along. Photo galleries of previous rides, including this World Naked Bike Ride in St. Louis last year, offer a peek at what’s in store in host cities.

And, because we know you’re wondering, we looked up the answer on the FAQ page to this burning, and perhaps chaffing, question: Doesn’t riding a bike naked or nearly naked hurt?

The organizers say biking naked is more comfortable than many people expect, for both men and women, because the seams of their clothing aren’t constantly rubbing against their skin.

“So in some ways, naked riding is comfier!” they claim.

The ride is not a sans clothing version of the Tour de France, where endurance matters.

“Ride routes will often be chosen with less experienced cyclists in mind, so will avoid hills and be more leisurely in pace, increasing comfort,” according to organizers.