Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride “Cancels”

PORTLAND, Ore. — COVID-19 has thrown a wrench at another local summer tradition.  The large gathering that has become Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride has been cancelled.

The event’s website says the ride “highlights the vulnerability of cyclists everywhere and decries society’s dependence on pollution-based transport”.  It was scheduled for June 27th, but organizers say there will not be an official gathering.  Instead, riders are encouraged to pedal in their neighborhoods at a safe distance from other riders.

The ride is a global event, but Portland is one of the biggest and most popular.  It has grown from 125 people in 2004 to an estimated 10,000 last year.

Public nudity is illegal in Oregon unless in protest.  The bike ride was created as a protest against dependency on oil, for cyclist safety and in support of body “positivity”.