World Naked Bike Ride takes to New Orleans streets to celebrate cycling and the human body

Observers clustered under the awning at Markey’s bar in the Bywater on Saturday afternoon, sipping alcoholic beverages and awaiting the annual World Naked Bike Ride to pass by on Royal Street.

A Jackson Square artist named Marrus — just Marrus — explained to the uninitiated that the Naked Bike Ride would be exactly what the name suggested, a fleet of “naked people on bicycles.”

Of course, Marrus predicted, there would be “a range of nakedness,” reflecting degrees of modesty. She, like some others in the crowd, wasn’t sure of the reason for the event. But she was confident it had an honorable purpose. “It might be a charity,” she said.

A woman seated at the next table correctly clarified that the naked bike ride was a sort of demonstration, meant to raise bicycle safety awareness. In fact, it is an international phenomenon, with “bare as you dare” rides reportedly taking place in cities across the globe.

Who knows how such episodes of two-wheeled streaking are received elsewhere, but in the context of New Orleans, where parades and street performances are practically a part of daily life, and a tolerance for outré behavior is relatively high, a nude bike tour through the Bywater, Marigny and French Quarter seems entirely predictable.

Raising eyebrows and awareness

At 4 p.m., the flashing blue lights of a police cruiser heralded the beginning of the ride. Leading the procession was a pedicab bearing renowned burlesque artist Bella Blue, for whom public nudity is just a day at the office. But behind her was a bicycle convoy of otherwise ordinary folks whose lack of clothing was audacious.

Many were as glisteningly raw as freshly shucked oysters. Others had demurely disguised parts of their anatomies with bathing suit bottoms, Band-Aids, body glitter and such. Some were painted with slogans related to traffic safety, ecological issues, and pro-nudity themes, including “One less car,” “Naked means human,” and the World Naked Bike Ride classic “Can you see me now?”

It took a moment to realize that the painted message “It’s my birthday” was probably not random; it probably related to the term ‘birthday suit.”

“I hope you put on some sunscreen,” Marrus chortled from the curb at the riders. “Hello, Richard,” she called to one of the passing pedalers, confiding that watching the ride “is different when you know all the people.”

Marrus said she’d never participated in the event herself, but maybe next year.

More looky-loos

A woman named Briana, who’d driven in from Slidell to watch the bike ride, thought it was a little smaller than last year, maybe because it was hotter. And there were more “looky-loos” than she remembered. Briana said she thought the World Naked Bike Ride had something to do with the Pride celebration and parade going on in the city over the weekend. The two events are, in fact coincidental, but unrelated.

In any case, Briana said, she was happy that the nude ride “was still carrying on.”

A disappointed man holding a frozen daiquiri — or possibly a Piña Colada — said that he’d wandered away from the route to get a drink and missed the whole thing. The Naked Bike Ride begins and ends at the same small Bywater park, so it’s easy to wait and watch the cyclists return, but the man with the daiquiri said he probably wouldn’t stick around.

Organizer Brett Oncale said there were roughly 350 participants in Saturday’s ride, which was as many as 100 riders fewer than last year. He speculated that the 2024 turnout may have been a bit smaller because it was scheduled to start an hour earlier, which could have caused some confusion and lower participation.

But, he reported, otherwise the ride went very well. All expenses had been covered by donations, he said, and there were no heat-related difficulties or serious injuries. But, or course, where bicycles are involved minor mishaps are to be expected.

Sometime during the ride, a topless rider named Natasha crashed and skinned her left knee. There was a trickle of blood above her Rhinestone encrusted sandal. She said something had gone wrong with her gears, causing her to stop abruptly, which led to a collision.

As Natash forlornly walked her bike along Chartres Street, another rider, a pirate in a three-pointed hat, with a leather pouch disguising his private parts, came to her rescue. The chivalrous, unclothed Jean Lafitte examined her bike, made adjustments, and they were on their way.