More than 20 years into the history of World Naked Bike Ride in North America, the event’s momentum is proving difficult to maintain. Even with climate change and its consequences becoming increasingly dire, the participation in the ride is generally not increasing in proportion. Only about 20 cities in North America will be hosting Naked Rides this year. This year, however, has presented some unique and unforeseen challenges.
The ride in Los Angeles, California, scheduled for Saturday 21 June has been postponed to 13 September. Organizers cited the ongoing anti-ICE protests and police response as creating an environment not very conducive to a safe protest ride.
A group of organizers in Austin, Texas, also postponed a ride originally scheduled for 14 June. The original date was posted on the organizers’ Instagram page, but the group had second thoughts due to the nationwide No Kings rallies that day and potential response from the National Guard (deployed in some cities by Texas Govern Greg Abbott). The new date is 4 October, which follows recent Austin rides held in October. The autumn date makes participation in the ride easier, especially for university students, but mostly because Austin has experienced temperatures in the 90s (Fahrenheit), even at night, during the summer months.
In Boston, Massachusetts, ride organizers decided not to proceed with this year’s ride. A different group of riders decided to step up and facilitate one anyway, now scheduled for 2 August.
As of this writing, we are still waiting for ride dates from cities such as Columbus OH, Seattle WA, and the birthplace of WNBR Vancouver BC.