Gainesville Police may not be worried about this type of crack hitting Gainesville’s streets. A local bicycle shop is hosting a nearly naked bike run to raise awareness of the visibility of cyclists and alternative transportation.
The Critical Ass “Nearly Naked” Bike Ride will take place Aug. 22 at 6:30 p.m. The ride will begin at Pleasant Cyclery, located at 235 NW Eighth Ave., and it will end downtown. The route will be about 10 miles.
Organizers decided to adopt the phrase, “Bare as much as you dare,” from the World Naked Bike Run and implement it into their event. However, participants must make sure to have all the appropriate parts covered to follow Florida law, which states that “it is unlawful to expose or exhibit sexual organs in public.”
“This means berries and twig must be covered for the guys, bush and baby feeders for the ladies,” said Pleasant Cyclery bike pedaler Ryan Aulton.
He said naked bike rides actually happen all over the world for the same reason. These events are known as World Naked Bike Rides and continue to expand every year. In the U.S., the first World Naked Bike Ride took place Portland, Oregon, in 2004.
Those who choose to participate will help increase awareness of how vulnerable cyclists really are when sharing the road while also riders are having fun.
Taylor Cornillaud, a 20-year-old UF applied physiology and kinesiology senior, said she rides her bike everywhere through campus and would be willing to participate in the Critical Ass bike run.
“I think it’s a great way to raise awareness about sharing the road with bicycles,” Cornillaud said. “There would be so many people turning heads and wondering what the riders are doing.”
Aulton said participants do not have to sign up, but should RSVP on the Facebook event page to show their support. He would also like participants, or those who support the cause, to share it with others. He said the more people they have, the more of an impact they will be able to make.
People are welcome to come before the run starts to cover themselves in body paint if they would like to stand out even more during the event. Aulton plans on choosing a ride-after venue where participants can go and celebrate.
There is a large cycling community in Gainesville, and Aulton hopes the event will demonstrate that people do not have to be dependent on oil and are capable of their own transportation.
He hopes the event will grow in the future and would like to see it reach up to 1,000 participants, like other cities around the country.
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 8/5/2014 under the headline "Bikers bare (almost) all in nearly nude bike ride for awareness"]
