And the full announcement:
May 29, 2013 [Saint Louis, MO]For Immediate Release: Bare as you dare: 2013 World Naked Bike Ride date revealed
This year's bare as you dare 6th annual World Naked Bike Ride in St. Louis will take place on Saturday, July 27. World Naked Bike Ride is an international event protesting oil dependency, raising cyclist awareness, and advocating positive body image.
From 6 to 8 p.m., riders will gather at the South Grand Parking Lot (S. Grand and Hartford) for a pre-ride festival and rally, to include live music, live art, an expo of bicycle, environmental, and body acceptance organizations and businesses, speakers, and a rally. At 8 p.m., riders depart on a 10 mile loop through St. Louis' busiest business districts, including South Grand, Cherokee, Soulard, Downtown, and Washington Avenue, Locust Business District, and Grand Center before ending in the Grove.
The clothing-optional bike ride is known for its dress code of "as bare as you dare"; riders participate in a spectrum of dress and undress.
Why ride? And why naked? "Participating in the ride is empowering for our riders," said ride coordinator Stephanie Co. "Together, we demonstrate the importance of rights and safety of our cyclists on the road, because we're vulnerable whether we're wearing clothes or not. We ride against car and oil dependency and its destruction to our communities and our environment. And finally, we ride to reject mainstream media portrayal of which body types we should accept; we should all be proud of our bodies."
Since its local inception in 2008, World Naked Bike Ride has grown to 1000 riders strong. The participation marks St. Louis as one of the largest rides in the nation, following Chicago, Philadelphia, and Portland. The event also draws riders from surrounding cities, including Chicago, Memphis, Wichita, Columbia, Nashville, and Springfield.
"We're excited that the ride has grown so dramatically the last few years," said ride coordinator Stephanie Co. "We're starting to put St. Louis on the map as a bike-friendly and creative city. The support and participation we received last year was beyond our expectations, and I think it signals that this is an event that now belongs to our community, and is a tradition that's here to stay."
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department supported the ride the last six years and assisted in blocking traffic at key intersections. No arrests related to the ride were made.
Partners for 2013 World Naked Bike Ride include: Yelp, Improv Anywhere, South Grand Community Improvement District, Spoked STL, Big Shark Bicycle, Mesa Cycles, Mike's Bikes, Missouri Coalition for the Environment, Regen STL, Griffin Delivery, Wheeler Welding, Sex Positive STL, Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment, Hi Spektical, DIY Photomaton, Fresh Poetry STL, HandleBar and Atomic Cowboy.
Visit www.wnbrstl.org, facebook.com/wnbrstl, or email [email protected] to stay updated.
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