The combination oil protest/celebration of the human body has been building momentum since 2004, when organizers of a nude protest ride in Canada found out about a similar ride in Spain and the two groups decided to take it global. Last year's ride in Boulder brought upwards of 150 people, and this year's event — scheduled for Saturday, June 16 — may exceed that.
Denver's inaugural run didn't see those kinds of numbers — or that amount of skin — but the two dozen people who did show displayed plenty of enthusiasm (as you can see here). As the sun disappeared, so did the last remnants of modesty; the first person to bare all pulled her dress over her head and shouted, "I love to be naked!" Then more tops came off and testes came out. "Does everyone have a blinking light on the back of their bike?" someone yelled. "You'll get a ticket if you don't."
As they pedaled off to Uptown, riders were careful to stop at every stop sign and traffic light; after last year's crackdown on the monthly Critical Mass rides, cycling groups have been careful to avoid moving violations. But moving violations were only a secondary concern; at first everyone was concerned with potential rectal bike-seat violations. After the first mile or so, though, the riders were all pretty comfortable with how things stood, and the cool air hitting those nether regions more than made up for any discomfort.
Cruising along 17th Avenue, past Pasquini's and Strings, the riders got — and gave — their first exposure to large groups gathered on restaurant patios. The eruption of cheers encouraged some who were still wearing underwear to go all out — or all off. Chanting "less gas, more ass," the riders turned west and headed toward downtown. The Saturday-night club crowd was just warming up as the naked cyclists pedaled into LoDo, where revelers got out their cell phones to snap photos. One guy actually rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
But as the riders headed toward the Colorado Convention Center, they suddenly had company. At 14th and Curtis streets, a Denver Sheriff's Department SUV pulled up. At Stout, two motorcycle cops pulled out in front of the group, and several squad cars sped up 14th to get a piece of the action. The officers rounded up the bare riders — right by the Big Blue Bear — ordering them to dress and get on the ground. As they pulled out phones and cameras (most riders had been carrying them in bags, along with their clothes), the cops confiscated them. "Do you want me to make an example out of you?" one officer yelled at a rider. "Now give me your ID and shut your mouth!" When the rider said he didn't have an ID, he was handcuffed and led to a waiting cruiser. Another rider who refused to show his ID met the same fate. After that, the rest of the group fell in line.
Although some of the riders had never stripped, everyone got the same indecent-exposure ticket — with a few accessorized by a disturbing-the-peace ticket. (They also got their phones and cameras back, and the pair in the squad car were released.) All twenty are due in Denver County Court on June 25, and there's already talk of a mass naked court outing. In the meantime, one rider will do her bit for the cause: She's renamed her bike, and now can ride Naked wherever she wants — and the police can't do a damn thing about it.
