Seattle archive
Find out more about past WNBR Seattle Rides by reading a history, the official WNBR Seattle ride reports and also view the press and media coverage, blogging, journals, newswire, discussion groups. For other cities click here.
History
Seattle was the second city to organize a WNBR event, after Vancouver BC, and the first United States city to organize a ride. Daniel Johnson met with Conrad Schmidt after both participated in an Artists Against War/Artists for Peace/Work Less Party (AAW/AFP/WLP) Go As Bare as You Dare ride (which Conrad organized) in Vancouver, BC. Conrad expressed interest in creating an international naked cycling event modeled after the rides in Vancouver and Daniel committed to having one in Seattle.
The idea to start off the ride in the Fremont and Wallingford districts of Seattle was because these neighborhoods have been supportive of painted/naked cycling in the past. This is due to the continuing success and growing creativity of the Painted naked cyclists of the Summer Solstice Parade who have been a highlight of the Summer Solstice Parade held annually in Fremont. The Painted Cyclists participate in the artistic spirit and non-political atmosphere of the Summer Solstice Parade in Fremont, held on the Saturday closest to the Summer Solstice (exactly one week after WNBR). The painted cyclists are world famous — no one has outdone them in terms of the numbers of uniquely-made full-body bodypainting and kustom bike jobs!
Gas Works Park has traditionally been the end of the parade route and the end of the naked cycling, yet its easy access to The Burke-Gilman Trail beckons riders to continue on to explore other parts of the greater Seattle area. In addition to the Painted Cyclists, WNBR Seattle was also inspired by the the AAW/AFP/WLP Rides in Vancouver BC and Manifestación Ciclonudista in Spain, which predate WNBR.
With regard to the WNBR Seattle route, Daniel felt that leaving the area via the Fremont Bridge would provide a feeling that the cyclists would cover new ground, outside the established safe-haven of primarily artistic freedoms, into those that also integrate more political and social concerns. In 2004 he stated that "our aspirations are symbolized by our push to reach the International Fountain at the Seattle Center, giving the event an international scope and highlighting the global appeal and need for our message". Having reached that goal, Daniel is encouraging others to reinvent the ride every year, to keep the event fresh and interesting for riders and spectators alike.
In 2003, Conrad and Daniel chose the June 12th, 2004 for WNBR to coincide with other ride events, which predate WNBR; and to take advantage of the nice weather around the Summer Solstice. There was an attempt to combine both painted naked rides in Seattle at the time, however, many of the Solstice Cyclists preferred that their event appear to be more spontaneous and without an overt message, respecting the parade's festive, non-political context. Up until early 2006, the name and e-mailing list of the painted cyclists group was kept somewhat secret to avoid unwanted hassles.
Those participating in WNBR, operate in a distinctly different context and respect the request that the two events stay separate. While both groups strive to have a fun time, those involved with WNBR are also biking in solidarity with others in cities across the globe who wish to engage the public with a message. Up until 2006 they were the only painted/naked ride to openly publicize their events so that a larger number of people have the opportunity to participate. This changed in 2006 when Body Pride Ride launched highly visible naked promo rides during Seattle Critical Mass in March and April 2006, and when the Solsice Cyclists launched their public web site.
In 2005 there were four naked bike rides in Seattle. Three of those occurred in three consecutive saturdays in June alone! The other two Seattle naked cycling events included the painted naked cyclists of the Fremont Solstice Parade (18 June, featuring about 160 riders!), and the premiere of the First Annual Body Pride Ride (June 26, a dozen cyclists) cycling around Capitol Hill and then as entry #186 in the Pride March. So, with WNBR, that was three separate naked rides in three weeks! In addition to ongoing monthly Critical Mass rides, 2005 marked the First Annual Independence From Oil Day Parade (3 July) and the emergence of the Ghostcycle project, raising awareness of cyclists on the streets with evocative installations around the city.
The 2006 WNBR Seattle event saw some significant improvements over previous years, despite holding steading to number of riders for three years straight. We spent just under 6 hours on the road and in the parks, approximately 27+ miles were covered! A new record for naked bike rides in Seattle. We were able to use many of the bathrooms in the park system this year and that really made things go so much smoother. We had about seven bathroom breaks! Our body painting area easily doubled, we had plenty of room for painting this year. We went up Pike street, a first. Much more fun than going up South Jackson in the International District and the hill really wasn't as bad as some were thinking. We stopped at Cal Anderson Park and took a shot at the water feature. The yoga session at Madronna Park with Mekosun was awesome and a first for Seattle! We stopped at Stan Sayres Park and hung out there for a while. Beautiful views. The ride to and around Seward Park was great. Views were awesome. We had an incredible presence at the Group Health Bicycle days event there. We completely took over a beach there and went in to the water and chilled out. We gathered to sing happy birthday to some family having a picnic at Madronna after visiting the park for a second time on the way back. We went through the Arboretum and over the Montlake Bridge, firsts for naked rides. And finally, after two years, we met up with UW Commencement graduates!
In 2007 we introduced our first night ride, and found out that there were already others streaking Green Lake Park. We also moved our main event to Fairview Park from our usual start location of Gas Works Park. We also changed the main ride date from 9 June 2007, when most other cities were riding, to 14 July 2007. Our riders appreciated the better weather. If we would have stayed at 9 June 2007 our event would have been rained out for the second year in a row! Our main ride route was more or less the same as 2006 with changes in the beginning. We also had our first three arrests, which occurred at Seward Park. We also had our first after-ride party immediately following the ride. This was a great time to celebrate and network and brainstorm ideas for next year.
Official Ride Reports
Find out more about past WNBR Seattle Rides.
- 12 June 2004: WNBR Seattle #1 1st Annual Main Event. Gas Works, Seattle Center International Fountain, Capital Hill
- 11 June 2005: WNBR Seattle #2 2nd Annual Main Event. Gas Works, Denny Park, City Hall, Capital Hill.
- 24 Sept 2005: WNBR Seattle #3 Autumnal Equinox Mini Ride from Myrtle Edwards Park to Discovery Park Beach.
- 10 June 2006: WNBR Seattle #4 3rd Annual Main Event
- 30 June 2007: WNBR Seattle #5 1st Night Ride
- 14 July 2007: WNBR Seattle #6 4th Annual Main Event
- June, July, August 2008: WNBR Seattle #7, #8, #9
- For other cities see Past events.
Coverage
- See Seattle coverage.
Video and photography
Past themes
- 2008 - Human-powered transport: Burn Fat, Not Oil!
- 2007 - Reclaim our streets, our bodies, our city, our self-reliance!
- 2006 - Harnessing the power of the human body and spirit
- 2005 - Metamorphosis
- 2004 - Protest oil dependency and celebrate the power and individuality of our bodies! Naked Bicycle People Power! (Global theme)
