Saint Louis

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Home > List of rides > US > Saint Louis  •  Google this ride!

Welcome to the Saint Louis World Naked Bike Ride page!

Next ride

Editors: to change this section,
click the Edit tab at the top of the page

Date: July 28, 2012
Time: 8 pm departure, 6 pm gathering (*note we are starting one hour earlier this year)
Location: meet at South Grand Parking Lot (Hartford and S. Grand), post-party in the Grove at Manchester and Talmage, hosted by HandleBar and Atomic Cowboy

Objectives

  • To promote cyclist awareness
  • To protest oil dependency
  • To promote comfortable body image
  • To build community in a fun, creative way

Ride information

Participants are encouraged to go "as bare as they dare," though nudity is by no means necessary. You're welcome to come fully clothed, covered in body paint, in your underwear, in a crazy costume... in the past years, we had a pretty good mix of the above.

In addition, our ride is not exclusive to bicyclists. Roller-blades and other body-powered modes of transportation are also welcome.

Further questions can be addressed at the WNBR FAQ section.

Pre-ride gathering will include an expo to include the following bicycling, environmental and body positive organizations and businesses, and other fun oddities.

  • Live Well Ferguson
  • Trailnet
  • Griffin Delivery
  • Sex Positive STL
  • Big Shark Bicycle
  • Gateway Burners
  • Cherokee Street Bikes
  • High Spektical Photography (body painting and more)
  • Randy's Recycled Cycles
  • Mike's Bikes
  • DIY Photomaton
  • Spoked STL
  • Cycling Savvy
  • Commute St. Louis
  • Fresh Poetry, Ink
  • St. Louis Gateway Nudists

If you are interested in vending, or have committed to vending and are not listed here, please contact [email protected] and we'll accommodate.

Post-ride celebration will take place in the Grove. Brought to you By HandleBar, Atomic Cowboy and Randy's Recycled Cycles. 9pm-11pm. Special Prizes awarded at 10:30 from the main stage featuring swag & gifts from our hosts for: “Most Naked Bike Rider” “Most Creative Naked Bits Cover” “Best Naked Couple”

featuring music by Tommy & The Fig Leaves - a hot swing quintet featuring Tommy Halloran, Lew Winer III, Alyssa Avery, Mark Wallace & David Newman.

Promotional Events

Veer: the movie at HandleBar (4127 Manchester) Sunday, July 8 at 7 p.m. Come watch Veer, a documentary on cycling culture in Portland. Representatives from [Trailnet] and Spoked STL will be joining the discussion of what St. Louisians are doing to promote, embrace, and shape cycling culture in our own city.

Crude Awakening at Mangia Italiano. Sunday, July 22 at 7 p.m. Learn more about the oil dependency crisis. Speakers following the movie include reps from Mud Lab and Missouri Coalition for the Environment.

How to Get Involved

  • Come to planning meetings. The next planning meeting is TBD.
  • Volunteer We are in need of volunteers! Volunteer roles include
  • STREET TEAM: Flyer up the town beforehand.
  • ROUTE GUIDE: helping lead the route and coordinate intersections and "pauses" along the route. Having route on hand to show to riders pre-ride and helping give directions following the ride.
  • ROUTE TWEETER: any twitter master who wants to tweet locations of the ride so stragglers can catch-up.
  • SUPERHERO: helping out with flats and other quick repairs along the route or pre-ride.
  • PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER: documenting ride and uploading to community forum and social media channels
  • BODY-PAINTERS

Contact information

If you'd like to help organize or contribute to the event, which would be grateful, please contact:

Names: Stephanie Co
Email: [email protected]

2012 Route

  • START: exit South Grand parking lot through walkway, head left (south)
  • left Juniata
  • left Arkansas
  • left Arsenal
  • left Grand
  • left Utah
  • right Arkansas
  • left Cherokee
  • PAUSE @ JEFFERSON
  • left Lemp
  • right Lynch
  • left Lemp
  • right Sidney
  • left 12th
  • right Russell
  • left 9th
  • right Lafayette
  • PAUSE @ 7th
  • left 7th
  • follow Broadway -> 4th
  • left Washington
  • left Jefferson
  • right Locust
  • right Theresa
  • left Samuel Shepard
  • PAUSE @ GRAND
  • left Grand
  • right Lindell
  • left Vandeventer
  • right Manchester
  • END @ Talmage

Return to the the start of the ride:

  • head west on Manchester
  • left Tower Grove Ave
  • left Arsenal
  • right Grand

Google Maps of 2012 Route, subject to change

Note* PAUSES are to prevent the ride from being too spread out, approximately one minute or span of one traffic light sequence.

Meetings

No more planning meetings for 2012 WNBR.

History

World Naked Bike Ride in St. Louis started in 2008, drawing 300 cyclists in the first year. Since then, the ride takes place ever summer and has grown to 1000 cyclists. No arrests have been made.

2012: Estimated 1000 riders

St. Louis held its FIFTH World Naked Bike Ride on Saturday, July 28, 2012. The ride far exceeded our expectations; we had an estimated 1000 riders in attendance, doubling last year's ridership alone. Yes, 1000 riders in a post-industrial city of a mere 300,000 population, with a small (but steadily growing) cycling community, and often thought of as conservative. (Several riders commented, "how did you pull this off?!")

This year's ride included partnerships with several cycling, environmental, and body-positive groups and businesses who came out to the pre-ride gathering on South Grand and set up booths, did bicycle maintenance, and shared resources. The ride itself received positive reception from the biggest St. Louis business districts (many of which took it on their own to host watching parties to support the ride) and were greeted with smiles, cheers, and at times stripping by onlookers, in cars and on the street alike. We had very few traffic issues considering the size of the ride and the fact that riders, rather than a police escort, were leading the ride, and due to limited resources, only one police car was available for traffic safety. St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department were cooperative and helped block traffic in larger intersections. No arrests were made. The ride ended in a street party in the Grove, an eclectic night-time district in St. Louis, where regulars went with the flow and embraced naked bike riders, and at times decided to join in and strip as well.

Some riders came from surrounding smaller cities and are interested in starting WNBRs in their own homes, and we also received several comments by riders stating that as always, it was the best night of the year, and others stating they had no idea how fun, tolerant, and cool their city could be. So yes for helping increase city pride and making it a little more fun and interesting!

It was an incredible, empowering, and positive experience, and we anticipate even more growth in future years.

2011: Estimated 500 riders The 10 mile ride was the best yet, covering the busiest business districts, receiving incredible positive reception, and police escort.

2010: Estimated 450 riders

2009: Estimated 400 riders

2008: Estimated 300 riders The first Saint Louis World Naked Bike Ride took place on August 2, 2008, and was a complete success. There were maybe 300 participants estimated, not including the hundreds of spectating supporters throughout the bike ride. There were also zero arrests, despite warnings from the police beforehand. Though there were only a dozen or so completely nude cyclists, the overwhelming majority of the bike ride was in their underwear or a bit less. The police were incredibly cooperative, helping out at busy intersections and larger streets, as the organizers revealed the route to the police beforehand.

We started out by biking in the dark of Tower Grove Park before emerging at Arsenal, where there were many stationed supporting spectators cheering us on. We looped back through South Grand, a normally busy street that we were able to block off for over a mile. We biked towards fireworks after the Cardinals game. Despite strong encouragement otherwise, we biked onwards past the Busch Stadium, by the Arch, down Market street, and onward through Washington Ave, a popular night spot. Here we swarmed in the masses around confused cars in a single lane street. We ended up flying down a hill on Lindell and then turned on Vandeventer, where we were able to conclude the ride by picking up some cyclists, passing by some gas stations and bars and a supporting crowd at the Atomic Cowboy, our final stop point.

Some highlights of the pre and post parties: At the body painting gathering, one reporter ended up stripping to his underwear while filming. Also, at the Atomic Cowboy, all the band members ended up in their underwear by the end of their set.

Throughout the ride, we received maybe one negative comment and thousands of positive ones, from families included. We took over multiple city blocks at a time. We had some rollerbladers, and we had a camel. For the first Saint Louis World Naked Bike Ride ever, where the majority of the participants had never heard of the World Naked Bike Ride and many had never participated in a mass bike ride before, we got an amazing turnout and loads of positive feedback.

Previous routes

2011 Route

  • START: exit South Grand parking lot through walkway, head left (south)
  • left Juniata
  • left Arkansas
  • left Arsenal
  • left Grand (stay left)
  • left Cherokee
  • PAUSE @ JEFFERSON (approx 2 min)
  • left Lemp
  • right Lynch
  • left Lemp
  • right Sidney
  • left 12th
  • PAUSE @ RUSSELL (approx 3 min)
  • right Russell
  • left 9th
  • right Lafayette
  • left 7th
  • follow Broadway
  • PAUSE @ CHESTNUT (approx 2 min)
  • left Washington
  • left Jefferson
  • right Locust
  • left Compton
  • right Olive
  • left Grand
  • PAUSE @ LINDELL
  • right Lindell
  • left Vandeventer
  • right Manchester
  • end @ Talmage

Note* PAUSES are to prevent the ride from being too spread out.

Approximate map (see discussion page): Google Map of 2011 Route

2010 Route

  • turn left onto Juniata from parking lot (going East)
  • left Arkansas
  • left Arsenal
  • left Grand
  • left Utah
  • right Arkansas
  • left Cherokee
  • left Lemp
  • left Pestalozzi
  • right McNair
  • right Sidney
  • left 12th St.
  • right Russell
  • left 9th St.
  • right Lafayette
  • left 7th to Broadway to 4th (Street Map to here)
  • left Market
  • right 20th
  • left Olive to Lindell
  • left Euclid
  • left Laclede
  • right Taylor
  • left Chouteau
  • right Sarah
  • right Manchester
  • left Tower Grove
  • left Shaw
  • right Grand (Last half of route)

2009 Route

  • Exit park at Grand and Arsenal through bike path. Head west on Arsenal.
  • to Spring (make left).
  • to Utah (make left).
  • to Grand (make left).
  • to Russell (make right).
  • to Mississippi (make left).
  • to Chouteau (make right).
  • to 18th St (make left).
  • to Market (make left).
  • to Compton (make right).
  • to Olive (make left).
  • to Grand (make left).
  • to Lindell (make right).
  • to Vanderventer (take left).
  • to Manchester (take right) to Atomic Cowboy.


Google Maps directions and course (up to date as of August 14, subject to change again)


Directions from Atomic Cowboy to Tower Grove Park:

  • Head one block west on Manchester to Tower Grove Ave (take left).
  • continue to Tower Grove Park.

Suggestions welcome! Email with comments/complaints.

2008 Route

Note: Route is not necessarily finalized. We're welcome to suggestions or complaints!

  1. Depart from Tower Grove Park Stupp Center. Turn right onto Arsenal, left onto Spring Ave.
  2. Turn Left on Wyoming.
  3. Turn left on Grand. Head north until Russell.
  4. Turn right on Russell, then left on Compton.
  5. Right on Lafayette, Left on Memorial, Right on Park. Follow Park until 17th st.
  6. Turn left on 17th until Chouteau. Take a right, then left on 4th Street.
  7. Turn left on Market.
  8. Turn right on 7th street.
  9. Turn left on Washington Ave.
  10. Turn left on 18th street.
  11. Turn right on Locust until 23rd street.
  12. Turn left on 23rd street, right on Olive. Follow Olive until Lindell.
  13. At this point, we will either take Boyle until Manchester, then head to the Atomic Cowboy for an after party. However, if participants are willing, we will head to the Central West End first before heading back.

Not the exact route, as planned, but trying to follow the directions from the route described above: WNBR Saint Louis 2008

Photos

See also Saint Louis photos

Media coverage

2012

Post-ride coverage

KSDK Channel 5 "Hundreds of St. Louis cyclists participate in World Naked Bike Ride"

Pre-ride coverage

2011

Post-ride coverage

Pre-ride coverage

2010

Post-ride coverage

Pre-ride coverage

2009

Post-ride coverage

Pre-ride coverage

2008

Post-ride coverage

Pre-ride coverage

Links

Websites

Discussion group/s

Location information

Categories

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