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

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Date: Saturday 2 August 2008
Time: 9pm departure (7pm pre-ride body painting bonanza)
Location: New starting place! Meet in Tower Grove Park at the Stupp Center (near Grand and Arsenal). We will have signs/people directing participants from the Pool Pavilion if necessary.

Objectives

  • To protest oil dependency
  • To promote comfortable body image
  • To increase awareness of cyclists in a motor-driven world
  • To provide exercise and fun for all those who participate

Ride information

Anybody can participate, including children. Bikers are encouraged to go as "bare as you dare." It is not mandatory to go completely naked, though encouraged. In fact, participants can come fully clothed if they wish. Body paint and other creative body coverings are also encouraged, as are helmets and other protective biking gear. Also, if you would like to participate without a bike, any sort of transportation that is not a car (i.e. rollerskates, skateboards) can also be used.

Further questions can be addressed at the WNBR FAQ section.

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.

Promotional event

World Naked Bike Ride will be hosting a film screening at CAMP (3022a Cherokee Street) on July 26, 9 pm, exactly one week before the ride. There will be baked goods for sale and the beautiful documentary Indecent Exposure to Cars: The Story of the World Naked Bike Ride. Donations of 1 or 2 dollars for cyclists/walkers and $3-5 for drivers are requested, or body paint in place of dollars.

Contact information

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

Names: Stephanie Co and Mariah Pittman
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1 (708) 323-6867 and (802)578-4333

History

The first Saint Louis World Naked Bike Ride took place on August 2, 2008. Now it's time to think about organizing one for 2009!

The 2008 Saint Louis World Naked Bike Ride was a complete success. There were between 300-500 participants estimated, not including the hundreds if not thousands 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 completly 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 Vanderventer, 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. Everyone was excited for next year's World Naked Bike Ride.

Thanks to everyone who participated... keep on biking, keep on being naked, and see you next summer!

Photos

See also Saint Louis photos

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