Saint Louis
List of rides > US > Saint Louis
Welcome to the Saint Louis World Naked Bike Ride page!
Contents
Next ride
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 Photographer (body painting and more)
- Randy's Recycled Cycles
- DIY Photomaton
- Spoked STL
- Cycling Savvy
- Commute St. Louis
- Fresh Poetry, Ink
If you are interested in vending, or have committed to vending and are not listed here, please contact [email protected] and we'll accommodate.
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
- Join our mailing list. Email [email protected] and we'll add you.
- Flyering! Email [email protected] for a 2012 flyer.
- Like and Share our Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/wnbrstl
- Come to planning meetings. The next planning meeting is TBD.
- Follow us on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/wnbrstl/
- 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
- BIKE LENDER: extra bike, helmet, and light usage for those without
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]
Phone: 708.323.6867 (for media inquiries only)
2012 Route
- START: exit South Grand parking lot through walkway, head left (south)
- left Juniata
- left Arkansas
- left Arsenal
- left Grand
- left Cherokee
- PAUSE @ JEFFERSON (approx 2 min)
- 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
- right Theresa
- left Samuel Shepard
- left Grand
- PAUSE @ LINDELL
- right Lindell
- left Vandeventer
- right Manchester
- end @ Talmage
Note* PAUSES are to prevent the ride from being too spread out.
Meetings
Next planning meeting: TBD
History
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 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 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. 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!
2011 Route
Note* PAUSES are to prevent the ride from being too spread out. Approximate map (see discussion page): Google Map of 2011 Route |
2010 Route
|
2009 Route
Directions from Atomic Cowboy to Tower Grove Park:
Suggestions welcome! Email with comments/complaints. |
2008 RouteNote: Route is not necessarily finalized. We're welcome to suggestions or complaints!
Not the exact route, as planned, but trying to follow the directions from the route described above: WNBR Saint Louis 2008 |
Photos
- Saint Louis WNBR: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011... (NSFW)
- Flickr Saint Louis World Naked Bike Ride group
- Riverfront Times St. Louis Naked Bike Ride Photo Slideshow
- Flickr World Naked Bike Ride St. Louis, 2009
- Riverfront Times St. Louis World Naked Bike Ride 2009
- Riverfront Times, 20 June 2010: *2010 World Naked Bike Ride in St. Louis (NSFW)
- STL Today 21 June 2010 Post Dispatch iParty photos (NSFW)
See also Saint Louis photos
Media coverage
2011
Post-Ride Coverage
- Riverfront Times, 12 Jun 2011: "2011 World Naked Bike Ride (NSFW)" slideshow
Pre-Ride Coverage
- West End Word, 3 June 2011: "World Naked Bike Ride June 11"
- Sex Positive St. Louis, 2 June 2011: "World Naked Bike Ride 2011 is Coming to St. Louis!"
- Riverfront Times
2010
Post-ride coverage
- Riverfront Times, 20 June 2010: *2010 World Naked Bike Ride in St. Louis (NSFW)
- STL Today 21 June 2010 Post Dispatch iParty photos (NSFW)
Pre-ride coverage
2009
Post-ride coverage
- Riverfront Times, 15 Aug 2009: "'St. Louis World Naked Bike Ride 2009"
- Riverfront Times, 15 Aug 2009: "'Video and Photos: 2009 World Naked Bike Ride Rolls Through St. Louis"
Pre-ride coverage
- Riverfront Times, 13 Aug 2009: "'Ass For Clunkers"
- St. Louis Post Dispatch, 14 Aug 2009: "Bike naked or clothed around St. Louis this weekend
2008
Post-ride coverage
- First Coast News Jacksonville, 5 Aug 2008: "'World Naked Bike Ride' Rolls Through Midwest"
- Sacramento ABC News 10, 4 Aug 2008: "Hundreds Show for St. Louis Naked Bike Ride"
- Belleville News Democrat, 4 Aug 2008: "Belleville News Democrat: World Naked Bike Ride pedals through St. Louis"
- NBC San Diego, 4 Aug 2008: "'World Naked Bike Ride' Hits St. Louis"
- WCVB/The Boston Channel, 4 Aug 2008: "'Nude' Cyclists Protest Oil Dependence" (KMOV video)
- KSDK Channel 5 News, 3 Aug 2008: "World Naked Bike Ride Parades Through St. Louis" (video)
- Saint Louis Post Dispatch, 3 Aug 2008: "Mostly naked cyclists draw crowd for ride"
- Riverfront Times Video, 2? Aug 2008: "St. Louis World Naked Bike Ride"
- KMOV, 2 Aug 2008: "World Naked Bike Ride rolls through St. Louis" (video)
- KMOV Channel 2 News, 2 Aug 2008: "Police oppose Wash U. students’ naked bike ride" (exclusive interview including video)
- Web India 123 World News, 2 Aug 2008: "Clothing mandatory for 'naked' bike riders"
Pre-ride coverage
- KMOV Channel 2 News, 1 Aug 2008: "Police Oppose Wash U Students' Naked Bike Ride" (video)
- Saint Louis Post Dispatch, 1 Aug 2008: "Ride organizers advise cyclists to cover up"
- Political Gateway, 1 Aug 2008: "Clothing mandatory for 'naked' bike riders"
- MyFox Saint Louis, 31 Jul 2008: "Biking In The Buff? Naked Riders Protest Saturday"
- MyFox Saint Louis, 31 Jul 2008: ""World Naked Bike Ride" in St. Louis"
- Southeast Missourian, 31 Jul 2008: "Baring all to bring attention to alternative travel"
- Saint Louis Post Dispatch, 30 Jul 2008: "Cyclists to leave clothes behind"
- Riverfront Times, 30 Jul 2008: "Undress for Excess
- Riverfront Times – Events, 26 Jul 2008: "Indecent Exposure to Cars: The Story of the World Naked Bike Ride"
- Indymedia St Louis, 22 Jul 2008: "World Naked Bike Ride Cycles Into Saint Louis This Summer"
Links
Websites
Discussion group/s
Location information
- ViaMichelin map of Saint Louis
- Wikipedia: St. Louis, Missouri
- Wikipedia: Missouri
- Wikipedia: United States
- Map of Tower Grove Park