AS BARE AS YOU DARE
Meet the people involved in London's annual World Naked Bike Ride
WARNING: The following piece contains nudity
A woman stares intently at the crinkled pages of a broadsheet. A man brushes croissant flakes from his lap. There is a faint ring as a teaspoon taps the rim of a porcelain cup. The soft hiss of steaming milk.
On a small overhead speaker, Jordan Rakei plays to an almost empty room. Staff behind the counter vehemently discuss what your hot beverage selection reveals about your dating preferences.
It is 10am on a slow, sunny Saturday morning at the Thingy Cafe in Hackney Wick. But in less than an hour this small independent coffee shop nestled in a quiet residential area of north east London will be filled with more than 100 naked people.
The cafe is one of eight meeting points for this year’s World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR), an annual event where, as its name suggests, people strip off and ride through London to protest issues around oil dependency, lobby for greater cyclist safety, and celebrate body freedom.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the protest and as participants begin to convene at the Thingy Cafe, this once unassuming spot is quickly transformed into a bustling, vibrant space.
Tables are repurposed as body art stations, the leafy garden becomes the backdrop for group selfies and cheerful chatter, and amid the friendly, jovial atmosphere, any awkwardness is reserved exclusively for the fully-clothed journalist with a self-imposed out-of-place feeling shuffling gawkishly through the crowd.
By early afternoon, this group of scantily-clad men, women and non-binary people - the majority decorated with colourful body paint and slogans - will be mounting bicycles, ready to embark on the seven mile journey to Westminster Bridge where they will join a 1,000-strong peloton through central London.
They might have plenty on show, but those taking part in the World Naked Bike Ride also have plenty to say.
WNBR Marshal: Eccentric
WNBR Marshal: Eccentric
The Marshal
Dressed in a pink cycle helmet, pink-rimmed glasses and a pink hi-vis jacket, Eccentric greets everyone with a friendly fist bump.
The 41-year-old Tower Hamlets resident is participating in their fifth WNBR and as a marshal at this year's event, they are responsible for organising the pre-ride meet, as well as planning and testing the route into London.
As a disabled cyclist - a back injury in 2010 left them bed-bound for the best part of three years - Eccentric has experienced first-hand the risks of riding in the capital.
As such, Eccentric is a fervent supporter of improved cyclist safety on city streets.
“Just this week I was clipped by two white vans and had some very colourful things said to me by drivers,” they say.
"I've been called a spastic and had cigarette smoke wafted in my face.
“So for me the WNBR is so important because we need to see more cycle lanes as it really does help safeguard the riders.”
Data compiled by Personal Injury Claims UK shows that cyclist deaths caused by cars in Greater London made up nearly a quarter of all cyclist deaths by cars in south east England between 2020 and 2023. Only Hertfordshire made up a higher percentage.
While the total number of reported pedal cycle casualties across the UK fell by almost a third between 2004 and 2022, according to Department for Transport figures, the number of serious injuries to cyclists over the same period rose by more than 20%.
And so while not a mandatory part of the protest, the nudity, says Eccentric, serves a specific purpose: to demonstrate the vulnerability of cyclists on the road.
“The tagline of the event is 'as bare as you dare' but there is no pressure to be naked,” they add.
“Everyone does it however they feel comfortable.”
“For me, being naked has always been so natural.”
Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, nudity in public is permitted in the UK provided the intention is not to cause alarm or distress.
A self-proclaimed naturist, Eccentric admits that they have always felt comfortable being without clothes.
“For me, being naked has always been so natural.
“It was natural for me to be naked as a kid and I guess that feeling has never gone.
"We’re born naked, every other animal on the earth is naked.”
Cyclist deaths caused by cars in Greater London made up 23% of all cyclist deaths by cars in south east England between 2020 and 2023.
The Comedian
By her own admission, Elle Bert has always been confident. The artist and comedian says it was this confidence, in part, that led her to first get involved in the WNBR three years ago.
After turning up and joining in, as anyone can do, the 34-year-old has participated in every London ride since 2021. But championing the themes of body freedom and body equality is what brings her back each year.
“I don’t understand why a man in the UK can go topless on a beach or in a park but if I do it's frowned upon,” Elle says.
“An obese man has got bigger boobs than I have.
“So I don’t think we’ll ever have true equality until we’ve got equality of the human body.”
It helps that Elle is comfortable being naked. In recent years, she has performed nude at several naturist festivals, although doing a naked stand up routine in front of a clothed audience would be, in her words, "a bit weird.”
Despite her confidence, she acknowledges that the WNBR can sometimes attract the wrong kind of people, as well as hateful comments online, which can often put potential participants off.
But Elle insists the experience is a positive, liberating one.
“Of course you are going to get a few perverts,” she says.
“But the perves aren’t involved in the ride, they're the bystanders on the side of the road.
“You’re always going to find hate towards it on social media, too. People will say ‘think of the kids’, but nudity and sex are not mutually exclusive.
“And when we actually do the ride we’re met with so much love and support. It’s so liberating and there is such a sense of community about it.”
As a female WNBR participant, Elle is in the minority, with middle-aged white men making up the majority of those taking part in the event.
However, Elle is hopeful that by being so open about her participation, she can help pave the way for increased numbers of women riders.
“I’ve had a few women say to me that they’ve seen my photos or news articles about me and that’s what made them take part,” she says.
“It is different for women because their bodies are so scrutinised and you do get the pervy guys with big zoom lenses.
“But there is strength in numbers. The more women that do it, the more women are going to join.
“And the confidence women get once they’ve done it really is remarkable.”
Credit: Elle Bert
Credit: Elle Bert
Credit: Elle Bert
Credit: Elle Bert
The Newcomers
“Being naked on the bike, it’s a new kind of experience for me,” says 30-year-old Herin Akkara with a smile. “There is nothing like this where I'm from.”
While the protest often sees the same faces return year on year, the WNBR also welcomes those taking part in the protest for the very first time.
Herin, who recently moved to London from India, is one such newcomer. An avid cyclist for a number of years, he was told about the WNBR by a friend and was keen to experience something new.
He sees the event as a good opportunity to meet and interact with new people and, while he would not consider himself a protester, he urges more people to take heed of the event's anti-car culture message.
“Petrol and diesel cars are really damaging to the environment and I think in cities we should no longer use cars but use bikes instead,” he says.
“I would recommend everyone ride a bike because there is a dual benefit. It’s great exercise and it can help to reduce the use of harmful fuels.
“Put simply, the bike is better.”
Manli Jia also lives in London but grew up in China. Like Herin, there is no WNBR event in her home country so she jumped at the chance to participate for the first time this year.
The 26-year-old supports several of the protest's key themes, but is also using the ride to help boost her self-confidence.
“It’s impossible to have this kind of thing in China so this is a great opportunity to experience something different,” she says.
“I really enjoy cycling but riding a bike in London sometimes makes me feel nervous because there are lots of cars around.
“But I’m also here in support of body freedom. I love painting my body and I want to have this experience as it will hopefully make me feel more brave.”
Credit: WNBR London
Credit: WNBR London
The Tourist
Stephen is from the Netherlands and has travelled to London especially for this year's WNBR.
“This is one of the things on my bucket list,” says the 51-year-old, who has participated in Amsterdam's version of the event in previous years.
Stephen, like several people at the Hackney Wick gathering, insists his motive for taking part is purely enjoyment. However, like Manli, he says he is a passionate advocate of body freedom.
“I’m not really here to protest but I’m comfortable with my body and everybody should be,” he says.
“So I guess if there was something I’d be fighting against it would be body shaming.”
Over twenty countries worldwide host WNBR events annually and Stephen, something of a WNBR regular, plans to join the ride in Vancouver, Canada later this year.
“I am not ashamed of being naked because thousands of people are doing the same and I like it,” he adds.
“It’s a lot of fun and people are happy, provided the weather is not too chilly.”
The Body Artist
Ranjana had never painted a penis before. In fact, rarely does the London-based artist's remit extend beyond the hands or face.
But venturing into what for her was unpainted territory - bums, breasts and genitalia - the Henna and Rangoli specialist discovered a community of warm, sociable people, and a world she previously knew very little about.
“It was lots of fun and really interesting,” she says.
“I was a bit nervous to begin with but I was completely put at ease by the riders.”
Body paint plays an important role in the WNBR protest. In lieu of banners and placards - cycling with large, heavy signs would likely throw up all manner of safety and logistical headaches - many participants instead opt to decorate their skin with messages and images.
As a means of conveying the main themes of the event, it proves highly popular with those at the Hackney Wick meet. So much so that Ranjana has almost no time to settle any pre-event jitters before she's busy putting paint to skin, creating colourful flowers on chests, writing slogans on backs, and painting a pair of pants onto a man from Somerset.
“I’ve never done a nude event before and I was worried that I might feel self-conscious myself and not know where to look and all that,” she admits.
“But it was totally fine in the end. Everybody got on as if they were just talking to a friend. It was a really sociable event.”
Ranjana says she enjoyed the day so much that she would encourage other artists and painters to lend their talents at future rides.
And so as the colourful WNBR riders leave for Westminster Bridge warmed by the June sun, while the Thingy Cafe resumes its quiet ambiance, Ranjana, like the gawkish journalist with the new-found respect for those who bike in the buff, is already looking ahead to next year.
“I’m definitely interested in getting involved again, ” she says.
“If the diaries work I’ll definitely be here next year. ”
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