The event’s facilitator, David Collins, says the ride itself is a protest to encourage alternative forms of transportation, like biking.
HOUSTON — Cyclists were out in Houston Saturday night in an effort to bring attention to cyclist safety in the city, and they did so in a peculiar way.
It was a spectacle on busy streets a group of cyclists pedaled through for the 12th annual “World Naked Bike Ride Houston.” The name says it all, cyclists rode either nude or nearly nude through the streets of Houston.
The event’s facilitator, David Collins, says the ride itself is a protest to encourage alternative forms of transportation, like biking.
“Every city of any size needs a ‘World Naked Bike Ride’ on principle,” Collins said.
His wife, Kayleen Williams, is the one person who isn’t on a bike. She rides behind the group to ensure things go smoothly.
“It is technically not legal to be naked in Houston,” Williams said.
She rides behind the participants to deal with any potential encounters with police, but says riding naked is essential to garnering the visibility the cyclists hope to get.
“I always tell people bike riders are always naked. They’re riding around. They don’t have a 5,000-pound steel cage around them. They have nothing. They’re naked all the time,” Williams said.
As the group embarks on their bare ride through the streets, they hope people take notice of their message.
“Mostly it’s raising consciousness. People have to realize the reason we have so much drought, so much flooding, so much abnormality with the weather patterns has to do with the fact the climate has changed, is changing. And it’s because of things human beings are doing,” said Williams.