BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Dozens of naked people gathered at Hilton Avenue on Saturday to take part in Bellingham’s 17th annual Naked Bike Ride, a spinoff of the international clothing-optional bike ride which originated over 20 years ago in Spain.
The crew rode out towards Zuanich at around 1 p.m. and then banked back downtown to wave at the weekend Farmer’s Market crowd.
Four-time naked bike rider Ken Rasmussen said he liked coming down Holly Street while the “Ride of the Valkyries” played out of the group’s speakers.
“A woman flipped up her top and flashed us, and then another woman turned around on her bike and took her top off and joined the parade,” Rasmussen said.
The 74-year-old said he keeps coming back to the Naked Bike Ride because he used to have a mild phobia of being naked in front of other people. He challenged himself to participate the next year after he saw the ride go by five years ago.
“The month before the ride was, I think, the most anxious of my life,” he said. “It was extremely hard, and it compressed about 15-20 years of therapy in about an hour.”
Trix, a first-time participant, also expressed an appreciation for the freeing effect of biking sans clothes.
“It’s definitely fun to be naked. There is far too much stigma around everyone’s body. You know, it’s a body. Everyone has one. It’s not that big of a deal, or it shouldn’t be,” they said.
Trix wore purple paint on their back which read “Dykes Against Ice.” The term is a slur for lesbian people but has been reclaimed by some members of the community. Trix said they wanted to use the opportunity to call attention to recent policies passed by the Trump administration that have threatened the bodies of trans people and other minorities.
“As there is more and more legislation put in, particularly around my body as a trans person, we also need to be supporting all of the other affected communities,” Trix said.
The ride has always carried political connotations. The first event in Zaragoza, Spain, took place in 2001 as a demonstration against the oil and car industry, and in protest of cyclists killed by vehicles.
This year in Bellingham, the ride almost didn’t happen, as the previous organizers had to step back to focus on personal matters.
Fans and previous participants rallied together to put the event back on after its cancellation was announced on Facebook in May.
Photos by Seddie LeBlanc
