Support the Right to Bare Butts!

So, the 2016 Halifax Naked Bike Ride is on for 02 July.  That isn't very far away!  I'm not sure why they hold it so late there but that's up to them.  We don't have a WNBR event in New Brunswick so the proper thing to do is to support the neighbours' efforts.  I'm strongly considering going to Halifax for the event and I've put myself "in training" for it. 

I dragged my bike out of the garage last Thursday and, after spending about two hours disassembling, lubricating and reassembling the gear shifters -- and every other moving part -- I was finally good to go.  So far I’ve found time for a couple of two-hour rides around town, and a few less than an hour.  For those I was clothed of course, but that really isn’t in the full spirit of the WNBR.  So yesterday I headed out to a not-too-distant network of woods roads and got nearly two hours of straining my legs to give my butt a ride -- naked of course.  That is the only proper way to prepare for the WNBR, training in realistic conditions and experiencing the possibilities of chafing you just don’t notice when layered in Lycra. 

It wasn’t exactly a brilliant day but the slightly cooler temperatures made riding around that much more comfortable.  It worked out quite well, all things considered, and was preferable to either a truly hot day or a rainy one.  I’ve experienced both from time to time.  When I rode in the WNBR at Montpelier in 2011 the day was cool, even chilly, with a steady drizzle.  Prior to the start of that ride there was much discussion about whether we should proceed, given the weather.  But you know what?  Skin is eminently waterproof and much easier to dry after the ride than, say, anything else.  So off we went and a good time was had by all.  We all looked like drowned rats when we posed for the group photo on the statehouse steps, but we were happy drowned rats.

So that’s the way I look at WNBR events – go with it rain or shine.  Oh sure, if it is ridiculously cold or incredibly windy you have to be sensible, but a bit of drizzle shouldn’t put things off.  As an example of being sensible, at Halifax last year the primary date for the ride coincided with the arrival of the strong remnant of a hurricane.  Now that was a very good reason to put it off to a later date, and they did.

Let’s hope we get good weather this year and have a good turnout for the ride -- all nude, none lewd.  Support the Right to Bare Butts!