Coronavirus: Portland’s annual Naked Bike Ride canceled

PORTLAND, Ore. — Another competition had to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic -- the World Naked Bike Ride, which has featured cyclists in the buff since 2004, will not be run, organizers announced on the event’s website.

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This year’s event had been scheduled for June 27, The Oregonian reported. But concerns over the pandemic, and public health risks of naked people riding through the streets, forced the cancellation.

While the event has officially been scrapped, organizers said riders "are encouraged to celebrate World Naked Bike Ride Day — riding wherever they’d like whenever they like.”

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Organizers originally announced a change on its Facebook page April 2, asking potential riders to “bare” with them while they decided what to do about the event. Organizers did promise the 2020 competition would look “vastly different” than in previous years.

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“We simply must put the safety of Portlanders first,” organizers wrote. “We are bigger than this virus, and even if we have to ride circles in our living rooms in the buff, we will ride on.”

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Public nudity is illegal in Portland, The Oregonian reported. However, courts have made an exception for protests, and the World Naked Bike Ride is officially considered a protest event. Organizers said the group protests oil dependency, advocates cyclist safety and supports “body positivity.”

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The 2019 event attracted an estimated 10,000 participants, organizers said.

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