Naked in the Rain

Perhaps the worst thing about 2020 from a leisure perspective was that just about any event you could think of...was canceled. This included my favourite event of every year, the Philly Naked Bike Ride. With a return this year, I was sure not to miss it even with much uncertainty still lingering in our society these days. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the ride and what it means, it aims to raise awareness of body positivity, bicycling, and environmentalism. If you know me, you know I'm all about that. 

Things weren't looking promising at first. I encountered some delays getting on the road Friday afternoon, and didn't arrive in Philly until midnight. Saturday morning was very gray and it rained pretty heavily for a few hours prior to the ride. I'd attempted to paint my body in the morning prior to leaving my BnB in the morning, but most of it ended up being washed off by the time the ride rolled around.

Despite damp and dreary conditions, the ride did go on as scheduled (it is always billed as rain or shine). In addition to the weather, the vibe around this year was a bit different for a couple reasons. Masks were still recommended, and the pre-ride was shortened to a half hour (down from the usual 2 hours). As such, it was difficult to meet up with friends who I knew were attending, but I did manage to snag a rando to touch up my paint and get my traditional pre-ride picture:

If you've never been Zucked, just don't post anything mildly offensive on Facebook and you won't have to worry about it. ;) I also custom made the mask with the help of my girlfriend. It reads "Mask On Pants Off." Clever, I know. 

Regardless of the pre-ride conditions, the turn out was as big as ever. It's almost like everyone missed being able to do this last year:

I didn't bring my camera due to the threat of rain, so I didn't take nearly as many pics this year, but I did bump into friends along the way, including one who graciously let me use his bathroom near the end of the ride. I did put some shorts on before I went into his house, just FYI:

Once the ride was over, I met up with one of my college roommates and a few of our friends for some post-ride food and bevs:

This happened two years ago as well. It's Groundhog Day, really.

I feel like I'm not doing the ride justice with this write up, but I guess I really was thrown off a bit this weekend. I'm very glad I went, and I'm looking forward to next year, which will be my 7th consecutive (we're ignoring the canceled 2020 event, obviously). This year was the 12th year of PNBR, so that means I've participated in half of the rides that have actually occurred. Kinda impressive when you consider I haven't lived in Philly for three years, no? And so until next year, keep riding and be positive.