On the evening of July 25, Beaumont Wilshire neighbors witnessed nudity on a grand scale as thousands of fully naked or scantily clad and colorfully costumed cyclists congregated at the west end of Wilshire Park. PDX World Naked Bike Ride was the event that spawned the spectacle. Skidmore Street, from NE 33rd to NE 36th, was packed with riders just before the parade launched at 8:50 p.m. The annual event, established to highlight “oil dependency, cyclist vulnerability, and the beauty of body freedom,” was routed from the park toward Alberta Street and eventually ended at Sewallcrest Park in southeast Portland. The permitted event was amazingly quiet and seemed to go without a hitch.
by Molly McRoberts, BWNA Newsletter Team