Don't be surprised if you see a bunch of naked cyclists biking through the city soon. Montreal's annual World Naked Bike Ride is set to return for a 20th edition this month as a protest against the over-consumption of oil.
And, yes, participants can use BIXI bikes, as they have in previous years, so long as they cover their seats, a BIXI spokesperson told MTL Blog.
The clothing-optional event (dress code: "as bare as you dare") takes place in cities around the world in order to promote the benefits of bicycling, especially for the environment, "deliver[ing] a vision of a cleaner, safer, body-positive world to the masses," according to the website.
Poster for the World Naked Bike Ride Montreal 2024.Courtesy of Gene Dare
"[It's] a protest to reduce oil and gas consumption and use sustainable transportation such as a bicycle. Also, to encourage body positivity — nudity can exist without sexuality (as it does in many European countries, where the teenage pregnancy rate is half of what it is in North America). There is no sexuality in this bike ride," the Facebook event page explains.
A poster for the event reads, "Less gas, more ass."
The Montreal event is expected to take place on July 13 with a day ride departing from the Dorchester Square area at 1 p.m. and a night ride departing at 8 p.m.
The route is approximately 16 kilometres and should take close to two hours to complete, according to a Facebook post by organizer Gene Dare.
People are encouraged to decorate their bikes and themselves through body painting.
It's hard to say how many cyclists will strip down and bike nude through our city's streets in the name of fighting car culture, but Dare said on Facebook that the event generally attracts around 100 participants — "and if everyone brings a friend, double that."
Montreal's World Naked Bike Ride
Price: Free
When: July 13 at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Address: Place du Canada (the park across from Dorchester Square) on rue de la Gauchetière O.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.