Depends on who's running it. The Chicago one has fuckall to do with nudism and is more a collective of protests on top of WNBRs original point. The two Wisconsin ones, however, are run by owners of a nudist retreat, so the vibe is very different and actually doesn't really follow WNBRs point. It's not like nudists / naturists / whatever can't participate, but if you think it doesn't help also normalize nudity (which you DO NOT NEED NUDISM TO DO) you're shooting yourself in the foot. Repeatedly.
I am the coordinator of the Madison, Wisconsin WNBR, which has occurred every year since 2010. I have no hand in the ownership of any nudist facility, nor does anyone else who has ever been involved in planning. I try to adhere strictly to the original stated message of WNBR, petroleum protest and body-positivity.
By the way, I started the Madison ride after participating in Chicago the previous year. I did both cities for about eight or nine years.
My bad, I kept seeing the Madison ride advertised by a nudist retreat out there, and all I knew was that it used to take place the weekend after Chicago's ride, 3rd Saturday in June. My first WNBR was 2012, and I haven't missed one yet.
This is terrible! Our whole society is just getting worse and worse as far as scammers. Many of the scams involving WNBR events are the workings of anti-nude extremists. These people have some very computer-savy individuals who are diligently working to disrupt sites that have nudie pictures. Of course, they also want to disrupt any in-person activities that involve nudity.
Denver naturist here. Yeah, several of us were suspicious about this from the first. I finally decided not to go when we couldn't find any real contacts and realized the police weren't in the loop.
Also, while the wiki WNBR site is a good resource for finding where rides may be happening, some info may not be up to date, usually because individual ride's organizers haven't updated their ride's information from year to year. So, it's always best to find a source of information directly from that city's ride, (social media like Facebook, Twitter, a ride's own website, or an e-mail to contact for more information.)
Is there any idea whether this Stephen Franks is the instigator behind these fake WNBR scams? Or is his name, maybe, being used by others because of his questionable background? I'm curious if this is the work of just one person, or if it's really a larger group behind the coordination of this series of scams.
For personal and professional reasons, I'm not willing to do a WNBR anywhere near where I live and work, but having twice been hit from behind by inattentive motorists, I would love to do so with the words "NOW DO YOU SEE ME?" painted on my nude backside.
Funny thing about the fake ride for Chicago...if you go to the page for it, one of the blurry images in the back is a daytime shot of Lucy Muse at the London WNBR. That in itself should be enough to tip people off that it's a fake page: Chicago's ride is at night.
Depends on who's running it. The Chicago one has fuckall to do with nudism and is more a collective of protests on top of WNBRs original point. The two Wisconsin ones, however, are run by owners of a nudist retreat, so the vibe is very different and actually doesn't really follow WNBRs point. It's not like nudists / naturists / whatever can't participate, but if you think it doesn't help also normalize nudity (which you DO NOT NEED NUDISM TO DO) you're shooting yourself in the foot. Repeatedly.
I am the coordinator of the Madison, Wisconsin WNBR, which has occurred every year since 2010. I have no hand in the ownership of any nudist facility, nor does anyone else who has ever been involved in planning. I try to adhere strictly to the original stated message of WNBR, petroleum protest and body-positivity.
By the way, I started the Madison ride after participating in Chicago the previous year. I did both cities for about eight or nine years.
My bad, I kept seeing the Madison ride advertised by a nudist retreat out there, and all I knew was that it used to take place the weekend after Chicago's ride, 3rd Saturday in June. My first WNBR was 2012, and I haven't missed one yet.
This is terrible! Our whole society is just getting worse and worse as far as scammers. Many of the scams involving WNBR events are the workings of anti-nude extremists. These people have some very computer-savy individuals who are diligently working to disrupt sites that have nudie pictures. Of course, they also want to disrupt any in-person activities that involve nudity.
Denver naturist here. Yeah, several of us were suspicious about this from the first. I finally decided not to go when we couldn't find any real contacts and realized the police weren't in the loop.
Thanks for sharing! I lived in Denver for 15 years. Miss it every day. As soon as there is a real ride there I hope to visit and join!
Thank you, Evan, for the great research you do. I have always admired your work through the years. We are all in this together.
Thank you Corky! Means a lot from you. The respect is mutual.
It was nice to see you on the zoom call Evan I wanted to interact with you but too much talking lol Thank you!
Perhaps TNS or PN or someone could serve to verify WNBR organizers (i.e. set up a list of confirmed, legitimate organizers by city and date)?
There’s a pretty good list right here: https://wiki.worldnakedbikeride.org/wiki/List_of_rides
What is PN?
Also, while the wiki WNBR site is a good resource for finding where rides may be happening, some info may not be up to date, usually because individual ride's organizers haven't updated their ride's information from year to year. So, it's always best to find a source of information directly from that city's ride, (social media like Facebook, Twitter, a ride's own website, or an e-mail to contact for more information.)
I assume PN is short for Planet Nude
Ah, OK, that maybe should have been more obvious to me. I was thinking it was another nudist advocacy organization, which I'd not heard of before.
Is there any idea whether this Stephen Franks is the instigator behind these fake WNBR scams? Or is his name, maybe, being used by others because of his questionable background? I'm curious if this is the work of just one person, or if it's really a larger group behind the coordination of this series of scams.
For personal and professional reasons, I'm not willing to do a WNBR anywhere near where I live and work, but having twice been hit from behind by inattentive motorists, I would love to do so with the words "NOW DO YOU SEE ME?" painted on my nude backside.
Funny thing about the fake ride for Chicago...if you go to the page for it, one of the blurry images in the back is a daytime shot of Lucy Muse at the London WNBR. That in itself should be enough to tip people off that it's a fake page: Chicago's ride is at night.