Biking in Brooklyn just got a lot more naked.
More than 200 riders cast their fates — and also their skin-tight bicycle shorts — to the wind on Sunday for the World Naked Bike Ride.
The “open-ended” protest, replicated in Brazil, Australia and the United Kingdom, draws attention to the dangers of car exhaust, nuclear radiation, and other toxic substances people are exposed to living in the city.
“The whole point is that we have fragile bodies,” said Times Up’s Ben Shepard, who helped organize the ride. “There’s too much pollution in the physical and mental environment.
Cyclists stripped to their undies and painted colorful slogans touting green energy on their chests and backs while riding around lower Manhattan.
But this year, the police made sure the cyclists wouldn’t go all the way.
“No one went completely bottomless,” said semi-naked cyclist Joseph Sharkey. “We had NYPD there to protect our safety including our balls — their presence muted the nudity aspect of the ride.”
Officers arrested one rider and gave another a ticket before dispersing as the cyclists crossed the Williamsburg Bridge into Brooklyn.
Then the clothes came off and the party began.
“This was a really great day for New York — people were really visibly excited,” said Shepard. “There was a sense of New York being the Naked City again.”
