Richard C. lives near Cambridge and I live in London, but last Saturday was an excellent day on which to get together and cycle nude in and around Cambridge.
We were cycling nude continuously for nearly five hours. The route was from the Fort St George pub near Jesus Lock, along riverside paths and roads to the start of the tow path of the River Cam. From this point, the path was extremely busy for a couple of miles, because College Eights were out in force for the Bumps races. Cycling through these crowds was at times a little hazardous as other cyclists were principally those training and supporting the individual Eights as they passed on the river, and there were throngs of spectators standing around as well.
As luck had it, we found ourselves going downstream just when some of the races were happening (i.e. coming upstream), and much later on, we were returning while crews were coasting downstream to the Start. A big crowd on the far bank were very vocal in support of racing boats and, when none was passing, of these two nude cyclists. We did see a couple of video cameras set up to record the racing, so we're probably on someone's cutting room floor.
Further downstream, the atmosphere was entirely that of quiet countryside, enlivened by a couple of swims in the river by me, and by a passing barge, the Ali, whose owners offered us beer and conversation at the next lock.
The flood banks of that part of the Cam provide a rough, grassy equivalent of a tow path, and we continued for a bit until 4:00 under wide open sky before starting back.
Having reached the pub from which we started (revisiting all the very populated paths on the way of course), we just continued along the riverside into the town centre, eliciting a noisy welcome from the large crowd of (no doubt) football celebrants outside the pubs at Magdalene Bridge. [We have to admit that nude cycling comes before watching England in the World Cup, though we can't be completely indifferent to that 3-0 win, especially as Richard's daughter is such a soccer adept].
It's only a short distance from there, through busy, narrow streets, between colleges, to get to the route to his home by paths and fields that we used three weeks ago. The village of Coton has a nice pub (The Plough) for which we dressed (coat on, geddit?) and had a pint around 6:00.
During the whole adventure, we heard only one seriously negative comment, and that from an older, lone man who might have been drunk or otherwise in less than complete balance. Everyone else produced the usual range of reactions: from avoidance, through extreme surprise to amusement and of course explicit support. No one intervened or tried to stop us or do anything untoward, and we thoroughly enjoyed the excursion and the chance to demonstrate something liberating to so many people.
I have to say that being on bikes provides a kind of safety of its own in that you move on quickly between encounters with the public (less quickly on crowded bridges!). You might think it then becomes just streaking, but (1) it was in public as opposed to the usual captive audience, (2) we were very close to many people as we passed, (3) there were two of us, (4) we're talking hours not seconds or even minutes, (5) no one tried to stop us.
So all in all I think it combines personal enjoyment of liberty with some public recognition which, though transient, may leave a trace in the minds of others who would like to do such a thing but are as yet too timid (let's hope).
Having said which, I am aware that truly public nudity is still very uncomforable to most naturists and to many who post here. Nevertheless there may be those reading this who are inspired to do likewise and to chip away at the barriers which tend to segregate folk who want to dress or undress differently.
> Having said which, I am aware that truly public nudity is still very > uncomforable to most naturists and to many who post here. Nevertheless > there may be those reading this who are inspired to do likewise and to > chip away at the barriers which tend to segregate folk who want to dress > or undress differently.
but the public you encountered had no choice whether or not they wanted to see you naked on your bike. You basically forced it on them. This does not `chip away at the barriers` it makes them even more anti. The way to bring about change is slowly...not here it is in your face like it or not. I do not agree with this approach at all.
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"Zardoz" <zardo...@btinternet.com> wrote in <af1qfg$om2$1 @paris.btinternet.com>:
>The way to bring >about change is slowly...not here it is in your face like it or not. I do >not agree with this approach at all.
I believe a study of history will show that change does indeed happen slowly (over a period of time) but change does not occur continuously -- rather it happens in fits and spurts and bursts.
It can be debated whether or not the time is appropriate for such acts as this nude bicycle ride, but I don't think it can be debated that such acts must occur for wider acceptance of nudity to occur.
For instance, if nudists here in the U.S. had waited until they were sure having their own meetings and campgrounds would be accepted, they would probably still be waiting. Change didn't come until after they acted, were persecuted, and then were legally vindicated.
-- visit CHEEF.COM - Your CHEEF source for nudist info
> > Having said which, I am aware that truly public nudity is still very > > uncomforable to most naturists and to many who post here. Nevertheless > > there may be those reading this who are inspired to do likewise and to > > chip away at the barriers which tend to segregate folk who want to dress > > or undress differently.
> but the public you encountered had no choice whether or not they wanted to > see you naked on your bike. You basically forced it on them. This does not > `chip away at the barriers` it makes them even more anti. The way to bring > about change is slowly...not here it is in your face like it or not. I do > not agree with this approach at all.
But how is any change going to occur unless somebody does something?. Your approach, as I see it, is not one of making change slowly, but rather one of not making change at all.
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but didn't the fact that you gave the folk that you met, no choice as to whether they encountered nudity, make your act illegal?
> But how is any change going to occur unless somebody does something?. >Your approach, as I see it, is not one of making change slowly, but rather
one >of not making change at all.
I cannot see how you can read that in my message. I said quite clearly that change comes about slowly. How do you eat an elephant? answer is a little at a time. Change comes about because of lots of things which bring about changes in the views of society as a whole. Going out nude cycling in full view of the public and their families is going to bring about calls for toughening up of the laws, not the reverse and then you see an end to what we have at the moment; some of the beaches and swims etc. I favour the approach of persuading more local authorities to have naturist sections of beaches or allowing clubs to use L.A swimming pools and so on. The media does in many respects appear to be sympathetic to this life style. Nudity is less frowned upon than it was ten years ago. Much of this has come about because more folk go abroad for holidays and think nothing of the nudity or part nudity they see. Seeing topless women on beaches was a real surprise ten years or more ago but these days who cares? What naturism does not need are folk being hauled up into court on a regular basis as the resulting press will bring about changes in the law. We all tread a fine line here.
Zardoz
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>David Looser <david.loo...@btinternet.com> wrote in message >news:af2sd4$lho$1@paris.btinternet.com... >>But how is any change going to occur unless somebody does >>something?. Your approach, as I see it, is not one of making >>change slowly, but rather one of not making change at all.
>I cannot see how you can read that in my message. I said quite >clearly that change comes about slowly. How do you eat an >elephant? answer is a little at a time.
>Change comes about because of lots of things which bring about >changes in the views of society as a whole. Going out nude >cycling in full view of the public and their families is going >to bring about calls for toughening up of the laws, not the >reverse...
<snip>
>What naturism does not need are folk being hauled up into court >on a regular basis as the resulting press will bring about >changes in the law. We all tread a fine line here.
I don't like doing one liners, but Zardoz has put it so well I can only add "Absolutely".
-- +-----------------------------+ | David C, | | Central Somerset, UK. | | | | <da...@dapc.freeuk.com> | +-----------------------------+
> David Looser <david.loo...@btinternet.com> wrote in message > news:af2sd4$lho$1@paris.btinternet.com... > > But how is any change going to occur unless somebody does something?. > >Your approach, as I see it, is not one of making change slowly, but rather > one >of not making change at all.
> I cannot see how you can read that in my message. I said quite clearly that > change comes about slowly. How do you eat an elephant? answer is a little at > a time. > Change comes about because of lots of things which bring about changes in > the views of society as a whole. Going out nude cycling in full view of the > public and their families is going to bring about calls for toughening up of > the laws, not the reverse and then you see an end to what we have at the > moment; some of the beaches and swims etc. > I favour the approach of persuading more local authorities to have naturist > sections of beaches or allowing clubs to use L.A swimming pools and so on. > The media does in many respects appear to be sympathetic to this life style. > Nudity is less frowned upon than it was ten years ago. Much of this has come > about because more folk go abroad for holidays and think nothing of the > nudity or part nudity they see. Seeing topless women on beaches was a real > surprise ten years or more ago but these days who cares? > What naturism does not need are folk being hauled up into court on a regular > basis as the resulting press will bring about changes in the law. > We all tread a fine line here.
> Zardoz
My last posting was rather more terse than I intended for which I apologise.
I was questioning the idea that we are, in fact making slow progress. Are there more clubs, swims etc than there were say 10 years ago?. I'm not sure that there are, swims seem to be closing faster than new ones are being started. You speak about topless women on beaches, 20 years ago they were shown regularly on the 7.00 pm Holiday programme without comment as though that was the accepted norm. You don't see them anymore, nowadays beach toplessness on TV seems to be relagated to the likes of "Ibiza Uncovered" where it's presented as part of the "sexy" Club 18-30 scene.
The idea that "folk being hauled up into court on a regular basis" will lead to pressure for a change in the law which will make our position worse is far from certain, it could equally well go the other way. Whatever else you might say about VB, he does seem to have demonstrated that being hauled into court for simple nakedness is not something that the authorities have any enthusiasm for.
I'm not saying that I approve of cycling nude through populated areas, it's not something that I'd do myself, but I do sometimes think that it's our own timidity that's holding us back, rather than opposition from others.
> Forgive me if I'm wrong, but didn't the fact that you > gave the folk that you met, no choice as to whether > they encountered nudity, make your act illegal?
Under what law(s)? Rec54 is not law, it's not even (yet) part of a Bill.
There's also the question of whether a penis is actually "exposed" when cycling (unless one stands up on the pedals). I can see lawyers having a wonderfully bizarre argument over that one!
-- Tim Forcer t...@ecs.soton.ac.uk The University of Southampton, UK
This is obviously the time for a famous quote: "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)
