2023
WNBR London 2023 was massive. It was a hot, sunny day, with a huge turnout of riders. We had to adjust the route which meant we didn’t go past the usual clicker count point – so we don’t know how many riders there were. It was significantly larger than the 1,003 we counted in 2022.
Our popular start in Victoria Park had to be abandoned at very short notice when Tower Hamlets Council informed us that there was a likelihood of violence in the park, perpetrated by an unspecified group of people.
The Royal Parks, yet again, could not find any place for us in any part of Hyde Park. They claimed it was because of their commercial activities preparing for a music festival. Our FOI requests and other investigations showed that there are some major falsehoods being touted by the Royal Parks to prevent us using the park, counter to their duty to facilitate peaceful public protests. As in 2022, we relocated that start group to Wellington Arch.
Watch our video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG5pr1shr6M (adult login required).
2022
WNBR London 2022 was a great success with a clicker count of 1,003 riders, although we probably missed a few. Watch our video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpyqEEvMSPo (adult login required).
The usual, highly popular start in Hyde Park was not available for WNBR London in 2022 as the areas we use were fenced off and closed to the public due to the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. Wellington Arch was added as an alternative.
Given that the Jubilee celebrations were the weekend beforehand, no concern had been raised by the Police or other authorities. In consultations with the Royal Parks’ Hyde Park management team, it transpired that there are unpublished plans for closing a large part of Hyde Park and Green Park along with other areas in the vicinity of Buckingham Palace. Although the celebrations would be over, these areas would remain closed to the public for the dismantling of infrastructure. According to the Royal Parks, this made it impossible for riders or the general public to use these parts of Hyde Park.
They also anticipated closures around Buckingham Palace, Green Park, Constitution Hill and the Mall, which would mean the closure of cycle paths as well as the roads and other public access. This meant it was also necessary to make adjustments to the route and to the finish point.
2021 Ride
Following the Government’s lifting of the 30-person restriction, WNBR London confirmed details for the ride on the rescheduled date of Saturday 14th August 2021.
WNBR London 2021 had a record eight start points at Clapham Junction, Croydon, Deptford, Hyde Park, Kew Bridge, Regents Park, Tower Hill and Victoria Park. These start points offered riders the choice of short, slow rides or longer, faster rides into Central London. The routes allowed the environmental campaign to deliver its messages over 53 miles (85Km) of London’s congested and polluted streets, crossing 14 Thames bridges on the way. All routes merged into a spectacular peloton with an estimated 1,421 riders.
Despite the Government’s removal of measures, the ride had many adjustments to reduce the risks from Covid-19. In particular, organisers shortened the stationary gatherings and cancelled the afterparty.
To mark the original date for the 2021 ride, we ran another programme of #NotTheWorldNakedBikeRide events including ZoomIns and another photo competition. Read about it in this blog.
2020
Due to the COVID-19 Virus, World Naked Bike Ride London 2020 did not ride on 13th June 2020 but became #NotTheWorldNakedBikeRide. Hundreds of supporters joined in safe alternative activities either at home or in isolation. Read how it went in this blog post.
WNBR London considered the circumstances and concluded we must take a cautious approach for the safety of our participants and the general public. We reviewed the decision every month based on latest evidence and guidance. Although we had planned and tested safe alternative rides, we remained concerned about the safety of spectators.
2019
There were seven starts for the 2019 London leg of the World Naked Bike Ride on Saturday 8th June 2019. The start points offered riders the choice of short, slow rides or longer, faster rides into Central London. The routes allowed the environmental campaign to deliver its messages on 65Km of London’s congested and polluted streets, crossing 14 Thames bridges on the way. The groups converged in Central London to form a single peloton.
See the great photoset created by team photographer, Scott Hortop.
See our video of the 2019 ride or watch the flypast video which shows most of the riders on The Mall.
You will also find our videos at https://vimeo.com/wnbrlondon.
2018
The main ride for 2018 was the biggest ever. It drew lots of media attention and excellent feedback from participants. You can watch our highlights video here.
See some examples of media coverage or see some of the photos from photographer, Amelia Allen.
