Naked Bike Ride Shocks Mexico into Thinking about the Environment

MEXICO CITY – Hundreds of bicyclists rolled into the streets Saturday, both in Mexico City and in Guadalajara, Jalisco state, to take part in the World Naked Bike Ride.

Among the objectives of this 6th edition of the show-all ride was, first, to raise awareness about the environmental advantages of bicycles over cars that burn fossil fuel, and, second, to grab the attention of aggressive motorists who make life dangerous for cyclists.

The bike-riders were really asking for a little respect.

According to the daily Reforma, some cyclists painted the slogan “Now you do see me” on their naked bodies, again to make the point that they have to do something really shocking to get self-centered motorists to realize they even exist.

That way they might get their fair share of the road.

“We get naked and paint ourselves with slogans – it’s a way of criticizing motorists who act like they don’t see us, who don’t let us through and even run over us,” said one of the demonstrators, Yereni Carranza, the daily said.

“This way everybody looks at us and even lets us through,” she said.

According to the organizers, some 5,000 cyclists were expected to roll along the Mexico City route that set out from the Monument of the Revolution and went to the Zocalo and other key points around town before returning to where they started.