PORTLAND, OR, USA -- Over 8,000 naked, semi-naked and body paint-slathered Portlanders gathered under the Hawthorne Bridge for the city's seventh annual World Naked Bike Ride - setting the world record for the Largest Naked Bike Ride.
It took 30 to 40 minutes to pass the cheering throngs gathered along the nine mile route that snaked through Old Town, Broadway and Southeast bar scenes on 28th, Belmont and Hawthorne.
The purpose of the World's Largest Naked Bike Ride, replicated in about 170 cities worldwide, was to draw attention to the vulnerability cyclists face sharing roadways with motorized vehicles.
Last year, an estimated 5,000 took part (more than doubling the 2008 total), making it the world's largest naked bike parade.
It took 30 to 40 minutes to pass the cheering throngs gathered along the nine mile route that snaked through Old Town, Broadway and Southeast bar scenes on 28th, Belmont and Hawthorne.
The purpose of the World's Largest Naked Bike Ride, replicated in about 170 cities worldwide, was to draw attention to the vulnerability cyclists face sharing roadways with motorized vehicles.
Last year, an estimated 5,000 took part (more than doubling the 2008 total), making it the world's largest naked bike parade.
