I hope the weather was nice, but not too sunny

LONDON: Hundreds of naked cyclists staged demonstrations in London and Madrid yesterday in protest against the West's dependence on gas-guzzling cars.

The organisers of World Naked Bike Ride 2005 said protests were expected in a number of countries, including Canada, the US, Ireland, Italy, Latvia and Israel.

In London, crowds gathered as 100 cyclists left Hyde Park Corner.

Most of the riders had stripped naked for the 10km ride past Piccadilly Circus, Big Ben, Covent Garden, Oxford St and the US Embassy.

Some bikes carried banners reading "Oil is not a bare necessity but a crude obsession" and "Support the trade justice movement".




In Madrid, dozens of nude cyclists pedalled past famous landmarks, drawing surprised looks.

Most were men, naked except for shoes and helmets, or caps for the sun.

Reuters

The bicycle helmets were a nice touch.

But why nude? Why not in space suits, or business suits, or monkey suits? What did the nudity signify?

Oh, I get it--they wanted to make the observers suffer.