MEXICO: Cycling enthusiasts take off their clothes to promote environment awareness

Record ID: 1533161

  • Title: MEXICO: Cycling enthusiasts take off their clothes to promote environment awareness
  • Date: 14th June 2010
  • Summary: SOUNDBITE (Spanish) ACTIVIST, OLLIN TONATIUH, SAYING: "We have had a lot of accidents this year. We put about five ghost bicycles in which represent the people who were killed in a traffic accident. This event is done every year. This is the fifth year we hold it in Mexico City. So, we are asking people for drivers to respect the cyclists, that they respect the pedestrians so that there aren't as many accidents and that they see us as we really are, naked in front of traffic."
  • Embargoed: 29th June 2010 09:39
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Mexico
  • Country: Mexico
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA35LHJ554RTMKMTM5LWJZ4DTY5
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Dozens of people rode their bicycles through the streets of Mexico City in the nude Saturday (June 12).
    The fifth annual nude cycling tour is organized to highlight the environmental benefits using bicycles has for the planet.
    The nudity aspect of the riders is also meant to make people really see the riders, something they say does not always happen when they are commuting with their clothes on.
    "We have had a lot of accidents this year. We put about five ghost bicycles in which represent the people who were killed in a traffic accident," said Ollin Tonatiuh, the organizer of the Mexico City event for World Naked Bike Ride.
    "We are asking people for drivers to respect the cyclists, that they respect the pedestrians so that there aren't as many accidents and that they see us as we really are, naked in front of traffic," he explained.
    Some of those participating in this year's ride just do it for the sensation they get of riding in the buff through the streets of their city.
    "To enjoy nature, the Earth, the air, the sun and above all the naked body because it is a universal," said Manuel Gonzalez as he pedaled along.
    The pack of riders ended their trek at a fountain in the center of the city and did what motorists seldom do at the end of a commute, they dove into the fountain to cool off.
    Other cities that participated in the Naked Bike Ride are Madrid and Zaragoza, Spain as well as London, England.
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