This was to be my sixteenth London Naked Bike Ride. I wasn’t among the pioneers of the first ride in 2004, nor any of the next four annual rides, but I took part in 2009, I returned in 2011 and haven’t missed one since (there was no ride in 2020). Bizarrely, I’d prioritised the World Cup in 2010; now I prioritise the World Naked Bike Ride.
World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR)
WNBR is a worldwide campaign that demonstrates the vulnerability of cyclists and protests against car culture. Its linked objectives are to:
- protest against the global dependency on oil
- curb car culture
- obtain real rights for cyclists
- demonstrate the vulnerability of cyclists on city streets
- celebrate body freedom
No two rides are identical, but there was a significant change for 2026. Excepting the pandemic years, all rides have been on the second Saturday in June. Now with more traffic, road closures, diversions, crane operations, events, protests, counter-protests and lockdowns, mostly affecting Saturdays, the organisers have shifted to Sunday.
The final consideration for me was which of the ride’s eight start points to choose. My preference is to experience going from each start point at least once (so far I’ve done four of the eight, plus the original from Hyde Park). This year, however, I simply didn’t have the energy for extra effort so I defaulted to my nearest start: Tower Hill.
Trinity Square to Southwark Bridge
The weather was perfect for a naked bike ride: broken sunshine, slight breeze, warm rather than hot, and no prospects of rain. Upon arriving at the Tower Hill start (Trinity Square Gardens) I immediately spotted my old friend Natansky on marshal duty; as ever, the epitome of effective pragmatism. No surprise we were away bang on time.
🚲 … Trinity Square Gardens
🚲 … Trinity Square
🚲 … Byward Street
🚲 … Lower Thames Street
🚲 … Upper Thames Street
🚲 … Queen Street Place
🚲 … Southwark Bridge
2:09pm at Trinity Square Gardens: heading to our start line…
2:16pm on Trinity Square: …and we’re off…
2:17pm on Byward Street: …with Natansky marshalling (pt.1)
2:18pm on Byward Street: rolling free
2:20pm on Lower Thames Street: proper banging sound system
2:24pm on Upper Thames Street: onto Southwark Bridge…
2:25pm on Upper Thames Street: …with Natansky marshalling (pt.2)
Southwark Bridge to Embankment
Was I imagining it or were there more roadworks this year? No sooner had we begun than we were being funnelled by traffic cones on Byward Street. At Blackfriars Bridge the exit onto Victoria Embankment was blocked so we had to go via Tudor Street and Temple Avenue. A side effect was we kept being routed along roads, not cycle lanes.
🚲 … Southwark Bridge Road
🚲 … Southwark Street
🚲 … Blackfriars Road
🚲 … Blackfriars Bridge
🚲 … New Bridge Street
🚲 … Tudor Street
🚲 … Temple Avenue
🚲 … Victoria Embankment
2:28pm on Southwark Bridge Road: loitering south of the river
2:36pm onto Blackfriars Road: turning back north
2:38pm on Blackfriars Bridge: yonder St Paul’s Cathedral
2:41pm onto Tudor Street: a new turn
2:42pm on Tudor Street: my traditional window selfie
2:43pm onto Temple Avenue: take me to the river
Embankment to Forum Magnum Square
Even more inconvenience was to come. With just two days’ notice the private owners of Forum Magnum Square – where riders from all start points traditionally converge – forbade us from entering, even going so far as to tape-off the whole area. At least the public were more tolerant. They cheered, photo’d and filmed us everywhere we went.
🚲 … Victoria Embankment
🚲 … Westminster Bridge
🚲 … Westminster Bridge Road
🚲 … Addington Street
🚲 … York Road
2:51pm on Victoria Embankment: banging sound system no.2
2:55pm on Victoria Embankment: yonder London Eye
2:58pm on Victoria Embankment: baring down on Parliament
2:59pm on Victoria Embankment: me, whistling…
3:00pm onto Westminster Bridge: …with Natansky marshalling (pt.3)
3:01pm on Westminster Bridge: crowds and cameras
3:05pm on Addington Street: the road to Forum Magnum Square…
3:07pm on York Road: …but we ain’t gettin’ in there
Forum Magnum Square to Lincoln’s Inn Fields
With no access to the square and no time to change the police-agreed route, our ride marshals had little option but to hold us in an orderly line on York Road (south side of the square) until riders from all start points either had joined at our rear or were ready to converge at Waterloo Bridge. Thereafter it was easy-going to Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
🚲 … York Road
🚲 … Waterloo Bridge
🚲 … Lancaster Place
🚲 … Strand
🚲 … Aldwych
🚲 … Strand
🚲 … Fleet Street
🚲 … Chancery Lane
🚲 … Carey Street
🚲 … Serle Street
🚲 … Lincoln’s Inn Fields
3:10pm on York Road: forever blowing bubbles
3:15pm on Waterloo Bridge: “cycling sets u free”
3:19pm on Strand: looping round to Aldwych
3:25pm on Aldwych: looping back to Strand
3:28pm on Strand: “I ride naked for future generations”
3:29pm on Strand: left into Chancery Lane
3:32pm on Serle Street: entering Lincoln’s Inn Fields
Lincoln’s Inn Fields
After our enforced truncated break at Forum Magnum Square there was more time to luxuriate around Lincoln’s Inn Fields. I reckon I was there just shy of three-quarters of an hour. Riders mingled, danced, visited the pop-up drink-and-melon stand, all utterly naked. And me? I just quietly ate my snacks and smiled at the crazy spectacle.
🚲 … Lincoln’s Inn Fields
3:50pm at Lincoln’s Inn Fields: a long, well-earned rest
4:01pm at Lincoln’s Inn Fields: loos on the right
4:13pm at Lincoln’s Inn Fields: preparing to leave
4:14pm at Lincoln’s Inn Fields: exiting via Sardinia Street
Lincoln’s Inn Fields to Trafalgar Square
We’d left Trinity Square Gardens at 2:15pm. By my reckoning, we exited Lincoln’s Inn Fields via Sardinia Street onto Kingsway almost exactly two hours later. From here, it was plain sailing; nothing remarkable, no incidents to report. That is, other than about one thousand naked people cycling en masse through the heart of the capital.
🚲 … Sardinia Street
🚲 … Kingsway
🚲 … Aldwych
🚲 … Strand
🚲 … Trafalgar Square
4:17pm on Kingsway: back towards Aldwych…
4:19pm on Aldwych: …with Natansky marshalling (pt.4)
4:21pm onto Strand: a penny-farthing!
4:23pm on Strand: beginning the long ride west
4:28pm on Strand: yonder Nelson’s Column
Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace
Kingsway took us back to Aldwych and Strand. All along Strand and around Trafalgar Square the crowds of tourists and onlookers were a dream. So much support and joy from everybody, sometimes two or three deep in rows lining the pavements, cheering and applauding. It got quieter on Cockspur Street and Pall Mall, but then… The Mall.
🚲 … Trafalgar Square
🚲 … Cockspur Street
🚲 … Pall Mall
🚲 … Marlborough Road
🚲 … The Mall
4:29pm on Trafalgar Square: round the square
4:29pm on Trafalgar Square: left into Cockspur Street
4:34pm on Pall Mall: bum photos forbidden
4:38pm on Pall Mall: all this lot behind me
4:41pm on Pall Mall: left into Marlborough Road
4:43pm on The Mall: send him victorious…
4:44pm on The Mall: …happy and glorious
Buckingham Palace to Wellington Arch
We tend not to be cheered along The Mall. Rather I find the experience is more like a kind of quiet awe ahead of the irresistible urge for capers at Buckingham Palace, and the relief of entering our home straight on Constitution Hill. This year, Constitution Hill was ‘congestion hill’. Slowly, slowly, inch by inch, came the end: Wellington Arch.
🚲 … Constitution Hill
🚲 … Wellington Arch
4:44pm on Constitution Hill: round the fountains
4:45pm on Constitution Hill: entering the home straight
4:47pm on Constitution Hill: happy to have made it
4:53pm on Constitution Hill: it’s a bit crowded
4:54pm on Constitution Hill: inching closer…
4:55pm at Wellington Arch: …to the finish line!
Epilogue
I’d prioritised the London Naked Bike Ride over World Cup football, but as we arrived at Wellington Arch before 5pm it dawned on me I could race back to the start, catch a train and be home in time for Germany v Curaçao on ITV1+1. It was a win-win for me (even more for Germany) and a pleasant Sunday of protest and body freedom for all.
Our route from Tower Hill to Wellington Arch
Bygone blogs
Previously on the London Naked Bike Ride:
- London Naked Bike Ride 2025 – Best Bridge Yet
- London Naked Bike Ride 2024 – A Few Tweaks
- London Naked Bike Ride 2023 – Short Circuit
- London Naked Bike Ride 2022 – Back in the Pack
- London Naked Bike Ride 2021 – Safety first
- London Naked Bike Ride 2019 – Back to Bare
- London Naked Bike Ride 2018 – Peaceful Protest
- London Naked Bike Ride 2017 – New Bridges
- London Naked Bike Ride 2016 – A Silver Lining
- London Naked Bike Ride 2015 – Feel Good Painted
- London Naked Bike Ride 2014 – A Fresh Start
- London Naked Bike Ride 2013 – Arch to Arch
- London Naked Bike Ride 2012 – Into the Light
- London Naked Bike Ride 2011 – Re-wrapped
- London Naked Bike Ride 2009 – First Time
Following my opening two hours with Tunbridge Wells Life Drawing – our ‘part one‘ from midday to 2pm, with poses inspired by the works of Antony Gormley – I had an interval of thirty minutes in which to mingle, snack and reset. Then: part two…
Our ‘long pose’ session was from 2:30pm to 4:30pm. Two warm-up poses (5 minutes each, both standing) would get us started, after which I was to sit for a single pose of 90 minutes, undertaken in two 45-minute instalments.
During part one I’d posed very much ‘in the round’, but for our long pose we changed the space so I faced an arc of artists at tables or upon cushions on the floor. Just one or two lurked beyond my peripheral vision, extending the arc to perhaps 270°.
It was a great sight; a broad two-tiered arc represents a bumper attendance of artists. Many had stayed on from the first session whilst others had arrived especially for this one. Certainly it was the biggest crowd I’d ever seen here for a long pose.
Organiser Ben called timing updates every fifteen minutes. Sometimes I ploughed on with unwavering stoicism; at other times I seized the moment to shake-out numbness that insidiously seeped through my left hand. Aside from that, I was in good shape.
And so is life drawing in Tunbridge Wells. On the surface, this town’s socioeconomic characteristics scream fertile ground for the arts; but artistic communities don’t simply happen. They take time and effort and courage to build. Here they are flourishing.
Pose minutes, 2:30pm-4:30pm
Part 1 : 5, 5, 45.
— break —
Part 2 : 45 continuation.
Artworks
With apologies to artists I’m unable to credit.
Artwork by Juan Hayward.
Artwork by Stuart.
Artwork by Juan Hayward.
Artwork by Ben Stone.
My previous booking for Tunbridge Wells Life Drawing was in December last year when Tunbridge Wells was experiencing water supply problems. Now, in late spring, the problem wasn’t water from the supply but water from the sky.
The heatwave was over. Temperatures were down and rain was drizzling down. How might this affect life drawing attendance? The answer was: not at all badly. In fact we probably had the best numbers of my three visits here, which was highly pleasing.
Once more I would be posing for two sessions; first with quicker poses to be inspired by a particular artist, then secondly with a couple of warm-ups followed by one single 90-minute long pose. For ‘part one’, our inspiration would be Antony Gormley.
I find Gormley’s sculptural figures most interesting for the contexts of their installation or their environmental settings, but not especially for the inventiveness of their poses. They are usually neutral, passive, symmetrical. So… how to inspire a life group?
Well, I opened with a Gormley: standing straight upright, ankles together, head down, fingertips touching in front of my chest. Next, some quick poses incorporating the few dynamic Gormley poses I’d found. Then, of course, an ‘Angel of the North‘.
After this as each pose got longer I started to hybridise; one half of my body adopting one Gormley pose while the other adopted another. Plus, I tossed in a few of my own poses as wildcards to inject some unbidden variety.
At the end, artworks were set upon the floor for general admiration. So much positive feedback flowed about the room. This really is one of the most warm-hearted friendly community groups I’ve ever been blessed to work with. 🙂 Bring on part two…!
Pose minutes, 12pm-2pm
Part 1 : 10, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 6, 9, 17.
— break —
Part 2 : 40.
Artworks
With apologies to artists I’m unable to credit.
Artwork by Thinn Mon Aung.
Artwork by Thinn Mon Aung.
Artwork by Thinn Mon Aung.
Artwork by Karen Summers.
Artwork by Juan Hayward.
Artwork by Thinn Mon Aung.
It was early afternoon on the hottest day of the UK’s late-May heatwave yet transport networks were already failing. Most London underground lines were showing ‘Severe Delays’. With nothing better to do, I decided to leave early for The Winchester.
In the ten minutes it took to walk from my home to my nearest rail station all mainline train services ceased, with line failures at both ends of the track. Nothing got through after 2:30pm for more than a whole frustrating hour.
When a train finally arrived some time after half-three, it had four carriages instead of the usual eight, no air conditioning and every station was busy. The journey was slow and stifling; a stop-start crawl all the way to my London Overground connection.
Relieved to have made it thus far at least, I then find all trains on the Overground line are suspended due to a broken-down freight train. When trains did eventually start to trickle through, the first was missed as passengers were sent to the wrong platform.
After a grimly Dantesque journey of three hours fifty minutes instead of the usual one hour twenty, I arrived – on time – for Living Art Life Drawing. It was no surprise that fewer artists than usual had also managed to defy the odds and join us.
Perhaps because I’d anticipated problems and allowed so much extra time, I actually felt quite relaxed and relatively fresh for modelling. This is such an outstanding group to work for in every possible regard that I would hate to give less than my best.
As per my previous visit in January, everything was organised perfectly: there was a fan for the pose space, I was offered water, sheets and cushions were present, there were constant updates on pose times, and I wasn’t rushed between poses.
I find the progress calls on pose times (“5 minutes left”, “1 minute left”…) so important and so helpful, it surprises me that not all groups do it. In addition this group also has the most brilliant playlists with which I can either measure time or simply lose myself.
Artworks around the room were superb. If the artists were hot and bothered, it did not reflect in their creativity. I was sad for organisers Françoise and Alex that there were not more people drawing, but for me, arduous journey notwithstanding, it was a joy.
Pose minutes, 7pm-9pm
Part 1 : 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 7, 10, 10, 10.
— break —
Part 2 : 20, 15, 10.
Artworks
With apologies to artists I’m unable to credit.
Artwork by Alex.
Artwork by Alex.
Artwork by art.chiepavlo.
Artwork by Françoise.
Artwork by art.chiepavlo.
Artwork by Françoise.
Artwork by Alex.
Artwork by Françoise.
Artwork by art.chiepavlo.
Artwork by Alex.
Artwork by Alex.
Artwork by art.chiepavlo.
Artwork by Alex.
Artwork by Françoise.
The RMT union strike by tube train drivers set for 20 May was called off a day or two before, but by then I had bought train tickets for an alternative route to Bethnal Green allowing plenty of extra time. Thus, I entered the Garrett Centre crazily early.
The space for life drawing had already been set-up by regular artist George Mitchell, who kindly offers his help before anyone else arrives. There always seems to be a lot of goodwill for Adrian Dutton’s groups and for Adrian himself, who is beyond nice.
I felt strangely moved to see the space at its quietest. It was like waking before dawn to catch the sun’s first light; stillness and serenity ahead of the day’s work. I’ve posed here for hundreds of artists over the past 13 years, but never stood alone.
Soon enough I had artists on all sides of me. These included a few familiar faces and others that were new both to me and the group; a healthy mix. So I posed, they drew, Adrian made food for everybody, and together we made a community… and art.
Pose minutes, 7pm-9pm
Part 1 : 5, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 5, 10, 30.
— break —
Part 2 : 5, 15, 20.
Artworks
With apologies to artists I’m unable to credit.
Little did I suspect when I posed for Walthamstow Lifedrawing at Harmony Hall just two months ago it would be my last time there. Alas, this much-loved space has gone the way of so many community venues; fallen victim to spiralling rent and now closed forever, or so it seems. But Walthamstow Lifedrawing goes on.
The group has relocated to Walthamstow Toy Library, no more than a three-minute walk away. They still meet on Monday evenings, 7:30pm to 9:15pm, the same format and the same friendly charm. A community is more than its bricks and mortar; people were making art for millennia before being forced to make rent. Art will endure.
Thus, in our new playful setting I entered the round, removed my dressing gown, and held various poses ranging from 5 minutes to a half-hour. Disappointingly, there were no toys I could use as props… only a single lonely balloon, half-deflated, the remnant of some bygone party… relatable, really. So I made a few short shapes with that.
Pose minutes, 7:30pm-9:15pm
Part 1 : 5, 5, 5, 5, 10, 15, 20.
— break —
Part 2 : 30.
Artworks
With apologies to artists I’m unable to credit.
Back with Cosy Life Drawing London in the movie-making magicians’ technological dungeon at Framestore. My poses are strictly analogue, however, and so are the life drawings… apart from one artist using a tablet… oh, and a robot calls the pose times.
Last time here I declined to use props but said I would return to them at this session. So, for the 5-minute and 10-minute poses of our first half, I brandished a sword and a combat pole, hopefully in ways that were original. I’ve brandished them before.
At half-time I revisited the props bin to select some new items, but all I could find was more (fake) weapons: automatic rifles, bows (no arrows), more swords and poles. An umbrella was also present, though I wouldn’t be surprised if that was poison-tipped.
Posturing with weapons isn’t really my style, and I’d posed with their umbrella on one of my previous visits, so I cast about for any non-lethal alternatives. Answers were at hand! The glass from which I’d been drinking, and a towel provided for seat padding.
Duly, five 2-minute poses with the glass were followed by three 15-minute poses with the towel, taking us to the session’s end. It’s curious how different props can create a whole new dynamic for poses. Maybe I need to experiment more often.
Pose minutes, 6:30pm-9pm
Part 1 : 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 5, 5, 5, 10, 10, 2.
— break —
Part 2 : 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 15, 15, 15.
Artworks
With apologies to artists I’m unable to credit.
steve ritter 