Check your phone calendar (unless you’re not wearing pants and have no pockets): Naked Bike Ride is slated

Published 9:30 am Tuesday, January 21, 2025

They say “Keep Portland Weird,” but pretty much nothing red-lines the weird-o-meter more than Portland’s annual Naked Bike Ride.

The ride, which draws hundreds of participants, is on the books for Saturday, Aug. 9. (You didn’t think they’d plan it for chilly January, did you?)

Meeting time is 6:15 p.m. and the ride will begin around 7 p.m. The starting location and route will be announced closer to the event. The event is coordinated by a collective of more than 25 local groups.

The ride is in its 21st year and, whether people see it as silly or salacious, it also serves an array of causes, including cycling safety, body positivity and action against oil dependency. Past years’ rides have focused on Zenith Energy, a fuel storage company operating a controversial terminal in Portland. In December, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality fined Zenith $372,600 for operating out of a nearby dock without authorization. Since 2021, Zenith has been seeking an air quality permit from the state to continue storing and moving fuels out of its facility along the Willamette River. The state’s decision also requires Zenith to go back to city of Portland leaders for a land use permit.

The 2025 ride also will focus on Portland’s new mayor and City Council, and their interactions with Zenith.

Find out more about the Naked Bike Ride at the event’s Instagram account, @worldnakedbikerideportland.