'Everyone's so comfortable. It seems a shame to get dressed'

More than 50 cyclists stripped off to ride through Cork at dawn yesterday. Louise Roseingravehelped them on their way

OUT OF THE shadows in the twilight of dawn, the cyclists gathered in Cork yesterday morning, undeterred by the lashing rain. Inside Camden Palace, a courthouse turned creative-art warehouse, an adrenalin rush was building as the clock ticked towards 5.30am: departure time for the World Naked Bike Ride.

Body painters and stewards, recognisable by their lack of flashing flesh, ran about amid the jiggling bums of the 50 or so participants, who had travelled from all over the country to bare all on their bikes.

Then, with a holler and a whoop and a ding of the bell, the colourful mob moved off from Camden Quay and across to

Cork Opera House, where photographers had gathered to capture the moment of liberation. Jaws fell open as early-morning commuters got an eyeful, the cyclists punching the air in exhilaration as they rode on.

As a fully clothed steward on the route, my job was to rescue any poor unfortunate who might suffer the indignity of a puncture and to warn traffic of the oncoming spectacle. Nude-biker alert! Look the other way!

Thankfully, there was no need for me to perform either task, and the cyclists did all their own PR, waving and greeting the startled spectators. Latecomers shed their threads at various points along the route, which crossed the city centre on its way to Albert Quay before heading east to the marina and towards Blackrock Castle, where the mouth of the Lee meets Cork Harbour.

The men outnumbered the women, though not by many, and both sexes bore safe-cycling slogans on their backs.

The concept originated in 2002 in Spain, where an unusually high number of deaths among cyclists prompted bike riders to take action. Events have now taken place in more than 70 cities across the world, from Argentina to Israel and right across Europe.

The World Naked Bike Ride has three main aims: to promote cyclist safety, to help reduce our reliance on oil and to promote body acceptance.

The full tally of bare bodies reached 57, including one travelling on roller blades and two in a rickshaw, all in varying degrees of undress.

Dave, who left his wife at home in Tullamore to take part on a tandem, with his co-rider Ali, took great delight in baring all; he described it as a life-changing experience. “It equates everyone. See that guy there” – he points to a man with the words “Ride On” across his back – “he could be a barrister or a bank robber.

In this moment it does not matter.”

So why take part? “Just for the total heck of it. Like everything else in life. I’ll smile every time I’m in Cork now,” he said with a grin.

Aodhgán O’Flaherty, a 23-year-old graduate, found a Chopper in a skip near his home, in Glasheen, and gave it a new lease of life. “I thought it needed one last journey; it might be a bit battered, but it served me well. This is so liberating; it’s the best feeling you could imagine,” he said.

Amanda, a 25-year-old teacher from Kinsale, grabbed the opportunity to do something wild. She arrived on her own, got no sleep and spent five hours being transformed by body artists to sport a colourful green hue.

“I felt like doing something crazy. I always wanted to get body-painted and to ride a bike naked. So this was an opportunity to do both at once. It was great,” she said, beaming.

Participants complained of the cold, but few minded the rain, and for Amanda the water was a plus. “I thought the rain enhanced the experience. It made it that bit wilder,” she said afterwards, clutching a cup of hot tea.

Derek Aulsbury, a 28-year-old from Waterford, spotted an awkward moment for one woman on the street as the flesh mob flashed by. “She looked at me and she got embarrassed, which is the opposite to what you’d expect,” he said.

The early-morning departure was planned to minimise offence, and overall little was taken, although some welcomed the spectacle more than others. One taxi driver jumped out of his car as the cyclists passed by, beeping his horn in delight. On the same stretch of road a female commuter gaped at the riders, unable to tear her eyes away.

John, a father of four grown children from Blarney, said his kids think he’s crazy, but he had his reasons to bare all. “My wife died four weeks ago, so for me it’s a way to clear everything out – a feeling of freedom. There’s no deep meaning; it’s just pure fun.”

Back at base, hot teas were passed around as shivering bodies were poured into clothes and a buzz of achievement descended.

Stephen Pepper, a 19-year-old from Dunshaughlin, got readyto head home on an “absolute high” having completed the challenge all his friends said he was mad to undertake.

“You are so used to nakedness being a private thing. This is such a different experience. Everyone’s so comfortable, it’s so normal. It seems a shame to get dressed.”