'Nude Tour de France' Banned in Several Cities After Decades of Issue-Free Races
Every summer, hundreds of dedicated cyclists take to the road for the annual Tour de France, racing through valleys and small towns across the country while excited spectators cheer them on. The World Naked Bike Ride has enjoyed similar—albeit smaller—fanfare for years as bikers weave through the countryside in their birthday suits.
For the first time, local governments are pushing back on the so-called nude Tour de France. Seven stages of the race have been banned in the country for public indecency, with riders facing the risk of prison time and a fine for hopping on their bikes in the buff.
The first World Naked Bike Ride took place in Zaragoza, Spain in 2001 and launched in its official capacity in 2004 in London. Since then, the race has expanded all over the world with events in cities across the U.S. and U.K. and other countries like Hungary and Paraguay.
Related: Complete Guide to Understanding the 2023 Tour de France
The French version of the race kicked off in Nantes on Aug. 8. Since then, local authorities have been doing everything in their power to prohibit certain stages of the event from passing through towns.
The people trying to stop the tour are citing the penal code having to deal with public nudity. François Feunteun, president of Le Mouvement Naturiste (The Nudism Movement) that organizes the ride, told The Telegraph it "equates nudism to sexual exhibitionism on the public causeway." By breaking the law with their naked ride, perpetrators could face up to a year in prison and a €15,000 fine.
The tour is being put on to raise awareness for climate change and the existential threat we all face, leaving humanity in a vulnerable position just like being naked. When the nude peloton prepared to start one stage in Millau near Clermont-Ferrand, police blocked the racers and arrested Feunteun.
“In France, when you want to talk about the serious risks the planet is facing, you get treated like an ecoterrorist and sexual delinquent,” the 59-year-old said. He blasted his detainment and called it a form "state intimidation” and an obvious attempt to discourage the approximately 15 participants from continuing on with the race around the country.
He also cited the fact that much bigger nude bike races have been put on all around the globe without a hitch. "In London, they brought together 5,000 people without any problem. And it’s been the same in all the democratic countries of the world,” he told French newspaper Le Figaro. “The only bans have been in dictatorships and very religious countries."
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Feunteun intends to pursue legal action to defend the iconic nude tour. It turns out that while France may have nude-friendly beaches, the same welcome isn't extended to the roads.
