ST. LOUIS – Hundreds of cyclists are expected to take on several streets of St. Louis this Saturday for the 16th annual World Naked Bike Ride.

First held in St. Louis in 2007, the World Naked Bike Ride has drawn more than 2,000 cyclists in various gatherings throughout the years.

Cyclists travel several miles in highly-visible areas within the City of St. Louis. Organizers tell riders to go as “bare-as-you-dare,” so some may choose to participate in the ride without any articles of clothing.

Riders will meet at 4 p.m. at HandleBar, a bicycle-themed bar in The Grove neighborhood of St. Louis. The ride starts at 6 p.m. and is expected to end around 8 p.m.

Organizers have not yet released a map of the planned biking route. However, the ride will start on Manchester Avenue near HandleBar and consist of the following St. Louis neighborhoods, streets and sites of St. Louis, in order….

The Grove (neighborhood) -> Lafayette Square (neighborhood) -> Downtown St. Louis -> Soulard (neighborhood) -> Cherokee Street -> South Grand Boulevard – > Tower Grove Park -> The Grove.

The World Naked Bike Ride was first recognized as a protest against oil dependency in Canada in 2004. It has since expanded its footprint to dozens of U.S. cities and at least 20 countries.

According to a FAQ section of the website promoting the St. Louis event, “The World Naked Bike Ride is a protest and that’s why people are allowed to be naked,” as long as cyclists refrain from illegal conduct while naked. The website encourages personal expression, but also mentions, “due to legal restrictions in St. Louis, full-frontal nudity is at your own risk.”

“We inform our guests of this,” Tatyana Telnikova, lead organizer of the bike ride in St. Louis, told FOX 2 in 2022. “But being on the bike ride itself is like a protest, if you’re riding with a mass group of people.”

Telnikova says the ride is intended to promote a positive body image, alternative forms of transportation and cyclists’ rights. “It’s about being together, having fun and being your true self on a bicycle,” she adds.

Telnikova, who also owns HandleBar just outside of the race’s starting point, took over as lead organizer of the event nearly a decade ago. She credits a group of Washington University students for bringing the concept to St. Louis in the mid-2000s.

While the ride originally began in the Southampton neighborhood, it has been modified in recent years to essentially loop around The Grove. In recent years, St. Louis has rivaled Chicago and Portland in terms of participation with the event.

The festivities have since expanded to include a pre-ride costume contest and a massive afterparty with live entertainment.

For a closer look at The World Naked Bike Ride and events planned around it, click here.