Naked Bike Ride Through Philadelphia - Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

Philadelphia activists are gearing up to bare all this weekend at their second annual Naked Bike Ride, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Friday.

The ride, due to begin Sunday at dusk, was organized by Clifford Greer, a 31-year-old stagehand and audiovisual technician, "to promote fuel-conscious consumption," the paper said.

Organizers will send an e-mail Friday night to all 4,000 participants who signed up at phillynakedbikeride.org to notify them of the route.

Naked bike rides have become common publicity stunts to raise awareness about cyclist safety and the environmental benefits of trading in a car for a bike.

Alex Coty, executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Philadelphia, will dispatch ambassadors from his organization to lecture on bike safety during the ride, according to the Inquirer. He stressed that enjoyment was a major motivation for people to take up cycling.

"There's lots of reasons why we can encourage people to bike -- health, air quality. But in the end, the things that get people riding bikes is the joy of it," Coty told the paper.

Last year, the seven-mile ride in Philadelphia was successful and without incident. There were no reports of lewd behavior or arrests, very few were actually naked -- the Inquirer said that most wore swimsuits or had strategically applied body paint -- and the police reception was "overwhelming positive," according to Greer.

"They rode quick and left," police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore told the paper, "Once again, we’re aware of [the ride], and we’re going to monitor the activity. We don’t anticipate any problem. But if there are, we’re going to address them right away."

Greer told the Inquirer that nudity would be optional for the ride, or in his words, "We tolerate all levels of confidence."