The couple have been chosen to officially meet the Lord Mayor at the finish line outside the City Hall. This will be Gene and Diane’s 49th Naked Bike Ride of the World since their retirement.

They have attended several rounds of the event, including one in England and the previous two in Cork.

Former chemistry teacher Gene said he and his wife Diane, who worked as a nurse, started the unusual pastime to get rid of unwanted tan marks. They hope to celebrate their 50th naked bike ride next year, “if we ever get there,” Gene joked.

The Cork event will take place as part of the Body Positive Festival on Friday, August 23 from 10.30am to 2.30pm. Highlights of the festival include naked axe throwing and a clothing optional music competition.

Gene said it was an honour for him and his wife to be chosen as representatives to meet and speak with the Mayor, Cllr. Dan Boyle (Green Party), after the event.

“I’m a little nervous about meeting the Lord Mayor,” Gene said. The Irish Auditor.

“We’ve had group photos with the Lord Mayor before, both in 2018 and 2022, but I’ve never spoken to him. I met the Mayor of Brighton a long time ago for something to do with work. It must have been 1972. But it’s not the same when you meet him riding a bike naked. This will be something completely different.

“I can’t believe we were asked to meet her. Diane said she’d never met the Mayor in her life. I’m not sure what we’ll say to her when we meet her, but we’ll think of something.”

Bike trips

The World Naked Bike Ride began in 2002 to highlight the dangers of the roads after the deaths of six cyclists in Zaragoza, Spain. It has since been replicated around the world.

The first naked bike ride in Ireland began in 2009 and since then the works of talented body painters can be seen on some of the cyclists.

Gene described the first naked bike ride they participated in as ‘surreal’.

“We were in Portugal one year and we saw people on the beach with no clothes on. We thought it was great because we didn’t want to look striped. We’re not naturists in the sense that most people are. We just do it when we get the chance.

“So when we saw an advert online in 2012 highlighting a naked London bike ride, I suggested we join in. I couldn’t believe people would cycle naked in London, but that’s exactly what they did. It was Diane who famously said, ‘I’m not doing that!’, but I knew that meant she really wanted to do it. When she got up the courage to take her clothes off in front of everyone, she took a sharp breath.

“I remember cycling along Park Lane behind it and asking myself, ‘Is this real?’

“We thought we’d do another one after that and we just kept going. We loved doing it because these things take some courage. The world has opened up to us since then.”

He laughed as he said not all bike tours go as planned.

“There was one incident where Diane was caught alone at some traffic lights on the streets of Edinburgh. The rest of the group had managed to get through when suddenly the lights changed and Diane realised she was the only one left. She was just standing there thinking we had all abandoned her. The hills are very steep and the traffic lights are at the top so you have to walk to get to them. Five minutes is a long time to be standing on one of the main streets of Edinburgh with all your clothes off. Luckily, after riding a bike for a while without wearing anything at all, you forget you’re naked.”

Public response has been mostly positive, Gene said.

“Nobody is asking you to take your clothes off and go out on the street. You do it whether they want you to or not. The only negative reaction I’ve seen was when another cyclist was deliberately thrown off his bike by two guys on a motorbike. It was very unpleasant but also very rare.

“Most of the time the response is overwhelmingly positive. It’s probably the closest you’ll ever get to being a celebrity. You’re applauded and approached by members of the public asking for photos.”

Gene and Diane have two children from previous relationships and a son named Martin.

“He doesn’t really want to know about naked bike rides,” Gene laughed. “I think he might be a little embarrassed, so he doesn’t say much about it. His wife, on the other hand, thinks it’s great.”

Donations from this year’s event will go to the campaign to reopen the Camden Palace Hotel, a community arts center that supported WNBR in its early days. To register for this year’s WNBR event, email [email protected].