Protestors Shun Bike Shorts To Bare Views On Oil, CarsSkip directly to the full story.By JULIE PACE jpace@tampatrib.comPublished: Mar 13, 2006TAMPA - After the Sept. 11 attacks, Luis Gottardi decided to become less dependent on his car.He started riding his bicycle around his south Tampa neighborhood - to the store, to visit friends, to go out to lunch. Gottardi didn't want the money he spent on gasoline to go overseas, where, he thought, it was being used to fund terrorists like the ones that attacked the United States in 2001.Sunday morning, Gottardi, 56, joined other cyclists looking to spread a similar message of lessening dependency on foreign oil.The catch?Most of the bike riders were virtually naked.Thirteen riders - some wearing shorts and T-shirts, others wearing only thong underwear - rode through south Tampa as part of World Naked Bike Ride, a peaceful international event that protests dependence on oil and automobiles.The 10-mile route took bikers along Bayshore Boulevard, where onlookers snapped photographs and set up chairs along the sidewalk. Three spectators sipped margaritas while watching the ride.The ride's halfway point was MacDill Air Force Base, where riders stopped for water, rest and a peaceful protest. Several bikers chanted "Torture is not an American value" and held antiwar signs.The naked ride started in Spain and Canada, spreading to the United States, Australia and many European countries during the past three years.The event is held twice a year, once in each hemisphere. Because of Tampa's warm weather, organizers chose to participate in March, when most Southern Hemisphere cities hold events.Naked rides in most other Northern Hemisphere locations will take place June 10.Local organizer John Palm said that while riding nude is a way to attract attention, it also serves a practical purpose for the peaceful protest."Nudity is essential to show we're unarmed," said Palm, 40.Despite the ride's name, full nudity wasn't possible for Tampa riders. Tampa police were on hand to enforce local rules that riders wear at least G-strings. Women also had to wear pasties.For Gottardi, who kept his clothes on, the ride reminded him of the protests he joined in the 1960s. Times have changed, he said, but it's still important to speak out."Unless you do something in public, you're silent," Gottardi said.Although the ride's message was serious, Palm said he recognized the levity of a naked bike ride, which he said creates a different type of safety concerns for riders."We don't have a lot of padding," Palm said.
