Nudy cycling = gravel rash

Straight off the bat, this has nothing to do with me! While the odd nudy run has been performed over the years, even I, in such moments of classic teenage (and perhaps early twenties) intoxicated exuberance, knew never to tempt fate by extending such activities to naked bike riding. So many moving parts, so little protection! Unfortunately, however, three young and allegedly drunk Canberran males (reported in this weekends Canberra times) recently went beyond the call of duty, and decided, late one night, to ride around suburbs of Canberra naked. Stupid though it may be, I for one am impressed that these kids have taken the initiative, and making use of Canberra's many bike paths 24/7. I am also impressed that anyone could even consider naked bike riding when temperatures frequently drop below zero at night.

Apparently these boys showed great artistic form, riding through a service station and other establishments in a very orderly single-file formation. At various locations, they even worked in a few loops, and figure eights before taking their road show to other establishments. Unfortunately, a not so impressed observer felt the need to ring the police, which sparked a thrilling climax to this performance: a "nudy cycle chase scene". This is where it all went horribly wrong for one member of the merry trio. As the cops chased, one of the riders came off his bike in the rush to escape. It is worth, at this point, taking a moment to consider what it must feel like to come off your bike, on a bitumen road, in sub zero conditions, and naked....

...
...
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... ouch!

The rider, suffering considerable gravel rash, was caught and fined $450 for indecent exposure. One can't help but be impressed that despite being left by his fellow riders, the unfortunate member of the team, caught and facing criminal charges, never gave up his fellow nudy riders. In a statement to police, he simply stated that he hardly knew the other guys (not even their names apparently) as he had only just recently met them at a party. I guess introducing themselves was next on the list of "getting to know you" activities for the night.