Cheeky rider to celebrate victory

JANELLE KIRKLAND | 13th March 2010

Wearing lycra pants isn't far off being naked, according to Hawke's Bay naturist Peter Coniebear. So he is expecting a nude bike ride today to cause little offence.

``You can't see anything anyway, unless you have an aerial view,'' Mr Coniebear, who hopes to join the ride if he isn't working, said. ``You're just busy pedalling away.

``It doesn't matter if you've got pants on, you can always see the bum. You show more off the bike in them than on the bike naked.''

The international-style pants were particularly revealing, he said.

Wellington man Nick Lowe, originally from Havelock North, has planned the ride and is inviting others to join as he celebrates successfully appealing a $200 fine for riding his bike nude in Wellington. It gained national media attention.

Mr Coniebear, who runs accommodation at Rapere for Hawke's Bay Naturist Club, said he was rapt to hear the conviction had been quashed, as much of the time nude cyclists just get the ``thumbs up and laughs and waves''.

``There are more and more people accepting it,'' he said. ``No one complains, it's so discrete.''

There were, however, a ``few adjustments to make'' to keep it comfortable.

The ride starts at 2pm from the Bay View pub carpark and will cover 14.5km to a picnic area at Tangoio.

Mr Lowe, who competed in the Coast to Coast multisport event last year naked from the waist down, said he was not sure who would be joining him, although he understood a man from an Auckland naturist club was travelling down.

``Whoever turns up, turns up,'' Mr Lowe said.