Grab a Helmet – Killeen, TX Is One of 2022’s Best Cities for Naked Biking
Here's something I bet you didn't know - apparently Killeen, Texas isn't such a bad place to ride your bike in the buff.
Killeen was listed along with several other Texas cities in LawnStarters's 2022 Best Cities for Naked Biking list. I'm not even kidding.
Naked Biking
Let's be honest here. I've never really thought about taking up "naked biking", but if it's something you do or have been wanting to do, I offer no judgement at all. As they say, "to each his own." For me though, a helmet isn't the only thing I'll be wearing.
World Naked Bike Ride
An article from Forbes says, World Naked Bike Ride's objective is to celebrate cycling and to demonstrate the vulnerability of cyclists on the road while also protesting the world’s oil dependency and the negative environmental impact of a car-dominated culture. It's a real movement that has folks across the globe biking naked. 'Be as bare as you dare' is the dress code with “now you see me” as the slogan. The cause is noble but as much as I may support the movement, I still prefer to do my biking fully clothed.
2022’s Best Cities for Naked Biking
LawnStarter decided to look at the 200 biggest cities in the U.S. and rank them to see which city is the best for naked biking. The metrics they considered ranged from local popularity of naked biking, the size and activeness of the cycling community, and, of course, the climate.
Over all, Texas had a strong showing.
Here are the top 5 cities overall out of the 200,
#1 Chicago, IL
#2 Portland, OR
#3 Seattle, WA
#4 Austin, TX
#5 St. Louis, MO
Austin ranked first in "Naked Biking Friendliness" and 173 in "Climate", understandably.
Naked Biking Texas
So Austin finished top 5, but how about other Texas cities? Houston finished 13th, San Antonio at 22 and Dallas at 30 out of 200. What surprised me the most here was seeing Killeen, Texas ranking at #75 on the list.
Naked Biking Killeen
I never really considered Killeen to be a "Naked Biking" hot spot in the country, but apparently there are more people that do it than I realized. Landing at 75 out of 200 is pretty respectable. Killeen scored well in "Naked Biking Friendliness" and "Safety" and finished with an overall score of 34.26. Just below my old stomping grounds of Colorado Springs, Colorado, where everyone's a hippie and will try to do everything naked.
Surprise! Surprise!