A veteran naturist knocked from his bike during a British World Naked Bike Ride event says he refuses to be shamed into silence. He also wants people to understand that public nudity is not a crime.
Rob Brown, 59, was cycling through Colchester, U.K. in August when motorcyclist Lee Turnage rode at him and punched him. The result sent him crashing to the ground (also ouch, on many levels.) According to Metro, Turnage later told police he mistook Brown for “a pervert.” He was handed a suspended sentence for bodily harm.
🚲 I’ll keep cycling naked, vows charity rider punched for his troubles
Read more below 👇https://t.co/2wrkI6Jtkh
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) December 1, 2025
Brown, from Tendring, suffered painful grazing to his hands, arms and legs. He now relies on a walking stick for longer walks. Three months later, he is still feeling the effects. “If I drop something, I can’t bend my knee to pick it up,” he told Metro, adding that his bike was also destroyed in the impact.|
What happens when you get a flat on World Naked Bike Ride?
Despite the injuries, Brown said quitting would be giving in. “If I don’t go on another ride then he’s won. It won’t stop me,” he said, telling Metro that naturists are “not perverts” and that nudity is nothing to be ashamed of. He also joked that bodies differ only in “the plumbing,” saying naturism is simply about being comfortable in one’s skin.
‘Most threatening thing I’ve ever seen’: House Speaker reacts to Portland naked bike ride
A lifelong naturist and ride leader for the Four Seasons World Naked Bike Ride, Brown takes part in events that highlight environmental harm caused by car culture. The movement, he says, is peaceful, legal and widely misunderstood.
He told Metro that Turnage had earlier made a “filthy gesture” and yelled abuse before turning his motorcycle around and striking him. “Before I knew what had happened, I felt this almighty whack to the head,” Brown said.
Brown hopes the case prompts the public to learn the law. UK guidance states that naturism—without intent to alarm or offend—is lawful and protected as freedom of expression. “Nudity anywhere in the UK … is perfectly legal,” Brown said, urging people to rethink assumptions. “No child has ever been harmed by the sight of a naked body… We just hope to change people’s mindset.”
Either way, naked or not, knocking a cyclist over is no bueno.