Dozens of naked cyclists gathered in Rennes on Sunday to cycle across the western city in the city's first edition of what naturists hope will turn into an annual event.

Around 70 people turned up for the ride in Rennes. Photo: AFP

“We’re delighted, we laughed a lot, had a great time,” Michèle Charles-Dominé, from the French Naturist Federation (FFN) which organised the event, told RFI.

It was the first time the international movement Naked Bike Ride was allowed to cycle through a French city, after years of trying.

Masks and hats, but nothing else. Photo: AFP

Local authorities banned the ride last minute in Paris and Lyon, but only modified the route in Rennes so that participants would avoid the city centre.

A lonely rider in Rennes. Photo: AFP

France has an active naturist movement, however French law bans “deliberate sexual display in the sight of others in a place accessible to the public.” Offenders risk up to one year in prison and a fine.

'Less gas, more ass'

The tour, also known as Cyclonudista, was set up in 2003 to raise awareness about climate change and promote bicycles as a means of transport.

Photo: AFP

“Less gas, more ass,” is a popular slogan during rallies in the United States.

“We only have one planet, so we want to defend it,” naked cyclist Charles-Dominé in Rennes told RFI. 

“When you care about nature, it’s better to be naked, you show your fragility.”