SCORES of cyclists - some wearing nothing but body paint - took to the streets of York this weekend.

......GALLERY OF PICTURES......

The Naked Bike Ride is a protest by cyclists to display the vulnerability of humans on the roads, and more than 80 riders gathered at Millennium Bridge on Saturday afternoon ahead of the eight-and-a-half mile ride.

Many of the cyclists wore only paint or backpacks, while others chose to remain clothed during the ride, which included stops in King's Square and outside Shakespeare's Rose Theatre, for photographs and a cycling-themed Shakespeare recital.

John Cossham is the organiser of the York event - one of 70 around the world - and said the ride was a protest to show how vulnerable cyclists are on the UK's roads.

He said: "A hundred cyclists a year are killed on British roads. That's a hundred too many. They're all mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, workmates and colleagues and grandads. These are real people who do not have to die."

Jon Reetman is a cyclist from York who also took part in the ride, and said he wanted to introduce stronger legislation against drivers who injure or kill cyclists.

He said: "The reason we're naked is obviously if you can see us naked, then why can't you see us when we're clothed? See us when we're not naked."

The cyclists were escorted around parts of their journey by officers from North Yorkshire Police, and were welcomed with gasps and surprise from the public at the Eye of York, where they stopped for around ten minutes.

Official photographs were taken outside the Rose Theatre of the cyclists holding up a banner which read 'notice us when we're NOT naked', and members of the peloton read versions of some of Shakespeare's well-known pieces - including Hamlet's "Alas, poor Yorick" soliloquy - which had been rewritten to reflect a cyclist's view of York's roads.