A GROUP of hardy cyclists are hoping the weather stays sunny until at least the beginning of next month.

For on June 2 they will be taking part in a mass ride through the streets of York - and many of them will be as naked as the day they were born.

The seventh York World Naked Bike Ride will see them pedalling round a 6.5 mile route around many of the city’s tourist hotspots.

York is one of around 60 cities worldwide which every year hold the extraordinary protest-cum-celebration.

The advice from the organisers is “ride as bare as you dare” - although costumes and body-paint are allowed too.

The ride highlights the vulnerability of cyclists on today's car-infested roads but also celebrates sustainable and human-powered transport.

The York ride will start soon after 4pm near the Millennium Bridge over the River Ouse, and will visit the racecourse, railway station, York Minster and Clifford's Tower.

“Previous rides have been met with applause and cheering, with a carnival feel to the event, despite the seriousness of our message,” said organiser Hugh Dower, 60.

"I do the ride in order to demonstrate that cycling is a much healthier means of locomotion, both for the human body and the environment, than cars or trains or aeroplanes."

Potential riders can find further details at http://wiki.worldnakedbikeride.org/index.php?title=York