World Naked Bike Ride - Part 47

Jérôme Jolibois

Previously, we saw this man with a green mustache at Christopher Street Day celebrations in Berlin (above, in 2017).

I also noticed him in photos from several World Naked Bike Ride events, including London, Amsterdam, and Brussels, Belgium.  Above, at the WNBR in Brussels in 2018.

One of the Brussels photos gave his name, Jerome Jolibois, and said that he's not just a rider, he's the organizer of the Brussels WNBR.  Jerome moved to Brussels from Paris, France in 2004.  He quickly discovered that Brussels was not well set up for cyclists.  He launched Brussels' first WNBR in June, 2005 to get public attention for bicycle safety and better bike routes, and he has been running the Brussels WNBR ever since.

This is the earliest photo of him that I could find, from the 2006 WNBR.  He looks much younger – he hadn't grown a beard or mustache yet, and his hair was just starting to go gray.

Here he is at the end of the 2013 Brussels WNBR.  Now he has a beard and mustache, but it isn't green.

The 2014 Brussels WNBR is the first one where he dyed his mustache green.

The 2015 Brussels WNBR.  In addition to organizing the event, he always participates in it.  In fact, he leads the cyclists out of the park where the ride begins.

Here he is in Square Frère Orban at the end of the 2015 Brussels WNBR.  The writing on his back seems to be a reference to zero grams of carbon dioxide being generated by riding a bike (compared to cars, which burn fossil fuels and generate CO2).  Thanks to Descamisado for this interpretation.

Organizing the WNBR includes hosting other events like this party, held months before the 2015 bike ride, to publicize it.  As a dedicated naturist, he shows up naked, here accepting the embrace of a fellow naturist (or is the guy just taking a selfie?).  By the way, Jerome's mustache wasn't green at this party, leading me to believe that he only dyes it green for special events like WNBR and CSD.

Here he is at the 2016 Brussels WNBR.

The 2017 Brussels WNBR.

You may not realize how prominent he is at the Brussels WNBR events.  He's pretty much front and center.  Above is a video that I edited down from a 12-minute video of the 2018 Brussels WNBR.  I removed everything not showing Jerome.  The footage of Jerome that remains still fills one and three-quarters minutes.

Jerome's activism goes beyond advocating for bicycle safety.  He is the first naturist elected to the Brussels City Council.  He belongs to the Ecolo-Groen party, which pushes "green" environmental issues.  Perhaps that's why he dyes his mustache green.

We end with the "Dan Late Show", a Belgian late night TV show, with Jerome as a guest on May 27, 2016. He walks onto the set and is interviewed stark naked. I cut it off after he tells the host "Bonjour."  After that, it's the same view of him on the couch, as they talk about the upcoming 2016 Brussels WNBR.  The show is in French.  If you speak French (I'm thinking of you, Laurent) and want to see the whole interview, it's at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E26ruNvgTE0