X-Rated Bike Fun: NUMBA encourages riders to go au natural

Exhibitionism and mountain biking are more closely related than you think. A playful knock off of NORBA, NUMBA, or the Nude Underwater Mountain Biking Association promotes just what the name implies—riding in your birthday suit.

One has the opportunity to become a member of the association upon riding a bike (naked, of course) off a ramp into a lake after the 24 Hours of Pisgah race in western North Carolina. This yearly race is hosted by Camp Carolina, a summer camp for boys 7-17 located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The camp's owner and director, and also the club's President/ dictator (no vice president, secretary, or treasurer exists – all of his decisions are FINAL) Cha-Cha Thompson says that the club has thousands of members from over the years. All you have to do to become a lifetime member is ride off the ramp once. To commemorate the induction, members receive a free t-shirt, decorated with pictures of floating females and romping lads doing their thing. The t-shirts were designed by tortured artist William Nealy, who Thompson affectionately termed an "old hippie." Nealy was a cartoonist, known for his craziness, who dabbled in kayaking, mountain biking, and inline skating. He committed suicide at his home in Durham, North Carolina in July 2001. He'll be remembered by his art and a series of books including The Mountain Bike Way of Life, a compilation of his thoughts on the sport.

Thompson says that the club came into existence partially because NORBA was "difficult to work with, so we decided to our own spin off." The camp had its own insurance, so it was able to cut ties with NORBA completely. NUMBA's logo is a pair of bike wheels, similar to NORBA's. I know what your thinking. Boy's camp…nude mountain biking…something isn't quite right here. But relax. Such activities only take place when campers aren't present. "We don't allow people to go off naked all the time. But when the kids are gone, anyone can do it," Thompson assures. During the rest of the season, Camp Carolina sponsors horseback riding, kayaking, rock climbing, and a whole host of other outdoor activities.

When NUMBA was first born, the ramp in question started out at a 45-degree angle, being a fairly simple affair for anyone who could ride a bike. In an effort to spice it up a bit, Thompson encouraged some more challenging ventures. People started going off the ramp on BMX bikes, wearing life jackets. "Now we have teams, families, and dogs going off the ramp naked."

However, all of this nudity didn't go over so well in the Bible belt. "Some people began to get the wrong idea. They stopped my parents in the street and asked ‘Does your son really race naked?'" This coincided with a few slow seasons and the subsequent loss of money, which prompted Thompson to stop hosting races for a while. Eager to keep the fun and free-spiritedness alive, he offered to allow the camp to host the 24 Hours of Pisgah race (and the post-race ramp romp) if someone would lease it out. This year, mountain bike enthusiast Ken Camp decided to pick up the torch. Previously the 24 hours of Pisgah was a XC race, but under Camp's supervision it will now be an endurance race. "Plenty of people told me that they wished there was a ride in this area, and the Pisgah Mountains offer a different sort of riding," he said. A few locals who have been involved in mountain biking but are beginning to get older plan to build a second ramp on the grounds with a little more of a technical edge. "These guys want to jump, but are getting too old to bounce. You can't really hurt yourself going into the lake," Thompson said. NUMBA will hopefully expand its membership with more people taking the clothing-free plunge this year.

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