The London Naked Bike Ride passing Parliament Square. Photo by Rod Currie

Hundreds of nude cyclists are set to descend on the capital tomorrow for the annual London World Naked Bike Ride.

While there will be a lot of flesh on display, the aim of the event is not titillation.

Instead, there is a serious message behind it – with the ride being a protest to raise awareness of issues such as cycle safety, reducing oil dependence and saving the planet.

It is about “putting a stop to the indecent exposure of people and the planet to cars and the pollution they create”, say organisers.

Naked rides take place in more than 50 cities, with London being the largest event.

The ride started in 2004 with 58 participants and has had more than 1,000 participants each year since 2007.

Tomorrow’s ride starts from Hyde Park at 3.30pm.