Mystery naked cyclist identity revealed as retired professor
A mystery nude cyclist who has stunned villagers by regularly going for rides in his birthday suit has been revealed as a retired college professor.
Residents in Belmont often spotted the naked cyclist pedalling along the lanes and roads near their homes in the summer but were clueless as to his identity.
Last week he was photographed by Henry Lisowski who posted the images on social media which prompted him to finally go public.
Dr Grahame Cooper, 68, revealed he had been a proud naturist for 13 years.
The former IT professor said he has 'never been more comfortable' in the saddle than when he's 'unencumbered' by clothing – weather permitting.
The granddad-of-four said: 'You get many, many friendly reactions.
'You get some negative reactions, some people shouting 'pervert' or 'nonce', things like that, which are stupid – they don't know what the words mean, I don't think.
'The vast majority are people who cheer or clap, that happens a lot.
'To be honest, I would rather we got to a situation where people didn't bat an eyelid, so no reactions either positive or negative, but obviously we've got a long way to go before that happens.
'But certainly the majority of reactions are extremely positive, and that's from males, females, of all ages. It's reassuring to see that.'
The naked cyclist out in Bolton (Image: Henry Lisowski / SWNS)
Grahame's nude rides have also drawn the attention of local police, but he's not been arrested as he hasn't committed any crime.
He now carries around a printed version of the College of Policing's public nudity advice for police officers after an incident where he was stopped by two officers.
The guidance, which includes a flowchart for officers to follow, says those simply sunbathing, cycling, swimming, gardening, or carrying out home maintenance while naked in public are undertaking a lawful activity.
Grahame said: 'Two officers in a van stopped me and then I explained to them that I wasn't doing anything unlawful as it's perfectly legal to be naked in public in this country unless there's intention to cause alarm and distress.
'They then spent some time doing research, one of them searching for documents on his phone and the other one calling back to base.
'Looking very surprised they said 'Oh, well it seems you aren't doing anything wrong, so you can go on your way'.
'I was expecting them to apologise for stopping me unnecessarily, but they didn't do that – but it was alright.'
The naked rider first started getting into naturism after he visited Finland for jobs" target="_blank">work and realised their sauna culture was 'far more liberated' then he was.
In 2011, Grahame started to spend more time naked at home, and a year later he joined the Manchester version of the annual World Naked Bike Ride.
The retired University of Salford IT professor points to research which shows naturism can have positive benefits, such as increased levels of happiness, as well as improved self-esteem and body image.
He said: 'It's just a feeling of freedom, losing that encumbrance of clothes and just being yourself.
'We build a persona in society and clothes are all a part of that. Shedding all of that and just being who you are in the moment is a big part of it.'
In 2012, Grahame decided he would practice naturism 'whenever possible'.
He said: 'It generally depends on the weather. You can walk in relatively cool weather, but cycling it's not as if you can get out of the wind, you're making your own wind.
'It has to be pretty warm before it can be comfortable.'
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