Saturday was a good day for parade watchers in Santa Fe.

In the morning was the 61st Annual Rodeo de Santa Fe Parade to kick off this week's rodeo.

Then, a couple of hours later, there was a "parade" of another sort: The World Naked Bike Ride hit Santa Fe. A small group of bicyclists from Albuquerque and Santa Fe rode down Cerrillos Road from the state Transportation Department, circled the Plaza then made a stop by the state Capitol. The purpose of this event, which has taken place in other cities around the globe, is to protest dependency on oil and to raise awareness of bicycle safety issues.

First the Rodeo parade.

The parade itself was relatively short. Watching from near the judge's stand on Palace Avenue just west of the Plaza, the entire show was over in less than 15 minutes. "Uncle Jesse," a morning disc jockey from Outlaw Country 107.5 announced each entry as it passed.

Unlike some Santa Fe parades, this one was short on politicians. There was a float for U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján's re-election, but the congressman himself wasn't on it.

The winners of the parade were: Christie Garcia, riding Hi Ho Silver, for horsemanship; The Santa Fe Fiesta Council for the Grand Marshal's choice; The Horses for Heroes "Cowboy Up" organization — which provides horses as therapy for wounded combat veterans — in the children and young adult category; and the Rodeo Royalty in the "most original" category.

Chris Czmyrid, marketing director for the Santa Fe Rodeo Association, said there are about 500 contestants registered for this year's rodeo, which starts Wednesday night. "I'd say 50 of the top 70 cowboys are competing," he said. Santa Fe's "added money" — which basically is a jackpot of $59,000 added to the prize money offered by the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association — has helped attract top-ranked cowboys, Czmyrid said.

Times have been tough for rodeos, Czmyrid said. About 50 rodeos across the country went bankrupt last year, he said.

More than an hour after the last cowboys had cleared the Plaza, the naked bicyclists arrived. Onlookers cheered. Because an art fair was on the Plaza on Saturday, the cyclists were asked to walk their bikes around the Plaza itself.

Although organizers had hoped to attract 200 people for the ride, only about a dozen participated. And despite the name of the event, there was little actual nudity. "Bare as you dare," is the event's dress code. There were a few naked buttocks and one man wore a sock around his private parts.

One woman — who identified herself only as Christal — went bare-breasted. She had colorful flowers on her chest, while on her back was the message "Less Pump, More Rump." Her Speedo-clad husband, who identified himself only as Drostan, had a similar message on his back, except his began "Less Gas, ..."

Drostan said he had contacted the city attorney who informed him no permit would be needed. Organizers were told that the only illegal public nudity is when the genitals are exposed. He said he'd tried to give a map of the route to a police officer he saw before the ride. But the cop, he said, told him that wouldn't be necessary.

Why the nudity for the protest? Christal said it attracts attention, and thus attention to their issues, illustrating that the bodies of bicyclists are vulnerable to automobiles. If they wore clothes it would just seem like a bunch of people biking, Christal said.

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com. Read his political blog at roundhouseroundup.com.