CYCLISTS at the annual Naked Bike Ride can warm down at the end of their eight-mile journey in a sauna on the seafront this year.

Pop-up sauna companies Warmth Brighton and Sauna Bay are teaming up to bring their spas to the naturist beach in Madeira Drive, Brighton, to give riders a special treatment.

The saunas will be fired up and ready for exhausted cyclists as they arrive around 4pm, and will continue operating until 8pm.

Liz Watson from Warmth Brighton said: “We’re excited to bring our converted horse box to the naturist beach, giving people the full Finnish, clothes-optional sauna experience.

“As the spas are part of the bike ride, we technically count as a ‘protest sauna’.

“That’s got to be a world first, right?”

Brighton is part of a global World Naked Bike Ride movement, which aims to demonstrate the vulnerability of cyclists on the road.

It also campaigns for better cycling infrastructure, celebrating bikes and bodies, and protesting against oil and car dependency.

Nick Sayers, who has organised the ride since 2006, said: “Brighton is the perfect place for this event.

“We have a lot of environmentally-aware, proactive people, including a large number of students.

“The ride traditionally finishes with a sea swim, and it’s great to be able to offer our riders a sauna too.”

The bike ride will take place on Sunday at noon starting at The Level in Union Road.

Up to 1,000 riders have taken part in previous peak years in 2010 and 2014.

The first ride took place in 2006.

A sauna session will cost £10 for 30 minutes.