Tour De Fat

The Skinny:

This past weekend was an event so crazy and colorful that it seemed to be torn from the pages of Alice in Wonderland; but alas, this event was no mind trip through the inner corriders of the human psyche. No, this wonderful freakshow was the one and only Tour De Fat. Coming from the creative minds of the great people at New Belgium Brewery, the Tour De Fat is a fundraising tour that spans eleven cities and works to promote sustainable living and alternative transportation through one of man's most simple and elegant machines - the bicycle. Last year's tour de fat managed to raise over $25000 in charitable funds and this years tour de fat will surely mask last year's record. In fact, this years Tour de Fat will go down in the Guiness Book of World Records as the most amount of people in a single bike parade with over 4,000 crazy Fort Collins locals representin bicycle awareness the way only Fort Collins can.

That's What's Up:

Starting at 11 am, the tour begins with a bike parade out of old town to the oval in the center of campus. Here, everyone meets up for a while to check out all the cool costumes and ... well ...of course..... dance! One of my favorite parts of the parade was the dance party that broke out in the middle of the oval where American Gladiaters and Ninja Turtles alike gathered together in a frooition of joy as the Tour de Fat kicked off a great day of fun and fun-d raising. After the mid-oval gayla, the event moved on over to the fort collins brewery where admission was free and the entertainment was ample. Featured entertainment included the Asylum Street Spankers, the March Forth Marching Band, Circus Contraption and the highly acclaimed and soulful Everyone Loves a Working Man. In addition to the on stage performances, there was also a Bike Trade where a car was traded for a brand new custom bike and the car was in turn auctioned off for charity. Many of the proceeds for the Tour de Fat went to the Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Association, as well as the Diamond Peaks Bike Patrol and the Bike Fort Collins organization. Of course, no New Belgium event could be mentioned without a quick highlite of the mm.. mmm. tasty beer that was on hand and plentiful for any patrons who were over 21 at the festival; although, this was by no means the focus, more of an added bonus if you will.

Its too late now to check out this year's Tour De Fat, but with Fort Collins being the heart of New Belgium, it will certaintly be just as big and just as great next year. So start planning your costume now, start saving all those knick-knacks you never knew what to do with (perfect bike decorations) and get ready to support sustainable living, cause next year's Tour will be everybit as great and as crazy as this years, and as always Have Fun!