New Belgiums Tour de Flat
If you haven’t experienced Tour de Fat, you
just haven’t had enough fun on two wheels. In its 12th season, New Belgium
Brewing’s traveling celebration of all things bicycle will make its mark on
13 cities this year, singing the praises of the bike life while raising
funds for local non-profits. Tour de Fat is more than an event; it’s a rite
of passage that includes a costumed bicycle parade, New Belgium beer,
eye-popping entertainment, local food, bizarre bike contests and much more.
A highlight of Tour de Fat is the annual car-for-bike swap. At each Tour de
Fat stop, one person will hand over his or her car keys and commit to one
year of living car-free. Tour de Fat is now seeking volunteers to accept the
swapper challenge. Each car-for-bike swapper will receive a hand-built Black
Sheep (http://www.blacksheepbikes.com/)
commuter bike in return for their car.
Volunteers are
chosen after submitting an application describing their desire to live
sans-car. To submit, go to the New Belgium Tour de Fat Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TourDeFat),
click on events and your city of choice, and upload your application in one
of three formats: video (two minutes or less, please), photo or the written
word.
“The car-for-bike swap epitomizes Tour de Fat, wherein one brave soul makes
the commitment to live car-free while inspiring others to think about
driving alternatives,” said Bryan Simpson, spokesman for New Belgium. “We’re
building a network of folks who originally said they’d leave their car
behind for a year, but are still living car-free today.”
Tour de Fat kicks off in Durham, NC on June 25 and wraps up in Austin, TX on
October 22.
A few tidbits about Tour de Fat:
Tour de Fat encourages everybody to team up and present each city with the
most colorful, respectful and creative bike parade ever witnessed. (Hint: No
one stands out like the guy who was too cool for a costume!)
Tour de Fat seeks to leave as small an environmental imprint as
possible and composts and recycles waste. The waste diversion rate
for 2010 was 91 percent.
Tour de Fat is free to attend, but beer and merchandise proceeds go
to local cycling non-profits. During its lifespan, Tour de Fat
events have raised more than $1.75 million for philanthropy. Last
year Tour de Fat raised $331,428.
All musical acts perform on a solar-powered stage decorated with
recycled materials; trucks and transport use biofuel sourced from
recycled waste oils; and all vendors operate off the grid.
This is a pro-bike celebration, not an anti-car rally…non-cyclists
are more than welcome to join the festivities.
See http://www.facebook.com/TourDeFat for the Tour de Fat credo,
schedules, videos and to submit your entry to swap your gas guzzler
for a shiny new bicycle.
Tour de Fat 2011 will cycle through each of the following cities:
June 25 – Durham, NC, Diamond View Park
July 9 – Nashville, TN, Centennial Park
July 16 – Chicago, IL, Palmer Square
July 23 – Minneapolis, MN, Loring Park
July 30 – Milwaukee, WI, Humboldt Park
August 20 – Boise, ID, Ann Morrison Park
September 3 – Ft. Collins, CO, Civic Center Park
September 10 – Denver, CO, City Park
September 24 – San Francisco, CA, Golden Gate Park
October 1 – San Diego, CA, Balboa Park
October 8 – Los Angeles, CA, L.A. Historic Park
October 15 – Tempe, AZ, Tempe Town Lake
October 22 – Austin, TX, Fiesta Garden
For more information on Tour de Fat visit http://www.tour-de-fat.com and for
more details on New Belgium Brewing go to
http://www.newbelgium.com/.
New Belgium Brewing Company
New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of
Belgian-inspired beers, began operations in a tiny Fort Collins basement in
1991. Today, the third largest craft brewer in the U.S., New Belgium
produces seven year-round beers; Fat Tire Amber Ale, Sunshine Wheat, Blue
Paddle Pilsner, 1554 Black Ale, Abbey, Mothership Wit and Trippel, as well
as a host of seasonal releases. In addition to producing world-class beers,
New Belgium takes pride in being a responsible corporate role model with
progressive programs such as employee ownership, open book management and a
commitment to environmental stewardship. For more information, visit
www.newbelgium.com.
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