Another Great Event !
$50,000 raised for Idaho non-profits
Parade route courtesy of
Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance (TVCA)
New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat Pedals into Boise for the Annual Bike Antics, Sustainable Goodness and Philanthropic Fun
To Honor the Bicycle, New Belgium is Looking for Car-for-Bike Swappers:
Are you Willing?
Sample Schedule (subject to change)
Tour de Fat, New Belgium Brewing’s traveling celebration of all things bicycle, rolls through 11 cities this season, cruising into Boise at Ann Morrison Park. This year, the traveling circus is celebrating a decade of honoring mankind’s greatest invention - the bike. Opening the show with a costumed parade, Tour de Fat celebrates the power of the bicycle by encouraging everyone to embrace their inner-cyclist and ride the streets as a rolling carnival of creativity.
Born in Ft. Collins, Colorado to increase awareness and participation in cycling as a sustainable form of transportation, Tour de Fat has grown into a national rite of passage for cycling advocates and bon vivants alike. Visit http://www.newbelgium.com/tour-de-fat to view schedules, videos and much more.
The celebration features the inspirational car-for-bike swapper series (http://www.newbelgium.com/videos#107), in which one brave soul from each city hands over car keys as a commitment to commute by bike. As part of the program, the volunteer will sign over his or her car title and receive a hand-built Black Sheep (http://www.blacksheepbikes.com/) commuter bike in exchange. The volunteer is chosen after submitting a video or essay describing their desire to live car-free for a year. For more information, log on to http://www.newbelgium.com/tour-de-fat. We are still seeking a car-for-bike swapper in Boise!
“The car-for-bike program is what gives Tour de Fat its deeper meaning as people make a life-changing commitment,” said New Belgium Spokes Person Bryan Simpson. “Anyone is welcome to be a swapper - whether you’re an avid cyclist or just starting to rekindle your love for the bike. We can’t wait to meet more good people willing to forgo four wheels for two.”
Tour de Fat is free to participants, but beer and merchandise proceeds from the Boise stop will go to SWIMBA (Southwest Idaho Mountain Bike Association) and the TVCA (Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance). Boise Bicycle Project will be on hand collecting bike parts. Sustainable support is being offered by Air & Waste Management Association Student Chapter. The philanthropic cycling circus helped 24 non-profit organizations in 2008 and raised more than $250,000, pushing Tour de Fat’s grand total for charitable giving to more than $1 million.
“Tour de Fat is definitely the ‘must not miss’ event for Boise cyclists every year!” said Walt Sledzieski, President of Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance. “Besides being a heck of a lot of fun, it provides the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance with critical funding to support our mission ‘Stronger communities and a healthy environment through safe cycling.’ We’re thrilled to be associated with New Belgium and the Tour de Fat festival.”
“Bikes, beer, entertainment, and funds to build trails for everyone to use…We welcome the Tour de Fat back to Boise for the eighth amazing year!” exclaimed Margie Rosenberg, SWIMBA President and Tour de Fat committee member.
What: Tour de Fat
When: Saturday, August 15, 2015
Where: Ann Morrison Park
Tentative Schedule:
10am: Parade Registration
11am: Danger Zone Parade Launch
12pm: Scot Nery Show
12:30pm: Honeymoon Caberet
1:15pm: Slow Ride
1:30pm: Fierce Bad Rabbit
2:15pm: Stunt Pepper Dance Contest
2:40pm: Yo-Yo People
3:30pm: Car for Bike Trade
4:00pm: Devotchka!
Why Tour de Fat is the Must-Attend Event of the Season:
Tour de Fat seeks to leave as small an environmental imprint as possible and composts and recycles waste from each tour stop. The waste diversion rate for 2008 was 92%.
All musical acts will perform on a solar-powered stage with decorations made from recycled materials, trucks and transport use biofuel sourced from recycled waste oils, and all vendors operate off the grid.
At the Team Wonderlounge, participants can join Team Wonderbike, New Belgium’s bicycling commuter advocacy program. Team Wonderbikers pledge to commute by bike, not car, as often as possible. Currently, 16,000 people have pledged not to drive 15 million miles in the next twelve months.
· This is a pro-bike celebration, not an anti-car rally…non-cyclists are more than welcome to join the festivities.
“Now is a great time to start sewing, pasting and thrift-store shopping for your Tour de Fat attire. All costumes will be celebrated and some will even be rewarded,” continued Simpson. “This is a big year for us as Tour de Fat celebrates a decade’s worth of passionate bike advocacy. It’s going to be a ballyhoo and a half.”
“We are so proud to have Boise on the Tour de Fat. We’re super excited about it this year since the party will be literally 100 yards from our shop’s back door!” added Jimmy Hallyburton, Executive Director of Operations at the Boise Bicycle Project. “It's by far the biggest party on spokes, and a staple event for Boise’s cycling community.”
For more information and to see videos of previous Tour de Fat stops, please visit http://www.newbelgium.com/tour-de-fat .
About 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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