Cycling Circus Tour De Fat Rolls Into Tempe: New Belgium Brewing Hits the Road with its Annual Ballyhoo of Bikes and Beer

Fort Collins, Colorado (PRWEB) September 6, 2006

Grab your cruiser bike and slip into your alter-ego because New Belgiums philanthropic cycling circus Tour de Fat has hit the road for its seventh season. The roadshow series makes its stop in Tempe on Saturday, October 21, 2006. After an extremely successful event last year, Tour De Fat chose Tempe once again as the finale of an eleven-city adventure.

Tour de Fat brings together bike enthusiasts and bon vivants of every stripe in an all-out ballyhoo of bikes and beer. Costumes and decorated bikes are the rule as the participants come for a casual ride, good music and entertainment, then stay for the beer.

Amid the hoopla, Tour de Fat also raises money for local charities. The Tempe event is a FUNdraiser for the Mountain Biking Association of Arizona and the Tempe Bicycle Action Group. Last year, the majority of the funds raised went to the MBAAs trail construction and maintenance program.

Another $ 500 went to TBAG, an organization dedicated to making bicycling safer and more prominent in Tempe and surrounding areas. The funds allowed the organization to encourage safe riding through the bike lights program and other awareness campaigns.

The primary use of the funds has been in trail work. MBAA got a majority of the money, and we put almost all of it into development of the Black Canyon Trail System, said Scott Nowicki, Chairman of the MBAA Board and Lead Organizer for TBAG. This is the best opportunity we've had for years. We're putting beer money into making a great trail system that will allow people to enjoy some backcountry parts of Arizona that are almost impossible to access. We truly appreciate all that New Belgium has been doing.

Tour de Fats goal is to recycle and divert as much waste as possible at the event. Even the bands play from a solar-powered stage and the entire crew travels on B100 biodiesel fuel. Last year, participants helped keep 60% of the total trash out of the local landfills by composting the used beer cups and paper plates and recycling plastic water bottles and soda bottles.

Tour de Fat is a hair-raising, high-flying, death-defying show of incredible bike silliness and skill, said Chris Winn, Event Evangelist. You come out to the park, hang out with your friends, ride bikes and drink a little beer. At the end of the day, youve done your community some good just by having fun.

What: Tour de Fat

When: Saturday, October 21

Where: Tempe Town Lake

Time: 11:00 a.m. Cruiser Bike Parade; 12:00 - 6:00 p.m. Bands and Beer

Bring: Your bike, the wildest costume you can put together, a smile and your happiest attitude ever!

Bands:

Cycling Circus 'Tour De Fat' Rolls into Its Hometown of Fort Collins: New Belgium Brewing Hits the Road with its Annual Ballyhoo of Bikes and Beer

Fort Collins, CO (PRWEB) September 19, 2006

Grab your cruiser bike and slip into your alter-ego -- New Belgiums philanthropic cycling circus, Tour de Fat, has hit the road for its seventh season! So get ready -- the roadshow series swings by home base of Fort Collins on Saturday, September 23, 2006. The Tour also hits an additional ten cities across the West while the entire crew travels on B100 biodiesel fuel.

The Tour de Fat brings together bike enthusiasts and bon vivants of every stripe in an all-out ballyhoo of bikes and beer. Costumes and decorated bikes are the rule as the participants come for a bike parade, good music and entertainment, then stay for the beer.

Amid the hoopla, Tour de Fat also raises money for local charities. It's free to come and play, but if you buy beer, all proceeds will go to Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol. Participants in the bike parade are encouraged to donate $ 5 to Bike Fort Collins.

Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol (DPMBP) is an all-volunteer non-profit organization whose goal is to promote responsible mountain biking and IMBA's (International Mountain Bicycling Association) Rules of the Trail. Last years profits were instrumental in funding training for new patrollers, educational outreach to the community, trail work, and preparation for National Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, taking place on October 7 in Lory State Park (http://www.imba.com/resources/kids/). Bike Fort Collins is a local organization whose mission is to foster a bicycle-friendly culture and transportation system in Fort Collins through education and encouragement.

We wouldnt be able to exist and do all of the wonderful things we are doing without the support of New Belgium and the Tour de Fat, said Barb Allan, Director of Diamond Peaks Mountain Bike Patrol. We are truly lucky to work with them and look forward to another successful, eventful year.

Last year, the Fort Collins Tour de Fat attracted more than 1,200 Fat Tire Fanatics in the bike ride alone, the biggest parade in Tour de Fats history. The Tour FUNdraised $ 16,000 for Diamond Peaks Bike Patrol. In addition, Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living helped the Tour divert more than 75% of the total trash from the landfills.

Tour de Fat is a hair-raising, high-flying, death-defying show of incredible bike silliness and skill, said Chris Winn, Event Evangelist. You come out to the park, hang out with your friends, ride bikes and drink a little beer. At the end of the day, youve done your community some good just by having fun.

What: Tour de Fat

When: Saturday, September 23

Where: The Mothership also known as New Belgium Brewing

Time: 11:00 a.m. Cruiser Bike Parade; 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. Bands and Beer

Bring: Your bike, the wildest costume you can put together, a smile and your happiest attitude ever!

Bands:

Cycling Circus Tour De Fat Rolls Into Flagstaff: New Belgium Brewing Hits the Road With its Annual Ballyhoo of Bikes and Beer

Fort Collins, Colorado (PRWEB) September 21, 2006 -

Grab your cruiser bike and slip into your alter-ego - New Belgiums philanthropic cycling circus, Tour de Fat, has hit the road for its seventh season. The roadshow series makes its stop in Flagstaff on Saturday, September 30, 2006. The Tour hits an additional ten cities across the West while the entire crew travels on B100 biodiesel fuel.

The Tour de Fat brings together bike enthusiasts and bon vivants of every stripe in an all-out ballyhoo of bikes and beer. Costumes and decorated bikes are the rule as the participants come for a bike parade, good music and entertainment, then stay for the beer.

Amid the hoopla, Tour de Fat also raises money for local charities. It's free to come and play, but if you buy a shirt or beer, all proceeds will go to Flagstaff Biking and Northern Arizona Pride Association. Flagstaff Biking is a group of cyclists who came together to advocate for bicycling as a means of transportation and recreation in the Flagstaff area. The organization now has over 2,700 registered supporters who are pushing Flagstaff to become the most bike-friendly city in America. Northern Arizona Pride Association (NAPA) is the regions premiere gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender organization.

Over 35% of our income is based on Tour de Fat and it has enabled us to do so much for our community, said Melissa Grimes of Flagstaff Biking. We have used the proceeds for a variety of things, such as promoting biking to work, planning bike trips for at-risk youth and trail-building. We are so pleased to be involved in a fun event that delivers such success stories.

Last year, more than 500 Fat Tire Fanatics rode their decorated bikes through downtown Flagstaff and FUNdraised $ 23,000 for Flagstaff Biking and NAPA. In addition, the Tour diverted more than 60% of the total trash from the landfills.

Tour de Fat is a hair-raising, high-flying, death-defying show of incredible bike silliness and skill, said Chris Winn, Event Evangelist. You come out to the park, hang out with your friends, ride bikes and drink a little beer. At the end of the day, youve done your community some good just by having fun.

What: Tour de Fat

When: Saturday, September 30

Where: Wheeler Park

Time: 11:00 a.m. Cruiser Bike Parade; 12 to 6 p.m. Bands and Beer

Bring: Your bike, the wildest costume you can put together, a smile and your happiest attitude ever.

Bands: