WABA Quick Release

Posts Tagged ‘Tour de Fat’

What’s Tour de Fat?
Tour de Fat is an all-day festival at Yards Park on Sat., June 1 for those who enjoy bicycles and beer (the event is sponsored by New Belgium Brewing). It’s silly, whimsical, and packed with activities, but also a great opportunity to celebrate the region’s growth in, commitment to, and love for bicycling.

The day kicks off with a bicycle parade at 11 a.m. (registration and check-in begins at 10 a.m.). Costumes are highly encouraged. The beer starts flowing aoon. There will be music and entertainment, merchandise sales, a bicycle pit, and local shops and nonprofits staffing interactive tables and booths  from noon to 5 p.m.

Why you should go:
It’s hard to properly explain what Tour de Fat is (though you can see an overview of last year’s here). It’s an experience. It’s a daytime party that’s also family friendly. It’s a way to give back to area bike-advocacy groups. It’s a chance for you and hundreds of others to ride your bikes dressed in crazy, wacky costumes. It’s a reason to drink a beer at noon on a Saturday. And there’s plenty of great entertainment.

It’s also free. We do ask for a $5 donation to participate in the preceding bicycle parade, but there’s no admission fee to Tour de Fat itself. Beer and merchandise sales, as well as parade donations, go directly to improving bicycling in the D.C. area.

Who should come to Tour de Fat?
People who ride bikes—often, occasionally, and rarely. It’s a bicycle celebration, but you don’t have to ride your bike there. You don’t even have to have ridden your bike in the last ten years. We want anyone who’s tangentially interested in bikes to come out for the parade and festivities.

People who drink beer—or not . Just because New Belgium is sponsoring Tour de Fat doesn’t mean you have to drink to be there. There are plenty of other ways to enjoy yourself and many other food and drink option at the festival and around Yards Park.

Families and children. Tour de Fat is a family-friendly event. There will even be a side tent running puppet shows for the event’s youngest guests.

Music and art lovers. There will be bands, spoken word, storytelling, and other performances around the Yards Park grounds all day long. Prepare to be amazed! You may even win the Thousand Person Dance Contest and receive a New Belgium cruiser bike for your efforts.

What does Tour de Fat support?
Proceeds from the event go directly back to five local bicycle organizations: WABA, Black Women Bike DC, Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling, the Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts, and Phoenix Bikes.

WABA (that’s us!) works in the greater D.C. area to get more people on bikes, make bicycling safe, and expand and enhance bike infrastructure. We want to make getting to places by bike easier and a more viable transportation option.

Black Women Bike DC is a rad group of ladies who build community and interest in riding bikes among black women through education programs, advocacy, and bike rides.

Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling works to make bicycling an integral part of the transportation network in Fairfax County, Va. They sponsor social rides throughout Fairfax and work on numerous advocacy issues to make bicycling there more accessible.

Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts represents the area’s mountain bikers and works to maintain regional trails. MORE organizes hundreds of rides and events per year.

Phoenix Bikes is local bicycle co-op that supports youth in the D.C. metro area, providing a safe, nurturing, and educational environment that reinforces teamwork, hard work, and entrepreneurship through bike maintenance and education programs.

 

We’ll see you June 1st at Tour de Fat!

Tour de Fat is back! The East Coast’s biggest and most fanciful of all things bicycling, Tour de Fat is part costume party, community bike parade, music and arts festival, and celebration of good biking and good beer! All proceeds from the event, which is put on by New Belgium Brewing, support local bike advocacy. This year, all revenue generated will benefit WABA, Black Women Bike DC, Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling, the Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts, and Phoenix Bikes.

Tour de Fat begins with a parade (parade check-in is at 10 a.m. and it kicks off at 11 a.m.) to Yards Park, where fun awaits.

Read more about Tour de Fat here, register for the parade here, and RSVP on Facebook here.

 

Congratulations, DC-area bicyclists, friends and merrymakers – you helped contribute to the most successful Inaugural Tour de Fat in New Belgium Brewing history!

DC’s record-breaking stats
ATTENDANCE: 2,500 bicycle and beer enthusiasts; 331 participated in the bike parade

MONEY RAISED: $20,910

PROCEEDS GOING TO: Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE), Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB), and Black Women Bike DC (BWBDC)

WABA extends a warm and emphatic Thank You to New Belgium Brewing Company, and all the New Belgium staff for bringing their grand festival through our city and supporting WABA and local bike advocacy groups across the country.

We’d also like to thank our event partners: The Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE), Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB) and Black Women Bike DC (BWBDC), as well as WABA staff and volunteers who helped run the show.

And of course the day would not have been a success without all of you folks who came costumed (or otherwise) to enjoy a day full of raucous and wholesome fun. We’ll see you and everyone you know next year!

Visit www.facebook.com/TourDeFat to learn more about Tour de Fat and www.newbelgium.com for more information on New Belgium Brewing

Now hurry and check out the event photos:

M.V. Jantsen Slideshow

WABA Slideshow

Have photos of your own? Share the love on the WABA Flickr Pool!

And thanks to Shenendoah Bicycle and BicycleSPACE we have fabulous footage: 

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 nine year-round beers; Fat Tire Amber Ale, Sunshine Wheat, Ranger IPA, Belgo IPA, Shift Pale Lager, Blue Paddle Pilsner, 1554 Black Ale, Abbey 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.

NEXT SATURDAY, June 16th, The New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Tire Ale, and WABA are hosting the biggest, most fanciful, bicycle celebration of all time. And for the first time ever it’s coming to DC!

We’re going to celebrate bikes, make some new friends, and sip on a couple of cold, Rocky Mountain barley pops–all in the name of local bike advocacy!

The Tour de Fat benefits WABA, MORE (Mid-Atlantic Offroad Enthusiasts), Black Women Bike DC, and FABB (Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling).

Before the big day we want to make sure you know all the event details so that you and your friends come prepared, because a) you can’t miss this, and b) you must come prepared.

 

Vital Details

WHEN: Saturday, June 16th, 9am – 4pm
WHERE: The Yards Park
COST: FREE with $5 suggested donation
REGISTRATION: on-site

SCHEDULE:
9:00am – Parade Registration
9:00am – Free Bike Valet
10:00am – Bike Parade
11:00am –  Main Stage
12:00pm – Slide Show
12:00pm – Slow Ride
1:30pm –  Bike Trade
3:30pm – De Finale!

How to Get to the Tour de Fat

WITH OLD FRIENDS: By bicycle, of course! The Yards park is located at 10 Water St. SE, Washington, DC near the National’s Stadium. . For those traveling from far and away, it is advised that you find parking far from Yards Park. Parking in the area will be extremely limited due to the Yankees/National’s baseball game.
WITH  NEW FRIENDS:  A number of local shops and organizations are leading convoy rides down to the park. We will update this list as convoy information becomes available.
- Alexandria BPAC: One-way group ride departing at 8:30am at St. Elmo’s (2300 Mt Vernon Ave, 22301) RSVP to Bruce Dwyer, oiubike@gmail.com

What to wear

For those who’ve never participated, this is indeed a COSTUME AFFAIR. Costumes are enthusiastically encouraged!!  For some inspiration, check out this montage of photos from Tour de Fat’s of yore.

What to expect

The time of your life
PARADE:  We will show off our rides and our bike pride by taking a short and slow cruise along the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail

FREE BIKE VALET:No need to bring your heavy U-lock, the folks at MORE are providing safe and secure bike parking all day long.

MUSIC: Featuring Mucca Pazza, Ian Cooke, and Yo-Yo People

GAMES: We don’t want to giveaway all the surprises, but we heard for one of the games, New Belgium’s creative genius’ constructed life-size Jenga. Yes, life-size.

BIKE PIT: Imagine if instead of creating candy, Willy Wonka created bicycles.

PERFORMANCES: Le Tigre’s whimsical ways will woo us all day long.

How to prepare

Start mixing up your papier-mâché pulp, pull out that tutu from your college years, give your bike a quick tune-up, and invite your friends to the biggest bike festival DC has ever seen.