tour de fat history

New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat Celebrates 20 Years of Beer, Bikes and Bemusement

(FORT COLLINS) New Belgium Brewing’s annual Tour de Fat is back for 2019, offering a day packed full of free festivities celebrating beer, bikes, and bemusement. This year’s tour kicks off on August 31 in Fort Collins, CO, heads to Asheville, NC, on Sept. 21, and wraps up in Tempe, AZ on October 5.

Each festival gets underway with a wildly popular costumed group bicycle ride roaming public streets in human-powered, two-wheeled euphoria. Immediately following each bike parade, revelers amass at a transformed outdoor space for an afternoon of unforgettable FREE entertainment from a touring ensemble of comedians, cirque performers, general mayhemists, top-notch live musicians and world-class New Belgium beer.

“Our love for bikes runs deep at New Belgium – we like to say our brewery was born on a bicycle seat – so every year we spread that love around the country by coming into towns and hosting the best way to spend a Saturday,” said Tour de Fat Brand Manager, John Yeast. “Big thanks in advance to everyone who will celebrate with us as we attempt to eclipse the $6 million mark of funds raised and donated to nonprofit organizations.”

This year marks the 20th season for Tour de Fat, which has raised nearly $6 million for local non-profits since it all began. The daylong festivities are free, but proceeds from beer and merchandise sales, along with parade donations, go to local non-profits. New in 2019 is a pedal-powered parade participant contest parade contest where winners will be selected based on the creativity, flair and uniqueness of their pedal-powered parade “vehicle” and rewarded with a prize pack that includes up to $500 worth of fixings to throw one heck of a party.

“A typical Tour de Fat parade draws thousands of costumed revelers together who share our mission to amaze and entertain,” Yeast explained. “To further stoke those creative fires, this year we’re offering a super sweet prize package to those people, businesses, civic groups, and the like who wow the crowd by rolling around in unmatched one-of-a-kind style.”

In typical New Belgium style, the brewery tries to leave as little of an environmental imprint as possible. Tour de Fat hosts green vendors, has compost and recycle stations and consciously works diligently to practice sustainable festivization.

“Bicycles basically run on fat and save you money, so they fit perfectly with our commitment to sustainability. Riding improves physical wellness and mental health, reduces CO2 emissions and provides a responsible form of transportation after a beer. Or two,” Yeast said.

Tour de Fat will cycle through the following cities in 2019:

About New Belgium Brewing

New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, is recognized as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work, one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Businesses and tops Bicycling Magazine’s Best Companies of Cyclists. The 100% employee-owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists, one of World Blu’s most democratic U.S. businesses, and a Certified B Corp. In addition to Fat Tire Amber Ale, New Belgium brews 14 year-round beers: Citradelic Tangerine IPA, Fat Tire Belgian White, The Hemperor HPA, Voodoo Ranger IPA, Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA, Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze IPA, Sour Saison, Honey Orange Tripel, Dayblazer Easygoing Ale, 1554 Enlightened Dark Ale, Bohemian Pilsner, Abbey Belgian Style Ale, Trippel and a gluten-reduced beer, Glutiny Pale Ale. To learn more, visit NewBelgium.com and follow the brewery on Facebook , Twitter or Instagram .

Tour de Fat

Category: Event Calendar

Date and Time for this Past Event

• Saturday, Aug 26, 2023    9:30am - 6:30pm

Bike Parade starts at City Park Festivities at New Belgium Brewing

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Tour de Fat invites you to gear up for the World's Greatest Costumed Bike Parade! The parade starts at 9:30 am at City Park and loops Mountain Avenue before rolling into New Belgium Brewing for music, entertainment, contests, and games starting at 11:00 am.

Full info and schedule at: https://www.newbelgium.com/events/tour-de-fat/

This event is produced by an outside organization and is unaffiliated with the Downtown Development Authority. The DDA website serves as a marketing outlet for events and promotions occurring inside the Downtown boundary. For questions regarding the event, please contact the event producer.

New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat Spins into 13 Cities this Season

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Tour de Fat is back in Fort Collins. See photos, videos and more from the 2022 event.

Fort Collins’ largest street party returned after a three-year absence Saturday with the return of the Tour de Fat, an annual bicycle parade and party started by the New Belgium Brewery to kick off the Labor Day weekend.

An estimated 20,000 people, mostly in costumes, participated in the morning bicycle parade along Mountain Avenue while bands played in the grass median and spectators cheered and danced. Some even had elaborate pot-luck meals set up on tables alongside the trolley tracks.

“I’ve lived in Fort Collins for 57 years, and it’s a fun event to come and watch,” said Pamela Goodman, who was watching the festivities with her husband and marveling at the creativity of some of the participants.

There was a tandem bicycle with nine riders, pedal-powered floats and bike and trailer combos designed as a street car, old Volkswagen microbus and a variety of other vehicles. There were more than three dozen pirates, at least two dozen bananas and Waldos from the “Where’s Waldo” books and far too many princesses, fairies and wizards to count

One couple went as Aladdin and Jasmine from the popular Disney movie, “Aladdin,” riding skateboards disguised as magic carpets.

The Tour de Fat, which began in Fort Collins but has since expanded to other cities across the country, was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing Matt Kaufman and Alan Kunish to wait an extra year to debut the old-school, all metal bicycle they had built with two giant wheels and a seat in between for the rider.

Kaufman rolled the wheels with his gloved hands, while Kunish followed on foot, with two guidelines to help steady and steer the contraption and rubber-soled shoes to use as brakes, as necessary. They built it during their free time at work at Forney Industries, using tools and equipment they had available in their warehouse.

“We built this last year, but the Tour de Fat got canceled, so we’ve been saving it outside till this year,” said Kaufman, 56, a lifelong Fort Collins resident. “We’ll see if it stays together.”

It did, and he and Kunish appeared no worse for the wear after completing the roughly 2 ½-mile loop.

“We build something special for this event each year and wanted to do something crazy, but this is the biggest one that we’ve built so far.”

The parade route followed Mountain Avenue, from Howes Street just west of College Avenue, to City Park and back, with westbound revelers on one side of the road and eastbound on the other, giving spectators along the median prime viewing spots. Several participants did multiple laps along the parade route, no doubt waiting for the start of the post-race party at New Belgium Brewery.

The street was closed to vehicle traffic during the parade as were all of the streets crossing Mountain Avenue along the route, with police, paramedics, firefighters and others manning the roadblocks.

Fort Collins police and officials working one of the roadblocks provided the estimate of 20,000 participants.

Others stopped to hang out and dance to the music of the four to five live bands along the route or the tunes a live deejay was spinning near the starting point.

“It’s so great to have this back again,” Goodman said.

See our coverage from Tour de Fat's return to Fort Collins at coloradoan.com. Follow the Coloradoan on Instagram @coloradoan for behind-the-scenes access to events like Tour de Fat, highlights from our reporting and more.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Tour de Fat Fort Collins: See photos, videos from 2022 event

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TOUR DE FAT

Tour de fat – august 26, 2023.

Celebrating 24 years this year, Tour de Fat  is an annual event hosted by Fort Collins-based, New Belgium Brewing Company . Tour de Fat features a day packed full of FREE festivities celebrating beer, bikes, and bemusement. Over its 20+ year history, Tour de Fat has raised nearly $6 million dollars for local bike nonprofits nationally and Bike Fort Collins is fortunate and grateful to have been a beneficiary for many of those years.

As always, we need TONS (hundreds!) of volunteers to put on this event, ranging from help with parade support, to beer sales, to information booths, to clean up. Sign-up for a shift below, and “Raise Your Hand” with us too, so we have you on the list for the future. All volunteers get a couple free beers, which are perfect to use following your shift(s) to enjoy the fun and bemusement. There’s also a volunteer appreciation event in the weeks that the event with more free beer and opportunities to win prizes. 

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Tour de Fat Chicago 2018

Hop on your bike and ride over to this Humboldt Park festival, which features live music and plenty of beer

No  summer music festival combines the joys of bikes, beer and bands quite like Tour de Fat. Organized by New Belgium Brewing, this year's edition of the annual festival takes place in Humboldt Park and will feature a headlining performance from L.A. alt-rock duo Best Coast. If you're in the mood for some outdoor drinking , you'll be able to enjoy some New Belgium beer while taking in the live entertainment and activities. Plan your Tour de Fat celebration with the help of our guide to the event.

When is Tour de Fat 2018?

Tour de Fat occurs on June 30, 2018 from noon to 6pm.

Where is Tour de Fat 2018?

The Tour de Fat festival takes place near the Humboldt Park Boathouse. 

How much is admission to Tour de Fat 2018?

Admission to the festival is $15. A portion of proceeds from admission and beer sales benefit West Town Bikes.

Tour de Fat 2018

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New Belgium Brewing's Tour de Fat

Categories: Arts & Entertainment • Food & Wine • Kid Friendly • Live Music

Date and Time for this Past Event

• Saturday, Oct 5, 2019    11am-6pm

Tempe Beach Park 80 W Rio Salado Pkwy

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Free Admission

New Belgium’s annual Tour de Fat is back for 2019, offering a day packed full of FREE festivities celebrating beer, bikes, and bemusement. Entering its 20th season, the Tour de Fat has raised nearly $6 million dollars for local bike non-profits since it all began. Join us for a three-city tour of bike parades, touring ensembles of comedians, cirque performers, general mayhemists, top-notch live musicians and, of course, world-class New Belgium beer.

It’s a celebration of great beer, good people, and humankind’s most wonderful invention – the bicycle! So, come celebrate self-propelled, two-wheel travel and dress up as your alter ego while raising money for your hometown cycling community — hit the links below to see the Tour de Fat line-up near you.

Get your costume ready. It’s time to shift gears and get weird.

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• Arts and Entertainment

PHOTOS: The best of Tour de Fat

Scenes from the Tour de Fat bike parade on Sept. 1, 2018, in Fort Collins, Colo. (Sara Graydon I Collegian)

A participant passes by dressed up as a space man while participating the Tour De Fat Parade. (Devin Cornelius | Collegian)

The lead singer of Phosphorescent while he is performing at Tour De Fat. (Devin Cornelius | Collegian)

The beginning of the New Belgium Tour de Fat bike parade started with a burst of confetti. (Sara Graydon I Collegian)

People wait in a line to try New Belgium’s Cirtadelic experience. (Devin Cornelius | Collegian)

Participants in the Tour de Fat ride their bikes through bubbles in the bike parade on Sept. 1, 2018, in Fort Collins, Colo. (Sara Graydon I Collegian)

Slow Caves lead singer Jakob Muller sings his verse while performing on stage at the 2018 Tour De Fat on Aug. 25, 2018. (Devin Cornelius | Collegian)

Nick Kaufhold, Sam Wright, and Jeremy Dover pose while dressed as LMFAO at the Tour De Fat Concert. (Devin Cornelius | Collegian)

A jester juggles while riding a unicycle at the Tour de fat bike parade on Sept. 1, 2018, in Fort Collins, Colo. (Sara Graydon I Collegian)

Chewbacca rides in the Tour de Fat bike parade on Sept. 1, 2018, in Fort Collins, Colo. (Sara Graydon I Collegian)

Tour de Fat participants ride through Old Town in the Tour de Fat bike parade on Sept. 1, 2018, in Fort Collins, Colo. (Sara Graydon I Collegian)

Smokey Bear and two forest ranges ride in the Tour de Fat bike parade on Sept. 1, 2018, in Fort Collins, Colo. (Sara Graydon I Collegian)

Gertie and ET ride through Old Town during the Tour de Fat bike parade on Sept. 1, 2018, in Fort Collins, Colo. (Sara Graydon I Collegian)

A pirate gives his best impression while heading down the Tour De Fat parade. (Devin Cornelius | Collegian)

A prarade attendee makes a silly face as she passes by on her bike while participating in the Tour De Fat Parade(Devin Cornelius | Collegian)

A member of the ArtsyFartsy collective speaks to the audience while performing (Devin Cornelius | Collegian)

A fairy princess rides her bicycle in the Tour de Fat bike parade on Sept. 1, 2018, in Fort Collins, Colo. (Sara Graydon I Collegian)

A cowboy does a flying superman on his bike during the Tour de Fat bike parade on Sept. 1, 2018, in Fort Collins, Colo. (Sara Graydon I Collegian)

A man watches Phosphoresent the headliner for Tour De Fat perform. (Devin Cornelius | Collegian)

Fort Collins residents participated in the annual city-wide party known as Tour de Fat. Beer and bikes are at the forefront, and over-the-top costumes are highly encouraged. Live music and activities are hosted at New Belgium Brewery, the head sponsor of the event. 

Information for Tour de Fat 2019 can be found at newbelgium.com 

Collegian photographers Sara Graydon and Devin Cornelius can be reached at [email protected]. 

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Tour de Fat

• Dates: August 24, 2024
• Location: New Belgium Brewing Company, Inc.
• 500 Linden Street
• Fort Collins, CO 80524
• Price: FREE

TOUR DE FAT 25TH ANNIVERSARY

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‘Alive’ Writer Piers Paul Read Pens Tour-de-Force History of Catholic Church

‘I felt I had a vocation,’ says the noted British author about his life’s work. ‘It was what God wanted me to do.’

LONDON — “I thought I would like her to know about the Church not just because I’m a Catholic but also because it is part of our culture,” says Piers Paul Pead , speaking to the Register .

The “her” he is referring to is his non-Catholic granddaughter, currently a student at Oxford University. She is, he says, “clever” but freely admits that she knows nothing about the Catholic faith. She was the catalyst — and first, intended audience — for Read’s latest book, A History of the Catholic Church ( Meid Books ) , begun during the 2020 lockdowns and published in September 2023.

Described by one reviewer as “a tour de force ,” Read’s History has 127 short chapters, from the Church’s roots in Jewish history to the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. The narrative describes how a small community of believers was to grow into one of the world’s most noteworthy institutions, with chapters on the challenges faced by the Church in her 2,000-year history from the emergence of Islam and the schism with the Orthodox, through to the Protestant Reformation and the French Revolution, with more recent threats from Bolshevism and Nazism, as well the rise of today’s secularism. Not so much a Church history, Read wanted to write of a Church through the lens of the secular history around her. There are also chapters on Catholic art, architecture, philosophy and literature as the author seeks to present not so much an academic treatise as a selection of episodes. Conscious of his granddaughter’s needs, his history is written for what he describes as “a general audience” as much as for Catholics.

Read is keen to stress that his work is not “a defense of the Church” per se nor a work of apologetics. Yet he notes, “One reviewer sensed that I loved the Church — and I do.” Furthermore, he points out that, “Even in sociological terms, the Church has been a great benefit to the world.” While not shying away from recent abuse scandals, he is clear about their source, stating they have been “a terrible blow of the devil.” Furthermore, he maintains that the media have used the statistically relatively few clerical offenders “to bludgeon the [whole] Church,” leaving him “feeling sorry for 96% of priests who are good, holy men.”

Piers Paul Read was born March 7, 1941, in Beaconsfield, England, the third son of the distinguished poet and art critic Sir Herbert Read and Margaret Ludwig, a musician. Read’s mother was a Catholic convert and he was sent to the Benedictine school at Ampleforth, Yorkshire. It was while a pupil there, that, he received the gift of faith. He remembers one occasion, while adoring the Blessed Sacrament at Benediction, that “looking at the Consecrated Host in the monstrance, I believed it was God.” Seventy years later, that boyhood experience still resonates with him. Now an octogenarian, his faith in the Blessed Sacrament remains as strong as ever: “That God became man is extraordinary but that he left us the Eucharist is awesome.”

A major influence in his faith journey was the witness of the Benedictine monks who taught him at Ampleforth. He describes their religious life as “seeping” into all aspects of the school and into the lives of those who attended it. Subsequently, Read’s faith never faltered: remaining a practicing Catholic throughout his life. That said, he admits at times to being “baffled by what’s going on” in the current Church. Doubtless informed by the historian’s long view of history, he is “suspicious of the word ‘reform’” as used in some contemporary debates.

Read left Ampleforth at the age of 16 and went to live in Paris where he attended the Cours de Civilisation Française at the Sorbonne. Then, between 1959 and 1962 he studied history at St. John’s College, Cambridge, England. After graduating, he worked for the Kindler Verlag in Munich, was a stipendiary of the Ford Foundation in Berlin, and worked on the staff of The Times Literary Supplement in London before spending a year on a Harkness Fellowship in the United States.

The year 1966 saw the publication of Read’s first novel, Game in Heaven with Tussy Marx . “Fiction is my first love,” he readily admits, enjoying the creative process whereby “characters take on a life of their own.” When asked if all fiction is ultimately autobiography, he agrees to some extent but points out that his characters are more “suggested by real people rather than modeled upon them.” Drawing the analogy with theater, he observes that actors “live through their roles,” while writers “live through their characters.” As to the notion of a “Catholic novel,” he is skeptical. “I don’t think there is such a thing,” he counters, preferring a different formulation: “I never set out to write a ‘Catholic novel.’ … If you are a novelist and a Catholic, your writing is Catholic.” His novels, he suggests, do show “the workings of grace” in ways that he trusts a non-Catholic may recognize. “In that sense,” he adds, “there is such a thing as a Catholic novel.”

As well as his fiction — 17 novels published to date — Read has written scripts for film and television. However, what brought him to the public attention still more was his 1974 international bestseller, Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors .  Read was chosen by the Uruguayan survivors of a 1972 air crash in the Andes to write an account of their ordeal. The book went on to become a publishing sensation. The New York Times described it as “thunderous entertainment” and as a work that “should be read by sociologists, educators, the Joint Chief[s] of Staff. By anyone, in fact, whose business it is to prepare men for adversity.” Over the next 50 years, the book would go on to sell 5 million copies worldwide, be awarded the Thomas More Medal for the most distinguished contribution to Catholic literature of 1974, and be turned into the eponymous 1993 motion picture .

Read’s seven other non-fiction titles have ranged from accounts of infamous criminals The Train Robbers (1978), to equally infamous failures in modern technology: Ablaze: The Story of Chernobyl (1993). He has also written books on several controversial historical topics: The Templars (1999) and The Dreyfus Affair (2012). At the request of the actor Alec Guinness’ widow Merula, Read wrote Alec Guinness: The Authorised Biography (2003), which one reviewer in The Spectator described as a “splendid biography ... an astonishingly moving portrait of a very complex man, his loving marriage, and his quest for spiritual solace.” However, as well as praise the book attracted criticism from some quarters on account of what it revealed about the actor’s private life. Yet, the fact was that Guinness and Read had been friends, a friendship that the latter says was centered on their shared Catholic faith. It was this faith, he goes on to suggest, that prompted the Guinness family to entrust him with the writing of what would be an authorized biography.

Currently, Read is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He has served on the governing bodies of the Society of Authors, the Institute of Contemporary Arts, the Catholic National Library and Aid to the Church in Need. Between 1975 and 1977 he was a member of the Literature Panel of the Arts Council; in 1980 was Adjunct Professor of Writing at Columbia University, New York.

In 1967, Read married Emily Boothby. Together they have four children and six grandchildren. During their married life, the couple have lived in the United States, France and North Yorkshire, before eventually settling in London in 1980, where they remain to this day.

As one of Catholicism’s foremost men of letters in the Anglophone world, what advice, if any, would he give to aspiring writers — does he think, for example, that creative writing courses nurture talent? He is not sure of the benefit of such courses, simply stating that writing, at least writing well, is “very difficult to teach.” Having been a judge on a number of literary prizes, he believes, however, that real talent is easily identified when it does exist. Perhaps not surprisingly, therefore, his advice to prospective authors is workmanlike: while nonfiction may be “easier” than fiction to write, it is beholden on the author working in whatever genre to do careful research and gather whatever material is needed before embarking on any project.

As with most successful authors, his writing advice seems to be as much about perspiration as it is inspiration. Yet, looking back over his career working in different genres, he feels his attempts “to show the workings of grace” do reflect a deeper calling running through his life and craft, which Piers Paul Read sums up simply and profoundly: “I felt I had a vocation. It was what God wanted me to do.”

• piers paul read
• church history
• catholic writers

K.V. Turley K.V. Turley is the Register’s U.K. correspondent. He writes from London.

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See the highlights from Tour De Fat 2023 in Fort Collins

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University of Delaware announces second annual 302 Tour

Article by UD Athletics April 10, 2024

Stops in Kent, New Castle and Sussex counties June 6-8, 2024

The University of Delaware has announced the second annual 302 Tour from June 6-8. During the tour, UD student-athletes, coaches and other leaders will embark on a three-day, state-wide trip across Delaware where they will have the opportunity to engage with local community members, businesses and government leaders throughout Kent, New Castle and Sussex counties. The tour will be spending a day in each county.

“The University shares a deep connection to the state's past, present and future, and the 302 Tour will help us celebrate and strengthen that bond," University President Dennis Assanis said. "During these three days in June, our student-athletes and coaches will enhance their Delaware experience and appreciation for our great state. We look forward to this engagement opportunity to amplify the value of UD’s commitment to academic excellence through a dynamic exchange with community members and businesses.”

While final stops and itineraries are still being finalized, the tour will focus on three pillars: student-athlete education, community engagement and business engagement. The tour will feature service projects, visits to landmarks and historic sites, and hosting community events.

“I am excited to host our second annual 302 Tour,” Director of Athletics, Community and Campus Recreation Chrissi Rawak said. “Last year was a terrific experience for our student-athletes, staff and coaches to engage in the community and experience all the wonderful things that the 302 has to offer! This year will be another great opportunity, and I am incredibly thankful for our partners who are making this experience possible for our student-athletes and our community.”

Providing the opportunity for Delaware student-athletes to learn about the great state they proudly represent through educational and engaging tour stops is an important part of their experience of being a University of Delaware student-athlete. 

As part of the institution’s statewide strategy, UD has been focused on engaging with local businesses. The tour provides the chance to learn more about and build mutually beneficial partnership opportunities with businesses across the state. Blue Hens will be able to interact with community members, engage in service projects, and embrace the uniqueness of the State of Delaware. 

While in New Castle County, the group will visit the Community Education Building in Wilmington in partnership with Saul Ewing . Student-athletes and coaches will also participate in a service project at Humane Animal Partners with WSFS Bank and its “We Stand for Service Day.” The group will visit Winterthur Museum to tour and learn about University of Delaware’s work with the museum.

On the evening of June 6, the Blue Hens will host a community event inviting fans to join student-athletes for a pool party at the UD Outdoor Pool, open skate at the Fred Rust Ice Arena, and field day activities on the UD practice fields. Registration for this event will open soon.

In Dover, the group will visit the Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover Air Force Base to explore exhibits and learn about the history of the base in Delaware. The group will then head to Fifer’s Orchard for an afternoon of fruit picking and agriculture education in partnership with Visit Delaware .

When the Hens are in Sussex County, they will host the 3rd Annual Chicken Chase 5k and 1 Mile Walk, presented by The Starboard , in Dewey Beach on June 8. Those interested in running or walking in the event, which includes a post-race party at The Starboard, can register here .

Later in the day, the University will host a Beach Bash with games and giveaways, which will be open to the public, and then the 302 Tour Reception at the Big Chill Beach Club, in partnership with La Vida Hospitality, where attendees will have the opportunity to interact with student-athletes and coaches directly over food and drinks. Registration for that event will open soon.

The tour is made possible by the generous support of its sponsors, The Starboard, Visit Delaware, Bank of America , WSFS Bank and Saul Ewing.

If you are interested in being involved in the tour as a sponsor or potential tour stop, please contact Kia Anderson at [email protected]. Follow BlueHens.com/302Tour to keep track as stops and details are announced and register to join the Blue Hens at events along the way!  

Visit the 2023 302 Tour Blog to relive last year’s event .

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