Jenny Foust, [email protected], photos HaveFunBiking.com
Tour de Fat, New Belgium Brewing’s traveling festival of bikes, beer and bemusement, raised approximately $40,000 in Minneapolis, Minn. last Saturday, July 26. This is an increase of about 66 percent from the year before, thanks to about 5,000 bicycle and beer enthusiasts who came to Loring Park for the event.
Although it is free to attend Tour de Fat, proceeds from beer and merchandise sales and donations from bike parade participants went to local nonprofits. The beneficiaries this year, which are all focused on making Minn. a better place to ride, are Midtown Greenway Coalition, Minnesota Off Road Cycling (MORC) and Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota (BikeMN).
“Thanks to the Tour de Fat, we raised more than $30,000 this year for the Midtown Greenway, which has been named the best urban bike trail in the nation,” said Soren Jensen, executive director of Midtown Greenway Coalition. “Funds raised at the Tour de Fat will help protect and enhance the Midtown Greenway, including support for our nightly Trail Watch safety patrol and our efforts to keep the trail clean and green. The Tour de Fat has become our single largest fundraising event, helping to fund our programs that make the Midtown Greenway even better.”
A highlight of every Tour de Fat stop is the car-for-bike swap where one person commits to commute by bike for the next year. Daniel Sarles is this year’s swapper from Minneapolis.
”Giving up my car is not so crazy. There are a combined 177 miles of on and off road bike-ways in Minneapolis,” said Sarles. “Why would I sit in traffic for 30 minutes, then come home and exercise for another 30 minutes, when I can ride a bike for 40 minutes? Tour de Fat is helping me become a more efficient person!”
About New Belgium Brewing Company
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 and one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Businesses. The 100% employee-owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists, and one of World Blu’s most democratic U.S. businesses, and a Certified B Corp. In addition to Fat Tire, New Belgium brews nine year-round beers; Ranger IPA, Rampant Imperial IPA, Shift Pale Lager, Snapshot Wheat, Sunshine Wheat, 1554 Black Lager, Blue Paddle Pilsener, Abbey Belgian Ale and Trippel. Learn more at www.newbelgium.com.
