Press Release from New Belgium


New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat Raised
$35,000 for Local Bicycling Nonprofits


World-Class Entertainment and Bicycle Love Brought out Thousands of People;
Event Grew by 80% Since Last Year  

 
Ft. Collins, CO, June 6, 2013 – Tour de Fat, New Belgium Brewing’s traveling festival of bikes, beer and bemusement, raised approximately $35,000 for Washington, D.C. bicycling nonprofits last Saturday, June 1. About 4,500 bicycle and beer enthusiasts came to Yards Park for the event and 500 people participated in the bike parade.


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 the D.C. are a better place to ride, are Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), Black Women Bike DCFairfax Advocates for Better BicyclingMid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE) and Phoenix Bikes.

“Tour de Fat and New Belgium support WABA's work in so many ways, from funding our advocacy to growing our membership to exposing new audiences to the fun and joy of bicycling,” said Shane Farthing, executive director of WABA. “The proceeds from this year's event will allow us to continue to fund our core advocacy work to push for better bicycling conditions in the Washington area. It will also allow us to extend our outreach efforts, including our East of the Anacostia Bikes and Women & Bicycles programs and build our Spanish language outreach capacity.”

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. Kevin Hays is this year’s swapper from Washington, D.C.

“I was interested in trading in my car for bike because owning a car in D.C. is not the most practical investment. The cost of registration, parking, insurance, gasoline and parking tickets really add up,” said Kevin. “Between a bicycle and public transportation, you can get anywhere you need to and often much quicker than in a car. Plus, riding a bike through the city is a lot more fun than trying to drive.”

Details from the event:
Attendance: 
4,500 bicycle and beer enthusiasts (up 2,000 last year); 500 participants in the bike parade (up nearly 200 from last year)

Money Raised:
$35,000 (up more than $14,000 from last year)

Waste Diversion Rate: 
85%

Headliners:
Beats Antique (http://beatsantique.com)
The Moth – True Stories Told Live (http://themoth.org)

Benefitting:                           
Washington Area Bicyclist Association (http://www.waba.org)
Black Women Bike DC (http://blackwomenbikedc.tumblr.com)
Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (http://www.fabb-bikes.org)
Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE) (http://www.more-mtb.org)
Phoenix Bikes (http://www.phoenixbikes.org)

See www.facebook.com/TourDeFat to follow the 12-city adventure, read the Tour de Fat credo, access schedules, watch videos and submit an entry to swap your gas-guzzler for a fancy new bicycle.

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 percent 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. In addition to Fat Tire, New Belgium brews eight year round beers; Ranger IPA, Rampant Imperial IPA, Shift Pale Lager, Sunshine Wheat, 1554 Black Ale, Blue Paddle Pilsener, Abbey Belgian Ale and Trippel. Learn more at www.newbelgium.com.