2010 Was Successful for Bike Advocacy

admin — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 19:58:22 +0000

New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat Celebrates Another Successful Season of Bike Adoration

Bicycle Alliance of Washington and Bike Works Received a Total of $11,500 from Tour de Fat to Continue Bike Advocacy

Fort Collins, CO, December 21, 2010– Tour de Fat, New Belgium Brewing’s traveling carnival of all things bicycle, is celebrating its 2010 season, reporting phenomenal attendance and tremendous amounts of money raised. The philanthropic traveling bike festival donated $331,428 to non-profit friends, up nearly 20 percent from 2009, and witnessed record-shattering attendance with 70,250 cycling celebrants.

Tour de Fat rolled into Seattle on July 31, where more than 4,000 costumed bicycle enthusiasts swarmed Gasworks Park to increase awareness and participation in cycling as a sustainable form of transportation. The event raised $11,500 for Bicycle Alliance of Washington and Bike Works to continue bike advocacy.

Tour de Fat is free to attend, but money raised from the sale of New Belgium beers and merchandise helps local organizations continue their good work of bicycle advocacy and environmental stewardship. In 2008, Tour de Fat broke the $1 million mark and the grand total now stands at more than $1.5 million. To see videos from some of the 2010 tour stops, visit http://www.tour-de-fat.com.

In addition to raising money, Tour de Fat swapped a car for a bike with Seattle resident Dawn DeGroot. This marked the fourth year that Tour de Fat hosted the car-for-bike swap, where someone in each city trades in his or her vehicle for a hand-built commuter bike and commits to living car-free for the next year.

In her application essay, Dawn shared, “My next birthday I will be 60 and I am doing things that make me think about going green. I have always been a role model in my community and always willing to try new things and have new experiences. Life for me and my family is really amazing, riding your bike would be a thrill for me…I would do it with purpose and pride.”

A few months into her car-free lifestyle, Dawn is having a great time.

“The Black Beauty Ten is serving me very well. Recently, I rode 20 miles on the Burke-Gilman Trail to Golden Gardens Park on Puget Sound,” she said. “I have put a sign on my bike that says I traded my car for this bike; it is a good conversation starter. This is way more fun than I had imagined.”

In Seattle, New Belgium partnered with two local non-profit organizations:

Bicycle Alliance of Washington advocates for a bicycle-friendly Washington State by championing policy and legislation that benefits and encourages bicycling. Bicycle Alliance of Washington builds bridges between the bicycling community and state agencies, and develops strategic partnerships with other organizations in support of its mission; it empowers Washingtonians to be effective bicycle advocates, and educates and encourages children, cyclists and motorists to safely share the road.
Bike Works has been working for kids, bikes, and its community since 1996. For more than a decade it has worked to educate and empower youth and make bicycling accessible and affordable to the Seattle community. Its programs invest in young people and encourage bicycling as a clean and healthy transportation alternative.

“Tour de Fat brings together new and old friends to celebrate our best pal, the bicycle,” said Bryan Simpson, New Belgium Brewing Spokes Model. “We join our non-profit partners in thanking all attendees. We’d like to high five each person who supported our efforts, but since that’s a little tricky, we’d like to thank everyone for their tremendous support.”

For more information on Tour de Fat visit http://www.tour-de-fat.com and for more details on New Belgium Brewing go to http://www.newbelgium.com/.

Tour de Fat Breakdown City-by-City

Grand Totals

$331,428 Total Funds Raised
70,250 Attended

June 26, 2010 – Chicago, IL

$14,000 Total Funds Raised
Non-Profit Supported – West Town Bikes
4,000 Attended

July 3, 2010 – Milwaukee, WI

$10,000 Total Funds Raised
Non-Profit Supported – Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin
1,750 Attended

July 10, 2010 – Minneapolis, MN

$11,351 Total Funds Raised
Non-Profits Supported – Midtown Greenway Coalition, Minneapolis Off-Road Cycling Advocates and Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota
3,250 Attended

July 31, 2010 – Seattle, WA

$11,500 Total Funds Raised
Non-Profits Supported – Bicycle Alliance of Washington and Bike Works
4,000 Attended

August 14, 2010 – Portland, OR

$7,595 Total Funds Raised
Non-Profits Supported – Bicycle Transportation Alliance and Northwest Trail Alliance
1,750 Attended

August 21, 2010 – Boise, ID

$21,641 Total Funds Raised
Non-Profits Supported – Southwest Idaho Mountain Bike Association, Treasure Valley Cycling Association and Boise Bicycle Project
6,000 Attended

September 4, 2010 – Ft. Collins, CO

$52,260 Total Funds Raised
Non-Profits Supported – Overland Mountain Bike Club, Bike Fort Collins and The Bike Co-Op
15,000 Attended

September 11, 2010 – Denver, CO

$33,000 Total Funds Raised
Non-Profits Supported – Bike Denver and The Denver Cruisers
8,000 Attended

September 25, 2010 – San Francisco, CA

$38,505 Total Funds Raised
Non-Profits Supported – San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and Bay Area Ridge Trail Council
7,000 Attended

October 2, 2010 San Diego, CA

$9,965 Total Funds Raised
Non-Profits Supported – San Diego County Bicycle Coalition and San Diego Mountain Bike Association
2,500 Attended

October 9, 2010 – Tempe, AZ

$59,375 Total Funds Raised
Non-Profits Supported – Tempe Bicycle Action Group, Bike Saviours and Mountain Bike Association of Arizona
13,000 Attended

October 23, 2010 – Los Angeles, CA

$6,555 Total Funds Raised
Non-Profits Supported – Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange (C.I.C.L.E.), Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and Bicycle Kitchen/La Bicicocina
2,000 Attended

October 30, 2010 – Austin, TX

$3,970 Total Funds Raised
Non-Profits Supported – Yellow Bike Project, Austin Cycling Association and Austin Ridge Riders Mountain Bike Club
2,000 Attended

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 seven year-round beers; Fat Tire Amber Ale, Sunshine Wheat, Blue Paddle Pilsner, 1554 Black Ale, Abbey, Mothership Wit 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.

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The Bike, The Beer, The Tour de Fat

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:27:36 +0000

Join us at Gas Works Park in Seattle to celebrate beer and bikes.