On Saturday, June 1, Wootten rallied a posse of friends to join him on an inspirational journey to DC. Master Naters somehow recognized the costume laden beer drinking bicycle warriors.The New Belgium Brewing Tour De Fat has been traveling around each summer to various locations with the sole purpose of promoting cycling, supporting bike coalitions & having fun. The key feature for the TDF is a costume bike parade that is open to anyone on a bike. This year, hundreds and hundreds of riders flooded the streets of DC for a ultra slow paced 5 mile tour. This mass of slow riders passed by the US Department of Transportation building, a statement not to be taken lightly. Ride marshals blocked traffic and surprisingly, the general DC driving population didn't have too many smiles to share.
Following the parade, the beer began flowing and things just started getting weird. There were married couples on stage, juggling bananas with their mouths, puppet shows, slow bike races, a crazy bike pit, live music, talent shows, magic shows. Just about everything you could ask for on a day in DC.
A staple to the TDF is a revivalization, where one person donates their car and promises to live life car-free for a year. In exchange, they are given a free bike with commuter gear. Last year's winner, one of the founders of the Black Women Bike club in DC sent the lucky guy off on a year of lifestyle riding, through a tunnel of supporters just below the stage.
After a killer finale by Beats Antique, the TDF leader informed the sweaty crowd that we'd raised $27,000 for WABA in a single day just from the beer donations. That's pretty good for just one afternoon of lots of fun.
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