2012 Tour De Fat Minneapolis

RandyBike Rides And Events

On a whim, Friday morning we loaded the bikes in the truck and took off for Minneapolis Minnesota (640 miles) to attend the Tour De Fat on Saturday. The Tour De Fat is a traveling “ballyhoo of bicycles and beer” put on by the New Belgium Brewery the makers of Fat Tire and other beers. This event raises funds for bicycle organizations in the towns that they are held. The day starts out with a bicycle parade through the city, returning to the event grounds where there is beer, food, music and a variety of other entertainment. It’s a parade, ride, costume party, circus, vaudeville, concert, revival, fair, bike show and fund raiser all wrapped up in one event. This is our 5th TDF in 4 different cities and we’ve never been disappointed. A great time! I leave the TDF with the same emotions you have as a kid wanting to run away and join the circus.

Many years ago we spent a night in Minneapolis taking in the Mall of America and all though this time it was also a short stay we’re really impressed with what we’ve seen of the city. It’s definitely a bicycle city. Another great thing about Minneapolis is that the temperature was over 20 degrees cooler than home. When we returned home last night around 7:00 it was still 108 degrees.

Also while in Minneapolis I contacted an internet acquaintance and fellow bike enthusiast who lives there and took time out of his schedule to ride over to the festival just so we could meet in person. Thanks Steve we enjoyed visiting with you.