After two years in the works, New Belgium Brewery’s Tour de Fat is rolling into town on fat tires—and has packed plenty of its signature Fat Tire beer for all. Singing cycling’s praises while doling out profits to West Town Bikes, the event “is definitely ready to take on Chicago and experience the vibrant bike culture there, ” says New Belgium’s Bryan Simpson, but expect neither a rendition of Critical Mass nor a beer fest. “Certainly the message is to enjoy quality beer over quantity,” Simpson clarifies. “Our focus is the entertainment—not the drinking.” The event, Saturday at Palmer Square Park, features performances by Mucca Pazza and Paperbird, as well as a ceremony in which one Chicagoan makes the ultimate sacrifice, trading his car for a custom bike.
