And the choir sang the Stones

RK had read somewhere that they wanted to make it clear, even though it was being sponsered by Fat Tire beer, the Tour de Fat was a bike festival with beer. Not the other way around. About ten minutes later, while I was standing near Mike's Bikes fix-it booth, I heard a guy say (as he was downing a beer), 'man, this is so cool to have a beer festival with bikes!' Well, the message was bound to be misunderstood. They started serving beer at 10am.

After we did a little walk around the 'festival', I got back on my bike and rode in the 'go slow' race. You got on your bike, rode on the grass in front of the stage, and rode as sloooooow as possible. I was in the fourth heat and I think I was the first to fall off. But, while cracking up, I got back on and slowly rode to the finish line. It was an awesome start to a really fantastic, but freezing cold, day celebrating all things biking.

RK and I rode our bikes from the Mission to the end of Golden Gate Park and were greeted by bike lovers galore. I'd never done "the wiggle"--a route for bikers to get thru this hilly city to the other side--and now I realize how accessible it all is. And the beauty of riding your old bike thru this spectacular park, with trees as tall as skyscrapers, rose gardens, wild buffalo, the De Young museum looming over you with it's massive tower-- never mind the freezing cold weather, it was breathtaking.

It's times like these, I dig the spirit of this city so much.

an amazing wooden bike
there was official bike parking, but seeing as it was a party for bikers, most of 'em just gathered together and made their own group parking.
this was the prize for winning the 'go slow' race--which got much harder after the first rounds were eliminated--dang, i really wanted that belt