Community members Kaia Rudd and Jeremy Sanchez embrace before the Tour de Fat bike parade on Mountain Avenue Sept. 3. Kaia and Jeremy both rode their bikes among hundreds of others through the town of Fort Collins in costumes for the annual event that has been postponed since Covid-19. (Carrigan Grow | Collegian)

Two participants of the Fort Collins Colorado annual event Tour De Fat kiss outside the New Belgium Brewing Company after a dance competition Sept. 3. Hosted annually for 23 years, Tour De Fat features the return of live music, costume contests, slow bike races, a bike parade and drinking beer after a two year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants of the Fort Collins Colorado annual event Tour De Fat dances outside the New Belgium Brewing Company after a dance competition Sept. 3. Hosted annually for 23 years, Tour De Fat features the return of live music, costume contests, slow bike races, a bike parade and drinking beer after a two year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sahara Jagerhorn dances in a dance competition during the Fort Collins Colorado Tour De Fat event Sept. 3. “I have only been in Colorado for like a month,” said Jagerhorn. “I just moved here. It is fantastic I love it here.”

Andrew Springer dances outside the New Belgium Brewing Company during the annual event Tour De Fat Sept. 3. Hosted annually for 23 years, Tour De Fat features the return of live music, costume contests, slow bike races, a bike parade and drinking beer after a two year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andrew Curtis puts on a trophy belt after winning the Tour De Fat slow bicycle race outside the New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins Colorado Sept. 3. “Man you have no idea,” said Curtis. “Just slow, just so painful, every half pedal. I couldn’t do it but I pulled through.”

Participants of the Fort Collins Colorado Tour De Fat bike parade ride down West Mountain Avenue in costume Sept. 3. Tour De Fat is annual event put on New Belgium Brewing Company featuring live music, costumes and beer.

Lark Mosiman, Bobby Mosiman and Wynona Schmidt ride in the Fort Collins Colorado Tour De Fat bike parade Sept. 3. “This is a real bike from the 70s,” said Bobby Mosiman. “We painted it and I added the side pipes to make it look like a motor boat…I was like well I want to water skis behind you guys so I got old roller blades and bought old wooden and skis and it works.”

Kacy Blanchard rides her bike during the Fort Collins Colorado Tour De Fat bike parade Sept. 3, 2022. “I just wanted to show up and be as bright as I possibly could,” Blanchard said. Tour De Fat is an annual, free-to-participate event put on by New Belgium Brewing Company featuring live music, costumes and beer.

Peter Mendicino rides a converted amusement ride from the early 1930s during the Fort Collins Colorado Tour De Fat bike parade Sept. 3 Tour De Fat is annual free to participate event put on New Belgium Brewing Company featuring live music, costumes and beer.

Mitch and Casey Popko ride a yellow submarine themed bike in the Fort Collins Colorado Tour De Fat bike parade Sept. 3. “We did the virtual stuff last year,” said Mitch. “It is fucking phenomenal just to be out and do stuff. Like dress up and get wild.”

Michael Weeks gets chosen as the person to begin the Fort Collins Colorado Tour De Fat bike parade by having fake mustard dumped on him Sept. 3. “I feel blessed,” said Weeks. “To be able to not only be apart of Tour De Fat but to start it off, that, that right there that made this whole thing absolutely incredible for me.”

Participants of New Belgium Brewing’s Tour de Fat line up along West Mountain Avenue in preparation for the bike parade Sept. 3. Tour de Fat is an annual event featuring live music, costumes and beer.

Chris Leonard plays the tuba as bikers ride in the Tour de Fat on Mountain Avenue Sept. 3. Chris played as a member of the Bourbon Brass Band which is bringing New Orleans style street jazz to Northern Colorado.

Michael O’Brien and Brandi Higdon dance to the Bourbon Brass Band in the middle of Mountain Avenue during the Tour de Fat Sept 3. Friends Michael and Brandi both rode in the bike parade and continued their day by sharing a dance with other riders to the ensemble of traditional New Orleans style horns and drums.

John Gascoyne hosts friends and neighbors at his home to share food and drinks as they watch the Tour de Fat event on Mountain Avenue Sept. 3. Gascoyne was the editor for The Rocky Mountain Collegian more than 50 years ago and has since carried on the tradition of watching the Tour de Fat with friends he met as a student at Colorado State University.