Urban Assault Ride expands into 10 cities in 2009

URBAN ASSAULT RIDE, SPONSORED BY NEW BELGIUM BREWING EXPANDS TO 10 CITIES IN 2009

THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST BIKE SCAVENGER HUNT SERIES CELEBRATES A SUSTAINABLE, BIKE-FOCUSED LIFESTYLE

Longmont, CO – February 9, 2009 – Adventure Fit today announced that the seventh season of Urban Assault Ride, the largest bicycle-based adventure race series in the country, will hit the streets of 10 cities this year.  The Urban Assault Ride (UAR) is a funky bike scavenger hunt that involves navigating city streets, taking on unique physical challenges, and an after-party. Weekend warriors, racers, bike commuters, couples and families unite as teams of two take to the town by bike.

During the ride, checkpoint challenges may include power-sliding adult big wheels, face-first slip ‘n slide action, or even jousting on BMX bikes. The challenges vary in each city, so participants never know what’s in store. Prior to the event, checkpoints are listed on the event’s website (www.urbanassaultride.com) so everyone has plenty of time to plot a course.

The first team to hit all checkpoints and complete the final obstacle course takes home a pair of New Belgium cruiser bikes. The top three teams in each of the four divisions will also receive awesome prizes. A celebration follows at the after-party with New Belgium beer and an interactive prize raffle with a host of two-wheeled shenanigans.

New Belgium Brewing, the Title Sponsor of the 2009 Urban Assault Ride, is well known for its love of all things bicycle and for its sustainable practices.

“We couldn’t pick a better sponsor than New Belgium Brewing. They love bikes and beer just as much as we do and they’ve helped lead the charge with sustainable events. Because of New Belgium, the UAR is solar-powered, bio-diesel fueled, and almost zero-waste,” said event founder Josh Kravetz.

The 2009 UAR schedule is as follows, adding three new cities to the roster:

4/19            Tucson, AZ      NEW!
4/26            Nashville, TN  NEW!
5/17            Seattle, WA
5/31            Portland, OR
6/28            Austin, TX
7/19            Fort Collins, CO
7/26            Denver, CO
8/16            St. Louis, MO      NEW!
9/20            Chicago, IL
9/27            Minneapolis, MN

Adventure Fit and New Belgium Brewing are at the forefront of promoting the bicycle as alternative transportation, working hard to encourage folks to bike more and drive less. Sign up today at http://www.urbanassaultride.com and learn more about New Belgium at www.newbelgium.com <http://www.newbelgium.com> .  Join New Belgium’s Team WonderBike at www.teamwonderbike.com <http://www.teamwonderbike.com> to make a pledge to offset car miles by simply riding a bike.

About New Belgium Brewing Company
New Belgium Brewing Company began operations in a tiny Fort Collins basement in 1991. Today, the third largest craft brewer in the U.S., New Belgium produces seven year-round beers; Fat Tire Amber Ale, Sunshine Wheat, Blue Paddle Pilsner, 1554 Black Ale, Abbey, Mothership Wit and Trippel, as well as a host of seasonal releases.  In addition to producing world-class beers, New Belgium takes pride in being a responsible corporate role model with progressive programs such as employee ownership, open book management and a commitment to environmental stewardship.  For more information, visit www.newbelgium.com.

About Urban Assault Ride
Urban Assault is the pedal-powered urban adventure produced by Adventure Fit Inc, a Colorado-based experiential sports marketing company that produces fun-focused events and sports teams. Adventure Fit events are unique in that they combine a variety of sports, fun, and physical challenges. Founded on the slogan “Come out and Play!”, Adventure Fit has produced some of the country’s most popular participatory sporting events, including the King of Jester and Fiesta de Bicicleta. Visit www.urbanassaultride.com <http://www.urbanassaultride.com/> or www.adventurefit.com for more information.

source: Jenny Foust

source: Jenny Foust

PORTLAND, OR – May 30, 2008 – Cloudy skies and a light drizzle didn’t deter the 200+ cyclists who made their way to Pioneer Square on May 25th to participate in Portland’s first ever New Belgium Urban Assault Ride. Teams of two cycled to checkpoints at Sunnyside School Park, Fat Tire Farm, River City Bicycles, Community Cycle Center, Plan B Bar, and Laurel Hurst Park to complete various obstacle courses, including bike jousting and big wheel races.

Local racers Doug Ollerenshaw of Rock Racing and Jason Sager of Mona Vie Cannondale comprised the winning team with a time of 1:15. Each received a limited edition cruiser bike from New Belgium Brewing, the title sponsor of the event.

The pedal-powered urban scavenger hunt benefited the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, an organization dedicated to opening minds and roads to bicycling. Portland participants pledged to ride 25,200 miles through New Belgium Brewing’s TeamWonderbike, potentially diverting some 25,000 pounds of CO2.

Remaining Urban Assault rides in the 2008 series are Austin (June 22), Fort Collins (July 20), Denver (July 27), Madison (August 24), Minneapolis (September 21) and Chicago (September 28).

About Urban Assault Ride: The Urban Assault Ride is a green event designed to show riders that a bike is a great way to get around town.Its “green focus” extends beyond bike advocacy. The production powers the event with a solar generator, a bio-diesel truck delivers the gear to each city, and almost all event waste is composted or recycled.

Find out more at www.urbanassaultride.com.

source: Sharon Cutler

New Belgium’s Tour de Fat Celebrates Pedal Power in 11 Cities This Summer Get Prepared for Another Season of Theatrical Antics, Wild Costumes and the Most Fun You May Ever Have on Two Wheels   Ft. Collins, CO, May 21, 2008 - Tour de Fat, New Belgium Brewing’s traveling celebration of all things bicycle, rolls through 11 cities this season, spreading the good word about the myriad benefits of cycling and celebrating mankind’s greatest invention… the bike. Over the last eight years, Tour de Fat has captured the imagination of thousands with record-setting parades, eye-popping entertainment, death-defying contests of bicycle skill and precision, and, of course, New Belgium beer. This year, the festival kicks off in Chicago, where Tour de Fat will make its debut appearance in the Windy City on June 21. Ten more cities across the west are slated through October. Opening each show with a costumed bike parade, Tour de Fat celebrates the power of the bike. Born in Ft. Collins, Colorado to increase awareness and participation in cycling as a sustainable form of transportation, Tour de Fat has grown into a national rite of passage for cycling advocates and bon vivants alike. “Tour de Fat is a time to celebrate self-expression and all things ridiculous, so alter-egos and costumes are highly recommended and will be rewarded,” said Chris Winn, Tour de Fat’s coordinator and event evangelist. “In the name of group participation, we treat this event like a potluck…everyone can contribute to the event in their own way. That is what Tour de Fat is all about.” Tour de Fat is free to participants, but beer and merchandise proceeds go to local cycling non-profits. The philanthropic cycling circus helped 26 non-profit organizations in 2007 and raised more than $245,000. “If we get more folks than we can accommodate this year, we may have to do one-in, one-out, and the costumed and early risers will be granted first entry,” continued Winn. “So arrive early and dress the part - if everybody’s weird, no one is, right?” Tour de Fat seeks to leave as small an environmental imprint as possible and composts and recycles waste from each tour stop. The waste diversion rate goal for this year is 95%. All musical acts will perform on a solar-powered stage, trucks and transport utilize B100, and all vendors operate off the grid. Highlights of Tour De Fat: One volunteer in each city will commit to live car-free for one year as part of the Car-for-Bike Trade Program. The dedicated individual will sign over their car title and receive a custom-fitted New Belgium commuter bike in exchange. The selected candidate will chronicle the trials and triumphs along their car-free journey. The volunteer is chosen after submitting a video describing their desire to live car-free. For more information, log onto http://www.followyourfolly.com/pdf/biketrade.pdf.   As part of the Car-for-Bike Trade Program, each Tour de Fat stop will have a funeral for the departed car complete with a Mardi Gras-esque funeral procession. This funeral will be followed, later in the day, by a celebration of the arrival of the Car-for-Bike volunteer’s custom commuter bike.   At the Team Wonderlounge, participants can join Team Wonderbike, New Belgium’s bicycling commuter advocacy program. Team Wonderbikers pledge to commute by bike, not car, as often as possible. Currently, 11,000 people have pledged not to drive 9 million miles in the next twelve months.   Tour de Fat 2008 has a new revival stage for performers with 100% solar-powered sound and decorations made from recycled materials. The stage will be transported in solar-powered trailers and the Tour de Fat crew will travel on B100 biodiesel fuel.   Festival-goers can try out new rideable art bikes and, of course, the bicycle parade will meander through each of the stops.   This year two people and a guest each will win a trip to Tour de Fat in Fort Collins, Colorado for the home-town throw-down (California exempt). For a chance to win, log onto http://www.newbelgium.com/vibe_tourdefat.php. This is a pro-bike celebration, not an anti-car rally…non-cyclists are more than welcome to join the festivities. Tour de Fat 2008 will cycle through each of the following cities: June 21: Chicago, IL July 19: San Francisco, CA July 26 : Truckee, CA Aug. 2: Seattle, WA Aug. 16 : Portland, OR Aug. 23: Boise, ID Sept. 6: New Belgium Brewing (Ft. Collins, CO) Sept. 13: Denver, CO Sept. 20: Durango, CO Oct. 11: Tempe, AZ Oct. 18: Austin, TX For more information and to see a video montage of previous Tour de Fat stops, please visit http://www.followyourfolly.com/folly_tour_de_fat.html.   About New Belgium Brewing Company New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, began operations in a tiny Fort Collins basement in 1991. Today, the third largest craft brewer in the U.S., New Belgium produces seven year-round beers; Fat Tire Amber Ale, Sunshine Wheat, Blue Paddle Pilsner, 1554 Black Ale, Abbey, Mothership Wit and Trippel, as well as a host of seasonal releases. In addition to producing world-class beers, New Belgium takes pride in being a responsible corporate role model with progressive programs such as employee ownership, open book management and a commitment to environmental stewardship. For more information, visit www.newbelgium.com.

source: Jenny Foust

Bicycle Scavenger Hunt Exemplifies Good Times Off the Grid

Fort Collins, CO – March 07, 2008 – New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale, today announced that it will serve as the Title Sponsor of six of the eight Urban Assault Rides™ hitting streets across America this summer. The “Pedal Powered Urban Adventure” taps into the bicycle culture that New Belgium has long embraced with events like Tour de Fat and their bike commuter advocacy program, Team Wonderbike (www.followyourfolly.com <http://www.followyourfolly.com> ).

The Urban Assault Ride is a bike scavenger hunt that involves street-smart riding, physical challenges and a huge after-party. Friends, couples and families (kids 7-12 encouraged) are asked to stretch their mental muscles and bike skills as teams of two choose their own course connecting checkpoints around town, completing crazy challenges at each stop. Participants could be racing adult big wheels, careening down an inflatable slip ‘n slide, or jousting on BMX bikes. The challenges are different in each city, so you never know what’s in store. Prior to the event, http://www.urbanassaultride.com lists checkpoints riders must reach during the day. There’s no set route, so teams must strategize to pick the best course around town.

The first team to hit all checkpoints and cross the finish line wins. The after-party features New Belgium beer, food, live music, a raffle, and a host of two-wheeled shenanigans.

This is the sixth season of the Urban Assault Rides, this year adding new cities and a heightened message of sustainability. Event organizers and New Belgium are at the forefront of promoting the bicycle as alternative transportation, encouraging everyone from weekend warriors to athletes and families to rely on pedal power to navigate around town and enjoy every moment.

Sign up today at http://www.urbanassaultride.com and learn more about New Belgium at www.newbelgium.com <http://www.newbelgium.com> or visit www.followyourfolly.com <http://www.followyourfolly.com> to join Team Wonderbike.

The 2008 schedule is as follows:

5/18 Seattle

5/25 Portland

6/22 Austin

7/20 Ft. Collins – The Title Sponsor here is our friend and neighbor Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant

7/27 Denver

8/24 Madison – The Title Sponsor here is the beloved Trek bicycles

9/21 Minneapolis

9/28 Chicago

About New Belgium Brewing Company

New Belgium Brewing Company began operations in a tiny Fort Collins basement in 1991. Today, the third largest craft brewer in the U.S., New Belgium produces seven year-round beers; Fat Tire Amber Ale, Sunshine Wheat, Blue Paddle Pilsner, 1554 Black Ale, Abbey, Mothership Wit and Trippel, as well as a host of seasonal releases. In addition to producing world-class beers, New Belgium takes pride in being a responsible corporate role model with progressive programs such as employee ownership, open book management and a commitment to environmental stewardship. For more information, visit www.newbelgium.com.

About Urban Assault

Urban Assault is the pedal-powered urban adventure produced by Adventure Fit Inc, a Colorado-based experiential sports marketing company that produces fun-focused events and sports teams. Adventure Fit events are unique in that they combine a variety of sports, fun, and physical challenge. Founded on the slogan “Come out and Play!”, Adventure Fit has produced some of the country’s most popular participatory sporting events, including the King of Jester and Fiesta de Bicicleta. Visit www.urbanassaultride.com <http://www.urbanassaultride.com/> or www.adventurefit.com for more information.

source: Josh Kravetz