Written by: Sharon Cutler
Posted: Monday, 23 June 2008
Cyclists take to the streets
of Fort Collins (July 20) and
Denver (July 27) for beer, bikes, and big wheels.
Grab a partner
and get ready for the Urban Assault Ride (www.urbanassaultride.com), the funky
bike scavenger hunt that sends two-person teams riding to checkpoints around
town to complete zany obstacle courses at each stop.
Mental
muscle is just as important as bike skills as teams of two choose their route
through town. Obstacles
courses are a surprise until cyclists arrive at the checkpoints; past
challenges include bike jousting, big wheel races, walking on stilts, and much
more. The first team to finish
takes home a pair of limited edition cruiser bikes.
This
pedal-powered urban adventure is an event that anyone can do. Cyclists cover
about 25 miles, and the ride takes two to three hours to complete. It’s
followed by a huge after party with New Belgium beer, fresh fajitas from the
Rio Grande Restaurant, live music, and plenty of two-wheeled shenanigans.
For $45 per person, participants
receive an organic cotton t-shirt, bike bell,
drawstring back pack, water bottle, Rio Grande fajitas, New Belgium beer, Sweet
Leaf Tea, and raffle ticket entries
This green
event designed to show riders that a bike is a great way to get around town. The event is powered with a solar generator, a bio-diesel
truck delivers the gear to each city, and almost all event waste is composted
or recycled.
In
addition, Urban Assault partners exclusively with companies that have
sustainable business practices and promote bike advocacy. In addition to New Belgium, Urban Assault partners include
Trek Bikes, Keen Footwear, Clif Bar, Sweet Leaf Tea, Swobo, Timbuk 2, Rudy
Project and other local sustainability-focused partners.
Other
bike-friendly cities selected to host this year’s event are Seattle (May 18), Portland
(May 25), Austin (June 22), Madison (August 24), Minneapolis (September 21) and
Chicago (September 28).
Find out
more at www.urbanassaultride.com.
In the spirit of this election year, as candidates local and national are out campaigning and the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Denver end of this month, we decided to check in with busy politicians around our active state to hear how they stay fit and healthy. 
