The Reverend was riding his double-decker bike beside us as we pedaled along the bike trail near the Clark Fork River. It was a beautiful low-heat, low-smoke late summer day in Missoula, and this crazy guy in white was hollering encouragement to us through a megaphone as we got the parade rolling. People rode on all sorts o bikes, from box-store BMXs to hand built metamorphosis rigged up with independently swinging rear tires. It was indeed a freakshow.

It was a freakshow that celebrated alternative transportation, and it’s a freakshow that comes to western towns every year, sponsored by New Belgium Brewing Company. It’s a free festival of live music and performance art, magic tricks and acrobatics, flameshooting pogo sticks and beer. Oh, yes, there is beer. But, this year, at four dollars for a “Token of Our Affection”, the cool little wooden beer tokens, my budget didn’t allow for much imbibing.

This year, I had some errands to run with a friend during the middle of the festival, so after the parade, we cut out early and headed off to get our lives out of the way so that we could get back to the festival. We missed most of the theatrics and music, so we spent our time watching the crazy bikes. In the middle of the park, a metal gate formed a circle in which rested an array of crazy bikes, ranging from the simple unicycle to the exercise bike that had no pedals, but was powered the rider’s ass moved up and down on the seat. It was hilarious watching people try to ride these bikes, and then the fun started with the Drag Show Race.

After one of the Tour de Fat’s workers explained from one of the main stages that the Tour is completely powered by alternative fuels, a faux NASCAR loving guy came out to make fun of the sustainability of the festival. After we had just listened to The Reverend explain that the entire stage and sound system is powered by the sun, that the plastic cups in our hands were made from a corn product that is compost-able, that all of the vehicles on the Tour are Bio-diesel, NASCAR Boy said that riding a bike is like having a fast car and making a right turn, referring to race tracks where one drives fast and turns left.

With that as a lead-in, the Drag Race began. Two teams chosen from the audience and comprised of a man and a woman each, the contestants rode fixed gear bikes with small tires around a small race-course. The women went first, and seemed to have a pretty good handle on it. During the required pit stop, they were then dressed up in NASCAR regalia before they were allowed to continue their last lap. They handed off the bikes to the men, who had a more difficult time figuring out how the things worked, but they got the hang of it in time for the required pit stop, where their female teammates had a blast dressing them in drag and sending them on their way.

We soon left in search of food and more beer, last call having been called, and our stomachs ready for a meal.

The Tour de Fat, while celebrating alternative transportation, also encourages alternative thinking and community. Creativity and art. Fun and relationship building.

And, I’ve decided that it is the New Halloween in Montana. Without cold weather to impede costumes that require one to go coatless, the Tour de Fat bike parade is the place to show off one’s costume prowess.

Check out all of the 2007 Missoula Tour de Fat photos