Get your goofy costume together for Tour de Fat Saturday, plus Mtn Biking in Pocatello

Rio Carnival is the costume theme for Tour de Fat this year. 

Let's make it memorable! 

TDF parade 

Sterling Justice Trail overlook several thousand feet above Pocatello

Go see Corey Wight at the Sandtrap Bar & Grill in Pocatello after your ride 

Hi all,

The 15th annual Tour de Fat is on Saturday (Aug. 13), so that means it's time to put together a fun, goofy, maybe even sexy costume for the TDF parade on Saturday morning and the day-long event at Ann Morrison Park. The costume theme is based around the Olympics in Rio, meaning "Carnivale." Be sure to pre-register for the event and chip in $5 for the Boise Bike Project and help elevate the fund-raising bar for TDF to over $100,000!!!!

The TDF typically raises more than $70,000 for the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance, SWIMBA and BBP, so this would be a quantum leap to surpass the $100K goal. All of the proceeds go toward these totally awesome non-profits. Drink beer = $ for bikes and bike trails!

The TDF parade starts to gather at Ann Morrison Park at 10 a.m. Get there early cuz it'll be a really long line! The parade starts pedaling at 11 a.m., and then the event starts as soon as people arrive at the park after making the loop around downtown Boise.

Make sure you read Jimmy Halliburton's blog about the 5 Big New Things to Look for at TDF. They have a hilarious video in the blog post about two naive riders who failed to pre-register for the event, and guess what? They crashed a tandem in the Boise River while wearing costumes and capes!

See you at TDF!

I recently wrote a blog, including maps and video, about Mountain Biking in Pocatello for VisitIdaho. Some friends took me a ride on the recently created Sterling Justice singletrack from the Gibson Jack trailhead over to City Creek, a fun but challenging 12-mile ride across the top of the footies in Pokey. I detailed that ride in the blog and also included GoPro video of a super-sweet ride, West Fork Mink Creek to Elk Meadows Loop.

I highly recommend riding in Pocatello, check out the City Creek trails and Sterling Justice, and the greater Mink Creek area as well. Gather up some friends and make it a long weekend. I recommend the Best Western in Pocatello Inn  as a potential place to stay or you could tent camp up in the Mink Creek area.

Have fun!
-- SS

Super fun biking events coming up! Tour de Fat Saturday! Food and wine road ride, too!

I donated to BBP to get that nice Double D bra at Tour de Fat 

Elena, right, looks charming in her flower hat 

Hi all, 

Imagine 20,000 bicycle wheels rolling down the streets of downtown Boise for the 2014 Tour de Fat parade. Were you there? I was dressed up as Captain America with a red cape and not much else. Ten-thousand cyclists -- all dressed up in some kind of wild and wacky costume, some of them quite clever -- showed up and set a record for the biggest participation in the Tour de Fat event in Boise since it started 14 years ago. 

Now here's your chance to make the 2015 Tour de Fat even bigger than ever! The goal is to have at least 12,000 participants in the parade and raise $90,000 for your favorite cycling non-profits -- Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance, Southwest Idaho Mountain Biking Association (SWIMBA) and Boise Bicycle Project (BBP). Get your costume together, drag your friends and everyone in your household down to the parade, and partake in the state's largest bike event! Do this while sporting a really big grin, show off your cool costume and drink plenty of beer to help the cause.

One of the many cool things
you'll see at Tour de Fat 

Bicyclists for as far as you can see in the Tour de Fat parade ... that's so cool! 

Spending $$ on beer = $$ for better cycling opportunities in our community. The funds go directly to new trails, cycling-advocacy activities, bike donations to children and families in need, and bike education. Over the last 14 years, the event has raised approximately $400,000 for the non-profits mentioned above. That's HUGE people. Let's keep growing this event! 

See the 2015 Tour de Fat web site for the music lineup and event details. Hint: The parade starts 

at 11 a.m. at Ann Morrison Park. Have fun!

Also on Saturday, the 43rd annual Bogus Basin Hill Climb is happening for ambitious road cyclists. Start time is 9:30 a.m. You can register online. Not sure who's showing up, but the really strong riders can ride to Bogus in roughly an hour or less. Total animals! My best time in my 20s was 1 hour, 20 minutes. It's always a great workout to ride to Bogus, and it's a hoot to ride back downhill! 

Here's a bike-racing calendar in case you'd like to plan for future events. 

I'll be in Coeur d'Alene on Saturday, picking up my packet for a week of road rides in the Idaho Panhandle courtesy of RideIdaho. This is the first year I've participated in RideIdaho. It's a fully supported ride that covers about 400 miles in a week. This year's route starts and finishes in Coeur d'Alene, doing a big triangle across the Panhandle into Western Montana, and then up to Moyie Springs and Bonner's Ferry before going south to Lake Pend Oreille, Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene. 

Hope we don't run into too much smoke from the fires! 

The Treasure Valley Food Coalition is sponsoring a 50-mile food and wine ride called "Fruitful Fields" on Sunday, Sept. 20th in SW Idaho. The loop ride will begin at Hat Ranch Winery on Plum Road at 9:00 a.m. and take cyclists on a tour of farms and wineries throughout Canyon County. Along the way, you will taste fresh, local fruit, grilled (lamb) merguez sausage, grilled fingerling potatoes, local cheese and crackers, and sample some of Idaho’s award-winning wines.  

Upon returning to Hat Ranch Winery, you will be treated to a catered luncheon from Three Girls Catering, featuring local meats and produce while Hat Ranch pours wine for tasting. All participants will receive a reusable jute shopping bag filled with local produce, tokens to use at the Boise Farmer’s Market, and coupons for the Boise Co-Op.

The bike route will take you along the Snake River, past Lake Lowell, and through the rolling farmland, vineyards and orchards of Canyon County. Three rest stops along the way will provide tastings, water, medical reserve corps volunteers and pink porta-potties! The event costs $65. Register on the Treasure Valley Food Coalition web page. 

Have fun and have a great ride!
- SS 

Go to the Tour de Fat; Latest smoke maps

Hi all,

This week's blog is short and sweet ... gotta dash off to cover a wildfire-story ...

Be sure to participate in the Tour de Fat parade and party at Ann Morrison Park! You can register in advance online. Drink beer! Support local cycling groups like SWIMBA, the Boise Bicycle Project, and the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance, who make Boise one of the hippest bike scenes in the U.S.! They're hoping for 10,000 riders! Hope to see you there.

Roadies will be cranking up Bogus Basin on Saturday for the classic hill climb ... this event is open to anyone who wants to go. Racing always makes you go faster, you know. The non-competitive ride starts at 8 a.m. The competitive race starts at 9:30 a.m. More information here.

I've been tracking NASA smoke images this week:

Courtesy NASA Fire and Smoke  

Gold Pan fire complex in the Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness 

Seems like a replay from last summer all over again ... You have to feel for the people who have lost homes and the ranchers who have lost livestock and it's sobering to realize that even some big-game animals have been caught in the raging blazes. The Pony Complex built up to over 100,000 acres in 3 days! That's fricking scary!    

- SS