It may have been overcast and windy with temperatures in the 50s, but that did not stop well over 1000 party go-ers -- er, cyclists -- from congregating at the New Belgium Brewing Company for the Tour de Fat on Saturday. Even Big Bird showed up. Yes, Big Bird!

Here is evidence of our tall, yellow, feathered friend making his annual migration through Old Town in Fort Collins. Why he chose to ride a blue banana-seat bicycle instead of just flapping his wings is unknown but perhaps it was so he could mingle more effectively with some of the other animals present. Such as the tiger beating on a drum...

For sure, a good time was had by all of those who were brave enough to roll out their two- (or one-, three- or SEVEN-!) wheeled contraptions from the garage while being dressed like a cartoon character. Even those more boring (e.g., me) who did not dress up as anything but themselves had a great time. Never mind this was not really a "tour" per se, but more an excuse to take over the streets while ringing bells, tooting horns, and riding outrageous machines. (Question: where DID all of those people riding six-foot-tall bicycles get them??) Even the motorists who were backed up while waiting for the "parade" to go by seemed to be enjoying this, gauging by their cheers and horn-tooting.

Also never mind that despite the event's name, there was nary an ounce of excess fat to be found on many of the participants here. Even Big Bird appeared to be a lot trimmer on this day than he normally does on TV.

Enjoy the rest of the photos below.

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