Would You Swap Your Car for a Beer Bike?

“Congratulations, you just saved a fortune on your car insurance by switching to Shimano.”

That's the unofficial catchphrase of the New Belgium Brewing Company's Car-for-Bike Swapper , an ongoing effort to convince YOU that you'd be better off on two wheels.

How does it work? Well, when the Tour de Fat—New Belgium's annual traveling circus of bicycle mayhem and beer—rolls to a stop at Portland's Waterfront Park on August 14, you listen as Car-for-Bike swappers of yesteryear recount how their lives have been immeasurably improved by making the switch to human power. Then, all choked up with emotion, you simply hand over your car, title and keys in exchange for a hand-crafted, New Belgium commuter bike.

Here's the catch: only the chosen will be selected to take part. First you need to submit a two-minute or less video to New Belgium explaining why you're a huddled, inactive mass yearning to ride free. If selected, you'll be contacted in advance, and your car will be donated to a nonprofit.

This is the fourth year that the Tour de Fat has included the Car-for-Bike Swapper event, and three valiant Portlanders have already heeded the call. This year, maybe it will be you!