Twice a year, one of my favorite Milwaukee events goes down -- but you'll never find it in any tourist pamphlet or Visit Milwaukee guide book. The June version is called the "Tour de Farce," and Saturday night's event is "Biketoberfest." I can best describe the fun as a pub crawl -- by bicycle.
Both events are put on Bay View's unofficial mayor, my friend Bill Rouleau. This is the guy who brought us Dog Day Afternoon and the Pumpkin Palace. Difference is, Biketoberfest is strictly for adults and doesn't support any charities, other than your social life.
Here's the drill: Show up on your bike, "rain or stars," as the poster says, at the new Café Centraal, 2306 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Drink a beer. Bike to the next bar. Repeat for about six hours.
Trust me, you'll barely notice you just biked 15 miles.
The bike crawl is totally free. You just pay for drinks at the many, many stops along the route. Expect plenty of free giveaways for participating in the free raffle.
Bill doesn't announce the subsequent stop until people show up at each bar, so if you miss the 6 p.m. start, you're on your own to find the party. But a good rule of thumb would be to look for the more than 100 bike riders parked at an area bar. Some may even be wearing Halloween costumes.
June's Tour de Farce started at Sugar Maple and made a northerly loop, but I'm guessing Saturday's trip will head south, since Bill told me this week that he tries to make this event a little spookier, winding through cemeteries and parkways.
My only advice: pace yourself, bring a bike light and be careful. The event is super-fun, but it's also super-long, and really try to make it to the end if you can. It's a feat that I've accomplished only a few times out of the several I've attended -- but the bragging rights should hold you all the way until the event next summer. See you there!
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
