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Photos: Highlights of the 18th Tube to Work Day on Boulder Creek

On July 11, hundreds of tubers in business attire and themed costumes got "weird, wet, and wild" floating down the local creek.
Image: A man in a suit poses with an inner tube
A man in a suit poses with an inner tube before entering the creek. Toni Tresca

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On a sun-drenched Friday morning, hundreds of commuters dressed in soggy business suits, full-body Buc-ee the Beaver costumes, and '80s-themed workout apparel swapped rush hour traffic for Boulder Creek. The 18th annual Tube to Work Day turned the city’s downtown waterway into a churning current of inflatable inner tubes, fox-themed floatation devices and fluorescent fits, as participants bobbed through Class II rapids on their way to work.

The annual event, which started with just two participants and a dream of eco-friendly commuting, has evolved into a full-blown spectacle. Now boasting several hundred tubers and even more spectators cheering them on from the creek's edges, Tube to Work Day is part alternative transit experiment, part community celebration and part river-bound costume parade.

Attendees began trickling into the Eben G. Fine Park around 7 a.m., greeted by games, dancing and a stilt-walker parade. The weather cooperated: clear skies, mid-60s temperatures that rose to the low 70s and no wind made for ideal tubing conditions. First-timers and seasoned veterans mingled as they inflated tubes, zipped wetsuits under their collared shirts and mingled with others about to take the plunge.

At 8:05 a.m., co-founder Jeff Kagan took the mic to deliver his trademark opening speech, asking the crowd to hold their heads through their tubes and salute each other: “Today we commute in the utter absence of fossil fuels and in the presence of spandex and neon,” he proclaimed. “We do so to enjoy the natural beauty of Boulder, to create the world's greatest traffic jam, and to get weird, wet and wild at 8 a.m.”

Kagan, who’s now mostly ceremonial in his duties, gave credit to event manager Logan Panigutti and the Without Limits Productions team for running the show. Neon-clad staff, red-shirted medics and frog-suited water safety teams dotted the banks and bridges along the route, ensuring that the morning flowed smoothly from start to splashdown.

Before tubing began, Kagan surveyed the crowd, asking for a show of hands from newcomers, returning veterans and those who showed up with ten or more colleagues from their office. This year's event had "record-setting" office participation.

“Well, whether it’s your first time or your 18th, which I’m pretty sure is just me, we are in for a fantastic commute today,” Kagan said. “Look out for donuts from above. Whitewater below. Mermaids with squirt guns on the banks. And of course, do not miss the pullout at Central Park for the coffee breakfast dance party.”

A few lucky participants walked away with prizes before the send-off. This year’s Best Tube awards went to a giant inflatable squirrel and a community of floating foxes. The Best Dressed category honored one tuber in full business attire carrying a laptop and another with a disco helmet, disco ball necklace, green mesh shirt and bright pink shorts and leggings.

Then, for the first time in the event’s history, Kagan invited two “honored dignitaries” to the stage. “Please welcome to the stage our first dignitary, a devoted advocate to alternative transportation, your City of Boulder Councilmember, Mr. Ryan Schuchard,” Kagan announced. “And making his first appearance ever at Tube to Work Day, our beloved United States Colorado Congressman, give it up for Joe Neguse.”

“Let’s give it up for Jeff!” Schuchard said, taking the mic. “Hello, Boulder. I would just like to recognize all of the tubers who have gone before, and our best tubing is ahead.”

At 8:15 a.m., a ribbon duct-taped to a saw blade was sliced in half by Neguse and Schuchard. With wristbands raised and helmets buckled, waves of tubers launched into the current. Some paddled in sleek river gear; others grinned in dripping button-downs and wacky costumes.

Spectators along the route handed out Bloody Marys. People tossed powdered donuts from bridges near the library. A few surprised passersby shouted encouragement from the bank. For many, the event’s highlight came at Central Park, where the tubing route ended with hot coffee, breakfast bites and a dance party led by DJ Superstar Duck Low Rock.

The event also served a greater purpose: 25 percent of ticket sales went to Bridge House, a local nonprofit that helps adults experiencing homelessness through employment and housing programs. While many people left at the designated exit, others removed their wristbands and continued tubing downtown after the official event ended.

Learn more about Tube to Work Day here; in the meantime, here are some highlights from this year’s celebration:
click to enlarge
Jeff Kagan (left) and a man in a suit (right) float down the Boulder Creek during the 18th Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge Tube to Work Day sign with a crowd of people behind it.
Hundreds of people turned out for the 18th Tube to Work Day this year.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge Three people hold tubes.
Three people pose with their tubes in a parking lot near Central Park in Boulder before heading to Eben G. Fine Park.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge Crowd of people with tubes stand in line.
Check-in for Tube To Work Day.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge Man with clipboard writes.
A person completes paperwork to participate in Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge A man on stilts poses with his father and daughter.
Congressman Joe Neguse and his kid pose with a man on stilts.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge People inflating inner tubes.
Two people inflate their tubes prior to the event.
Toni Tresca
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Three people wearing Buc-ee the Beaver costumes pose together at the 18th Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge Inner tube rental stand.
If you do not have the proper equipment, you can rent it before diving into Boulder Creek.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge People use a catapult to shoot ties into the crowd.
The event organizer uses a catapult to shoot neckties to the crowd at Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge People with fox inner tubes.
A group of friends stands near their fleet of fox floaties, which won one of this year's Best Tube awards.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge A group of people sit and stand with inner tubes in a park.
The crowd gathered before Tube to Work Day officially began.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge Two men hold a green inner tube.
Ryan Schuchard, a City of Boulder Councilmember, and Jeff Kagan, co-founder of Tube to Work Day, lead the event's opening ritual.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge Two men stand on a stage.
Lance Panigutti, Tube to Work Day event manager, and Jeff Kagan, co-founder, during the event's opening speech.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge A person wearing a squirrel inner tube.
A person wearing a squirrel inner tube, which was one of the Best Tube winners this year.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge Man poses in buisness attire.
One of the 18th Tube to Work Day's Best Dressed winners.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge People cut a ribbon while others with inner tubes stand behind them.
Ryan Schuchard and Joe Neguse cut the ribbon during the 18th Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge People with tubes walking.
People walking to enter the Boulder Creek at the 18th Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge Man floats in the creek.
A man floats the Boulder Creek during the 18th Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge People float in a creek.
People float during the 18th Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge People hand out Bloody Marys to those floating in the creek.
People hand out Bloody Marys to those floating by during the 18th Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge Two people in a double inner tube.
Two people in a double inner tube float down Boulder Creek.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge A person tubes.
A person is flipped backwards while tubing on the 18th Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge A group of people tube the Boulder Creek.
During the 18th Tube to Work Day, a group of people navigates challenging terrain in Boulder Creek.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge A person in a squirrel inner tube floats.
A person in a squirrel inner tube floats during Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca
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People gathered in Boulder Creek for the 18th Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge People with tubes getting out of the creek.
People leave Boulder Creek at the end of the 18th Tube to Work Day near Central Park.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge People stand near tubes.
A group of friends exchange stories following the 18th Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca
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At the conclusion of the 18th Tube to Work Day, two attendees grab a donut in Central Park.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge People stand near tubes.
A group of friends exchange stories following the 18th Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca
click to enlarge A woman holds a tube.
A woman exits the Boulder Creek after participating in the 18th Tube to Work Day.
Toni Tresca