Stupor XV

The Stupor Bowl is one of the Twin Cities' most popular and well-known cycling events.  Now in it's 15th year, it's an alley cat race held annually on Super Bowl weekend... typically a cold, gloomy, snowy time of the year here in Mpls.  But not this year.  It was 35 degrees with relatively light winds, a good amount of sun, and dry streets.  I've never participated in the race, but after seeing the crowd and the general atmosphere of the event, I'm putting it on my list of things to do next year.

Riders met at One-on-One Bike Studio to get ready, socialize, and register (if they didn't register the night before).

Eventually the crowd rolled out to the starting point under the 35W bridge.

I saw quite a few friends racing, and it looked like a good ol' time.  As you'd expect (especially with the dry road conditions), most racers were on road bikes, but some were running mountain bikes with knobbies.  There were even a few people on fat bikes.

After the race started I headed home, the long way... all the while thinking about the fun the 100+ racers were having while crisscrossing the city on a gorgeous February day.  And the craziness that undoubtedly ensued at the after-party.


Stopping is half the fun...