Snow bomb fat bike race | Winona, Minn.

With an outside temperature resting at 3 degrees Fahrenheit and wind chills reaching minus 10, many would be completely content spending their Sunday afternoon wrapped in the warmth of a throw blanket, fully enveloped in the embrace of a worn-in armchair.

That wasn’t the case last Sunday for 33 individuals looping the bluffs near Holzinger Lodge astride fat bikes --  similar to a typical performance mountain bike, with the exception of tires that span four or more inches wide, twice as big as a typical mountain bike. The amount of traction the tires create lend well to a winter bike race, where competitors can exceed speeds of 30 mph in downhill sections and crawl at a snail’s pace up steep inclines, all on one of nature’s slickest surfaces.

Competitors from around the region, from St. Paul to Nodine, Rochester to La Crosse, and ranging in age from eight to 49, accepted the challenge of braving the cold and navigating the trails at Holzinger Lodge, all to great reward. Besides the feeling of accomplishment for riding in sub-zero temperatures for one or two hours, competitors in the Holzinger Lodge found (in addition to warmth) free chili, beer, and friendship to end the day and warm both body and soul.