‘Stupor Bowlers’ pedal bikes and pound booze

Ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl, hundreds of bicyclists from across the country descended upon Minneapolis this weekend, gearing up for a bowl contest of their own — the Stupor Bowl.

In both its competitive timed race and the comparatively leisurely drinking race, the Stupor Bowl pitted bicyclists against each other in a race across town as they sought out the quickest routes between checkpoints.

The races began with a 100-yard footrace in Kenwood Park, where competitors trudged through knee-deep snow, pushing and shoving as they hurried toward their bicycles.

In all, riders pedaled about 40 miles in the contest.

“It felt a lot longer,” said Mario Hernandez, who came from San Francisco to compete in the speed race.

In its drinking iteration, the Stupor Bowl set bicyclists across town in search of 13 bars, requiring them to get a drink at each.

Jeff Frane can claim Stupor Bowl XIV bragging rights for crossing the finish line first, but only a fraction of the riders finished in the allotted three hours.