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Winterus Maximus fat bike race takes back winter at the Flying Canoë Volant Festival in Edmonton

Previously reported by Canadian Cycling Magazine, an event that rolled out on Feb. 6 in Edmonton has all but redefined what can be done with a fat bike.

February 7, 2016
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Image: makeitYEG/Twitter
Image: makeitYEG/Twitter

Previously reported by Canadian Cycling Magazine, an event that rolled out on Feb. 6 in Edmonton has all but redefined what can be done with a fat bike. It’s even redefined what some might think of when they imagine chariots and dogsleds, for that matter.

That event, which debuted at Edmonton’s Flying Canoë Volant Festival, was the Winterus Maximus fat bike race .

As we described earlier, though, the race isn’t just about who can cross the snowy grounds the fastest on two wheels, but about pushing the envelope a bit about what a fat bike can actually do. The brainchild of MADE—Media Architecture Design Edmonton—the underlying concept, the CBC reported, is centered around “taking back winter through design.”

The design aspect aside, “taking back winter,” after all, is what a fat bike is all about.

Teams competed in ranks of three each: a pilot on a fat bike and two occupants—or “charioteers,” if you will—in the chariots and sleds pulled by the big-rubber steeds, all vying for a first-place prize of $500. Contestants made the rounds of a snowy circuit, with the event itself, ultimately, being a race described as “Roman Gladiator chariots meets chuckwagon racing meets dog sledding,” to use the words of the organizers.

This year, the first for Winterus Maximus, saw six teams competing. Further, organizers of the event with MADE believe that this is the first of its kind ever to roll out, the CBC noted. In embracing the big-wheeled, snow-riding appeal of fat biking, coupled with the novelty of the homemade chariots and sleds, it’s easy to see how the infectious spirit of the race means it likely won’t be the last.

When the snow had settled, team Radiosled emerged as the 2016 event’s pioneering winners. Take a look at how the inaugural Winterus Maximus race went through the eyes of social media.