Winter in Minnesota is considered purgatory by most scholars. Six (plus) months of penance per year seems about right for the sins of the other seasons. Nat spends the Winter punishing himself on his stationary bicycle – hour after hour in his damp, cold cellar (I just threw those adjectives in – I’m sure his Edina basement is neither damp nor cold) pedaling his little heart out. Before Summer, he must spin the wheel of the stationary bicycle a lot. 5,000 miles – to be exact. I did some complicated geographical calculations and figured out that if Nat pedaled in the real world, he could get to Argentina.

Sometimes (in this case) words can’t adequately describe a (torturous) moment in time. But that’s where video comes in. This video will give you a small taste of the race that Nat (and the rest of the Tanek-sponsored-Flanders-Bicycle-Team) is training for: