Seattle To Portland On A Unicycle (July 2009)

I am considering the STP in July 2009. I have a lot of decisions to make
about training and gear. If there are any veterans of similar long
distance unicycle rides that feel inclined to comment on gear and/or
training and their own personal choices I would find value in it, maybe
some others here would as well.


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Straightarrow
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'Here's an old thread I dug up' (http://tinyurl.com/8rjwce), there was a
really really long ride-report post in there somewhere. Maybe it had
something about equipment in it... I was too lazy to read it all the way
through. I keep considering doing STP this year... 200miles in 2 days
sounds like a fun challenge. There's a few riders here who have done STP
quite a few times maybe they'll chime in.


--
Ducttape

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'*original thread for uniman*'
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Straightarrow;1163795 wrote:
I am considering the STP in July 2009.



It is on my list. I didn't make it last year. Decide now. Buy your
bib early. It will help keep you from backing out. Start training
today.

See the finish.
JM


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bungeejoe
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I did the STP in 2005, shortly after my 40th birthday. Bungeejoe did it
in 2007 (shortly before his 50th birthday?), and various other people
have done it other years. I also tried it in 2008, as a spontaneous
post-Ride-The-Lobster event, but I didn't finish that time. I rode 121
miles the first day and then decided that the hotel pool was more
tempting than riding the remaining 83 miles on Sunday.

I think we've had exactly one unicyclist attempt it every year for the
last 5+ years.

Good equipment is certainly crucial. A 36" unicycle is the minimum you
should try it on -- that's what every successful rider has used. A
geared 29" or geared 36" is a more expensive option but would make the
ride significantly easier. If I do it again it will definitely be on my
geared 29". This lets me ride 10-20% faster, and really confuses the
cyclists.

A comfortable seat is crucial. Some people like air seats, but there's
a new KH seat that is supposed to be better.

Handlebars of some sort are recommended. They let you climb and descend
hills easier (not that the STP has any real hills) and I find my riding
is slightly more reliable when I'm holding my handlebar.

Experimenting with different crank lengths is important. I find I can
go a bit faster with a bit less knee strain with 125 mm cranks on my
Coker, but switching to 150 mm cranks when you are exhausted is a nice
option to have at the end.

And then, it's all about training. Your limiting factors (assuming that
riding skill is sufficient) are likely to be leg strength/endurance,
saddle soreness, and nutrition/electrolytes.

For leg strength/endurance there is no substitute for putting in the
miles. I like doing a combination of commuting (~15+ miles per day on
lots of days) and long rides on the weekend (40+ mile rides on the
weekend). This is also what lets you know whether you're ready. You need
to be doing 80+ mile day rides and 120+ mile weekends to know that
you're ready.

Preparing for saddle soreness is a mixture of putting in the miles and
having the right saddle. Pedaling faster also helps minimize saddle
soreness by reducing the amount of time you are riding and by putting
more weight on your legs.

Nutrition/electrolytes management is, for me, the trickiest part.
Despite riding STP and RTL I still haven't figure this one out. On long
rides on hot days I get nauseous and it makes it hard to eat, hard to
ride, and generally not as much fun. Some day I'll figure out the right
balance of salt pills, bananas, grapefruit and other food to keep my
body happy.

The STP organizers strongly encourage riders to not have a support
vehicle, because support vehicles increase traffic and danger. I've
always assumed that there is a blanket exemption to this rule for
unicyclists. Unicyclists should have a support vehicle because we are
doing a more demanding ride, we need more food, we have less time to
spare and, we can't predict as accurately how far we will ride the first
day. My wife drove support both times I did the STP. We'd meet up three
or four times throughout the day to replenish my food and drink, get
moral support, and get a ride to the hotel at nightfall. I'd also stop
at the official stop points and grab some of their food and drink, but
it wasn't enough by itself.

Start early. Both times I rode until darkness. It's nice to get in as
many miles as possible. Traffic getting to the starting line is bad,
especially 'later' in the morning (after 6:30?) so you have to get up
earlier than you think, or stay near the starting line the night
before.

Buy your number and book your hotel early. You can always sell the
number and cancel your hotel if you can't do it.

It's really hard. It's the hardest athletic endeavour I've ever done.
Then again, some riders find that sort of distance trivial, so you may
have a different experience, but you're safest assuming that it's a
serious challenge until your training proves otherwise.

It was incredibly satisfying. My goal was to prove that another
birthday didn't mean I was getting old, and I did that, setting a ton of
personal best riding records during the training. The moral support from
the cyclists is incredible -- you are a superstar to them and you will
be told that hundreds of times. That was an amazing part of the ride.

For more details my full write-up was linked to earlier, and I think
bungeejoe has a write-up somewhere.


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Bruce Dawson
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Bruce Dawson;1164365 wrote:

Buy your number and book your hotel early. You can always sell the
number and cancel your hotel if you can't do it.




Decide to do it, buy your number, and make a little noise about it.
Then drive the route to see what you got yourself into.



Bruce Dawson;1164365 wrote:

It's really hard. It's the hardest athletic endeavour I've ever
done...




It gets easier if you are well prepared, trained enough, and things go
good each day.


Bruce Dawson;1164365 wrote:

It was incredibly satisfying...




Even doing only half of it is rewarding.

JM


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bungeejoe
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Has anyone here every thought of(or attempted) making the entire route
in one day on a 36'er? I'm considering it... if you were to average
11-12mph you could finish the ride in about 17-18 hours... with enough
training it shouldn't be impossible right?


--
Ducttape

'-*buy my shirts*-'
(www.zazzle.com/ducttapesunicycle*)
'*watch my videos*'
(http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ducttapesunicycle)
'*uniman comics*'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53444)
'*original thread for uniman*'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49862)
*'sigged quotes' (http://tinyurl.com/29b744)*
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Ducttape;1165181 wrote:
Has anyone here every thought of(or attempted) making the entire route
in one day on a 36'er?



I've thought about it, but I haven't done anything that put me in
danger of succeeding. Doing it in 17-18 hours would be a world-class
ride. I only know of three riders who have done 200+ miles in 24 hours,
and one or two that might be able to do it in 17-18 hours.

But hey, go for it. If your training tells you it might be possible
then make sure you start as early as possible and have your support
vehicle prepared to tailgate you with floodlights so you can ride into
the dark if necessary (they'll kick you off the course if they think
it's not safe). It would be an awesome achievement to do it in one day.


--
Bruce Dawson
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Ducttape, Thanks for taking the time to hook up the link. I hope you do
the STP in 2009.

Bungeejoe, Congratulations. I will look up the details of your STP
ride. I hope you come out this year and set the pace for some of us that
ride the STP in 2009.

Bruce, I am familiar with your STP ride. I heard from some friends that
they saw a guy doing the STP on a unicycle and your story popped up on
the first search. I read your story. You write well. Began surfing
around and saw some video with Kris Holm and Dan Heaton, really
impressive atheletes. I rode alot when I was younger, actually did a
paper route on my Schwinn unicycle. Still have an original Schwinn
Giraffe. I was completely unaware so much was going on with unicycles. I
saw a lot of extreme sports and who is not impressed by those athletes?
Extreme sports guys were making the line between what was possible and
impossible pretty thin. After seeing top unicycle riders like Kris Holm
and Dan Heaton it seemed like the line, at times, no longer existed
between possible and impossible. Amazing athletes and good people I am
told by some acquaintances that saw Dan Heaton in December at the new
downton Seattle Columbia Store opening where he did a unicycle demo.

I loved those videos with Kris Holm and Dan Heaton and other top
riders. I loved watching Air Jordan launch from the top of the key and
owning the net. He never faked the funk on a nasty dunk. Never once did
I suffer the delusion I would ride a unicycle at their level or school
Jordan at B-Ball. Your story Bruce, kind of struck a chord. The idea of
a road trip on a unicycle had appealed to me since I was 14. You made
it seem possible. Have'nt been able to shake the idea loose. So it's
your fault. See how ya are?

I know the desire to succeed is only as great as a persons desire to
prepare. I know it's not a race. I know my life is'nt some halcyon
moment that will occur when I connect Point A to Point B. I've been
riding alot lately and enjoying it. This thing feels possible.

When I found your article on the STP, I was on the mend from a
significant physical hurdle. Repercussions from that struggle will
figure into this challenge as the distance stretches.

At this point, it feels like the only failure for me would be to not
ride the STP.

Thanks again for the thoughtful responses...What is your preference for
a saddle now? Air or gel, which model?


--
Straightarrow
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Straightarrow;1165217 wrote:


Thanks again for the thoughtful responses...What is your preference for
a saddle now? Air or gel, which model?



The KH fusion freeride is general regarded as the best stock distance
seat you can get and I agree. I have tried an air seat and a gel seat,
but they are not as nice as the fusion freeride with the center cutout.
A good handlebar helps too - most riders go with a T7 handle, which will
help with hills and taking some weight off your crotch.

As far as a unicycle choice...you will want to get a Nimbus Nightrider
Pro Isis or a KH 36er OR if you have the funds get a geared 29er or a
geared 36er.


--
siafirede

'DCuni' (http://www.dcuni.com/blog) - my blog about Unicycling in
Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland
*James* = my name
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Hey straightarrow, where are you based? If you're anywhere near the
Seattle area, there's a good possibility of connecting with folks in the
local group for some training rides. Sounds like Joe is in, I'm giving
serious thought, and even some of the locals not riding it would get out
and do some long rides just 'cause.

Hey ducttape: just remember that stopping to talk to other riders while
on your quest will break your concentration and undermine your goal.
Seriously though, if you are seriously thinking about going for it, good
luck to you. You'll enter a pretty small club, even if the other uni
riders will miss the benefit of your company during the ride. One thing
you might do in prep is read all the posts by Ken Looi and Sam Wakling
on their 24 hour records, and try to calculate how many hours in they
were when they hit the 200 mile mark. Or PM them with the question. I
can't remember reading that level of hour-by-hour breakdown, but knowing
it would give you an idea of how long it took world class riders in peak
condition who knew they were going for a world record to do it, and you
could then figure out the do-ability for you, and what it would take to
prep for a successful run at it.

TB


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tomblackwood

Tailgate at your own risk...
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