Unicycle articles (but wait there's more...)

A WHEELY TOUGH TASK - AND NO CLOWNING AROUND!
PHIL GOODWIN
29 May 2008
The Cornishman
(c) 2008 The Cornishman .

If you associate unicycling with comically-minded gentlemen in brightly
coloured wigs and over-sized footwear you are probably not alone.

But Tue Johansen, of Nancledra, hopes to change a few fixed ideas when
he rides for a British team in the first 'Unicycling Tour de France',
being held in Nova Scotia next month.

The 42-year-old jets out to Canada as part of a three-man team planning
to tackle the 500-mile 'Ride the Lobster' event on 36-inch 'cokers' -
the name given by aficionados to racing unicycles.

Danish-born Tue says the inspiration for their team name - the Lost
Wheelers - comes from the comment he hears shouted most often on
training rides.

"Every time you go out someone will shout: 'you've lost a wheel' but I
love giving people a laugh and it makes my day when children cheer me
on," he said.

"Young people always want to know how you ride it and how you get on -
which is probably the hardest part."

Anyone who has seen Tue climb into the saddle knows that it requires a
running leap of faith and considerable balancing skills to remain
upright.

But with fixed pedals, only one brake mounted on the tiny handlebars
and no option to freewheel, travelling downhill at speeds of up to 20
miles per hour sounds like a true test of courage.

The pharmacist and father of two children, Tom and Millie, has been
training hard for the five-day event from Yarmouth to Cape Breton.

He will ride the 125-mile stages in relay with team mates Steve
Colligan and Paul Royle.

With 35 teams battling for the £5,000 first prize, the contest is
something of an unknown quantity though it does mirror the Tour de
France with road and time trial stages.

Tue is hotly anticipating day-three's criterium event which pits the
entire field against one another in a mass sprint around a town called
Truro.

"With 120 of us doing six laps of the town it could be complete
carnage," he said, "so we will need to be pretty focused.

"You have got to be more 'on it' with this sport than on two wheels but
you get a feel for when you are going to fall off and you have to kind
of kick the cycle away.

"The great advantage is that having less weight you can go uphill much
quicker than on two wheels - I overtake guys quite a lot around Penwith
but they always catch me on the way back down."

Tue's partner Jo Holland and the children will follow the race from
home but the whole family plan to go out to watch Tue compete in the
world championships in Denmark later this year.

"We go out cycling together as a family but I am just a beginner on the
unicycle - I feel very vulnerable up there without any handlebars," said
Jo.

? Fans can follow the race action between June 16 and 20 online at
www.ridethelobster. com


--
JJuggle

Raphael Lasar - Matawan, NJ

'10th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://jjuggle.unicyclist.com/lbiunithon) -
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ATHLETES 'RIDE THE LOBSTER' IN UNICYCLE TOUR THROUGH NOVA SCOTIA
CP
2 June 2008
(c) 2008 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

YARMOUTH, N.S. _ Athletes from around the world plan to race along Nova
Scotia's scenic coastline and backcountry roads this month _ on one
wheel.

They'll be part of an event that organizers are calling ``the Tour de
France of unicycling'' _ a five-day, 800-kilometre competition
officially dubbed Ride the Lobster, with $10,000 in prize money.

Teams of riders will complete five stages from June 16 to 20,
stretching from Yarmouth at the southern tip of the province to
Baddeck, Cape Breton, at the north.

Communities, caught up by the ``grin factor'' of the event, are holding
special events like ceilidhs and regattas to coincide with each stage,
said event manager Heather LeBlanc.

``People can't believe that anyone would do a race like this,'' said
LeBlanc. ``We have over 136 communities in Nova Scotia involved in this
project right now.''

A total of 105 athletes _ riding big-wheel unicycles designed for speed
and distance _ are expected from Canada, the United States, Britain,
Denmark, Germany, France, South Korea, Singapore and New Zealand.

Jeff Groves, member of an all-Toronto team, says he's looking forward
to the gruelling race _ and to finishing it, hopefully in the top 10.

``Sitting on a unicycle seat all day can be really sore,'' said Groves,
23, who expects to average about 20 to 25 kilometres an hour on his
wheel, hitting a top speed of about 30.

``There are times that you really hate it. But it's fun in the end. It
feels a lot better afterwards than it does during.''

Organizers plan to use GPS units to track the progress of each team
live on the Internet at the event's website, www.ridethelobster.com.


--
JJuggle

Raphael Lasar - Matawan, NJ

'10th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://jjuggle.unicyclist.com/lbiunithon) -
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UNIQUE RACE INVOLVING 105 UNICYCLISTS UNDERWAY IN NOVA SCOTIA
BY JOHN LEWANDOWSKI
16 June 2008
The Canadian Press
(c) 2008 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

HALIFAX _ More than 100 extreme athletes from around the world began
unicycling their way across Nova Scotia on Monday in a unique race
called Ride the Lobster.

The 800-kilometre race started in Yarmouth in eastern Nova Scotia and
will wind its way through 135 communities before ending Friday in Cape
Breton at Baddeck.

The event is the brainchild of Edward Wedler, a bookstore owner in
Greenwood, N.S., who saw an opportunity 18 months ago to promote rural
sports tourism in his adopted home.

``Wedler's originally from Australia and when he saw a map of the
province, he thought it looked like a lobster, hence the name,'' said
Doug Dockrill, spokesman for the event.

``Each rider will do 70 kilometres a day. These are some extreme
athletes riding unicycles that range in size from 20 to 36 inches.''

Typically, unicycles have no brakes and no gears.

``You have to use your stomach muscles and your thighs. It's just as
much work to go downhill as it is to go up,'' said Dockrill.

The race pack, known as a wobble, includes world distance and speed
record holders, including Kris Holm of Vancouver, a man organizers
describe as the Wayne Gretzky of unicycling.

``He even took his bike up into the Himalayas,'' said Dockrill.

Participants are competing for $10,000 in prizes and cash donated by
various unicycle builders and enthusiasts.

Many of the participants staged demonstrations over the weekend in the
Yarmouth county area.

Jirana Messenger, 19, of Frankfurt, Germany performed what she
described as ``figure skating on a unicycle,'' something she picked up
after she started unicycling eight years ago.

``I participated in a school workshop with juggling and unicycling like
in the circus,'' Messenger said just before the race started.

The racers, members of teams from as far away as New Zealand, Singapore
and Denmark, will be accompanied by mechanics in 35 vans.

Most of the logistical support has been donated, as various sponsors
came on board.

Even the province's Justice Department got involved.

``There is no provision for unicycles on provincial highways in the
Motor Vehicle Act,'' said Dockrill. ``So we had to get a ministerial
order ... and set up police and traffic control at crossroads.''

Each team has a GPS tracking unit that is tracking their progress on
the Ride the Lobster website at http://www.ridethelobster.com/


--
JJuggle

Raphael Lasar - Matawan, NJ

Pictures from the '10th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://tinyurl.com/5ye394)
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UNIQUE UNICYCLE RACE DRAWS MORE THAN 100 LOVERS OF THE ONE-WHEELED SPORT
TO N.S.
BY MELANIE PATTEN
18 June 2008
The Canadian Press
(c) 2008 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

HUBBARDS, N.S. _ Feel free to stare, wave or cheer as Frank Brown zips
past, perched high atop his unicycle _ just don't hum that darn circus
song.

As the 25-year-old from Virginia scooted around a parking lot in
Hubbards, N.S., on Wednesday _ preparing for the next leg of an
international unicycle race _ he lamented the unicycle's enduring
association with seedy carnivals and clowns.

``You get a lot of comments from kids, like, they'll start singing the
circus theme song, that duhn duhn dunnadunna duhn duhn dunna,'' said
Brown, humming the familiar big-top tune known as Entrance of the
Gladiators.

``You get that a lot ... Other bicyclists, it's hard to convince them
that we're really serious about this.''

Brown, who's been unicycling for about eight years, is one of more than
100 extreme athletes from around the world who have come to Nova Scotia
to take part in a unique, week-long race called Ride the Lobster _ the
brainchild of Nova Scotian Edward Wedler.

The bookstore owner in Greenwood, N.S., who is originally from
Australia, came up with the name after he concluded that the shape of
the province looked like a lobster.

The 800-kilometre race began Monday in Yarmouth, along the province's
southwestern shore, and will wheel its way through 135 communities
before ending Friday in Cape Breton at Baddeck.

On Wednesday, riders took part in a time trial, with one unicyclist
departing the starting line every 30 seconds and cycling 21
kilometres.

The racers _ men and women who came from as far away as Singapore and
Denmark _ are accompanied by mechanics in 35 vans as they cycle across
the province.

Jamey Mossengren, who took up unicycling at the age of 10, said most
people are surprised when they learn how serious some unicyclists are
about their sport.

``Most people, when they think of unicycles, they think of circuses,
clowns and we're trying to get away from that,'' said Mossengren, 28,
who's from Huntington Beach, Ca.

``But once people see the tricks we can do, hear how long we can ride,
they understand it is more of a serious thing than just fun and
games.''

A basic unicycle is anywhere between 91 and 121 centimetres tall and
costs between $500 and $600 dollars, said Mossengren. But unicycles
with two gears can sell for about $2,000.

Typically, unicycles have no brakes and no gears, making it a challenge
for a rider's stomach muscles and thighs, whether wheeling downhill or
up.

``It's just a great feeling being up there, knowing you're balanced,
it's kind of like a Zen state in a way,'' said Mossengren, who has a
degree in mechanical engineering, but abandoned the profession in
favour of opening his own unicycle shop.

Race participant Steve Plumridge of Sydney, N.S., said he decided to
try his hand _ or feet _ at unicycling only 10 months ago.

``(Our team is) having lots of fun. We're not here to win, we're not
here to really place,'' said Plumridge. ``We're here to meet all the
people, enjoy the race, enjoy the experience.''

Ken Looi, a doctor from New Zealand, made the long trek to Nova Scotia
for the race, which is considered the Tour de France of the one-wheeled
variety.

The racers are competing for $10,000 in prizes and cash donated by
various unicycle builders and enthusiasts.

Looi, 30, said the Ride the Lobster race was a long time coming.

``I think it's awesome, there's nothing that's ever been held like it
before,'' said Looi, noting there is an international competition every
two years where participants compete in a variety of events, including
playing hockey and basketball.

``(Ride the Lobster) is one of kind,'' he said. ``Hopefully the first
of many.''


--
JJuggle

Raphael Lasar - Matawan, NJ

Pictures from the '10th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://tinyurl.com/5ye394)
held Saturday, June 7, 2008!
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NEW PALTZ RESIDENT LOVES TO RACE UNICYCLES
Nancy Haggerty
13 July 2008
Poughkeepsie Journal
(c) Copyright 2008, Poughkeepsie Journal. All Rights Reserved.

Think unicycle and image one might be a clown or street performer
teetering side to side at all of a mile or two per hour.

But now think 500 miles of unicycle racing, often at 20-plus mph, of
riding roads that not only go up and down hills but also mountains.

Think Ride the Lobster, the recent 35-team relay held in Nova Scotia.

The June 16-20 race, officially 800 kilometers or 497.1 miles, included
four days of 35-rider mass-start, roughly 120-mile road racing and one
day of time trials and criterium.

It also included riders from as far away as Korea, Germany, Denmark
Singapore, Britain, New Zealand and Australia.

By comparison, David Stone was a local.

The 41-year-old New Paltz resident teamed with John Foss, 46, of
California and Dave White, 52, of Ohio on The Centurions. The name
represents the fact the three, who met through unicycle conventions,
have among them 101 years of unicycling experience, Stone the least at
28.

Stone, president/founder of the Manhattan-based New York Unicycle Club,
had done long unicycle rides, including a New York City century in which
he logged 102 miles in one day. But his longest previous races were only
10Ks.

"I treated this racing as if I had to do about six to eight of those
each day for four days," he said.

Stone, who works in Manhattan as a private tutor, trained for two
months, logging 13 to 25 miles a day, sometimes in Central Park, but
most often on the rail trail out of New Paltz.

Going in, his team's goal was a top-10 finish and that's exactly what
it got, finishing 10th in 40 hours, 27 minutes, 34 seconds. That was
four-plus hours behind the winning German team and more than 19 hours
ahead of the last-place team. But 10th was a battle, with the
11th-place squad finishing just seven minutes back.

"When I rode, I always thought, 'Never let up.' I didn't want to give
up even a second to another team... I rode like gangbusters the whole
way," said Stone, whose motto was "None shall pass" and who noted, "It
was very rare when someone did."

Enjoys speed aspect

Stone, a former high school runner who explained, "Speed is what I
always had as a weapon in any sport," logged 87 of the final day's 180
kilometers, cycling mostly flats and downhills, his strengths.

He rode one three-mile, paved mountain downhill at 19 mph.

"On a unicycle that's way too fast to fall off," he remarked.

But while one opponent broke a leg crossing train tracks, even on
gravel, Stone's team had no falls. It was on a gravel downhill, that
the gravel-loving Stone hit 22.5 mph, his top race speed.

"That was just amazing," Stone said, adding, "I see gravel and it's
almost like I get hungry."

Foss' wife, Jacquie, drove the team's support van routinely six or more
miles ahead of the team's current rider. Then, at the van, a GPS
tracking baton was passed to the next rider, who'd already be
pedaling.

Stone, who owns 30 unicycles, rode a 29-inch, wheel-geared unicycle
throughout the race. Other racers rode geared and ungeared unicycles of
various sizes. The winning Germans, who took home a $4,000 prize (The
Centurions split $125 for 10th place) used a more difficult to handle
but very fast 36-inch, wheel-geared unicycle.

The race, run through areas that reminded Stone of the Hudson Valley,
was designed to boost tourism. Rooms and breakfast and dinner were
provided free to participants, who shared information and more with
each other.

"Imagine a new golfer coming along and wanting tips on how to avoid a
slice and he started chatting up Tiger Woods. It's never going to
happen. ... The nice thing about the sport is it's in its youth. We're
still so innocent," said Stone, who noted his and others teams loaned
unicycles to competitors and one team actually built one for another
team.

The camaraderie extended to fans. Schoolchildren lined parts of the
route and gave teams care packages.

"... As a tutor, former teacher and father, the kids were the best
(part of the race)," said Stone.

While his own kids, Fiona, 12, a five-year rider; Emmett, 8, a two-year
rider; and Maeve, 4, were home in school and his wife, Shirra, was
running her New Paltz shop, Knit and Be Happy, the GPS baton allowed
them to follow The Centurions' progress online.

This was the first ever Ride the Lobster and if Nova Scotia hosts it
again, Stone plans to be there.

He also dreams of someday unicycling cross-country with his brother,
John, who has unicycled across the Alps, the Pyrenees and Norway.

More immediately, though, Stone plans to do a New York century ride on
Sept. 7. And he's also talking about teaming with John and Emmett in
arace.

The name of that team? The Rolling Stones.

Nancy Haggerty writes about extreme sports every Sunday in her Without
Limits column.

On the Web

Information about Ride the Lobster can be found at

www.ridethelobster.com and at www.unicyclist.com


--
JJuggle

Raphael Lasar - Matawan, NJ

Pictures from the '10th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://tinyurl.com/5ye394)
held Saturday, June 7, 2008!
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UNICYCLE FOOTBALLERS TAKE GAME UP A NOTCH
Andrea Lorenz
20 July 2008
Austin American-Statesman
© 2008 Austin American Statesman. Provided by ProQuest Information and
Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Jay Janner photos AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Michael Rowe of the Unicychos tries to pick up some yards against the
Hot Dogs during the league's first Stupor Bowl, on July 13 in San
Marcos.

Unicychos member Alan Barnes, left, looks for a receiver during the
Stupor Bowl in San Marcos. The Unicycle Football League, which started
four months ago and has three teams, concluded its season July 13 with
a championship game. The Hot Dogs won in overtime.

Jay Janner photos AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Marcus Garland, left, of the Hot Dogs knocks down Ray Decoux of the
Unicychos. The players use flags instead of tackling, but that doesn't
always prevent pileups and bruises.

Jason Polasek dunks teammate Marcus Garland after the championship
victory. The league is thinking of adding cheerleaders.

Paul Malachi is decked out in his team's colors. Many of the players
didn't ride unicycles before joining the league.

SAN MARCOS - It was hot - really hot - as the Hot Dogs cinched the
championship for the first unicycle football Stupor Bowl .

Opposing team Unicychos blamed last week's loss on the brutal heat, the
quarterback's dislocated shoulder and unwritten rules. They aren't
"completely set in stone," said Unicycho player Pop.a.wheelie , who is
known to family members and friends as William "Grant" Love.

The Unicycle Football League started with a handful of people four
months ago and has grown to three teams that play only in San Marcos.
The best two played July 13 in the championship game, dubbed the Stupor
Bowl. The game was complete with the national anthem and a halftime show
by a local one-man band .

The Hot Dogs were up 12 points at halftime, and although the Unicychos
bounced back with a couple of touchdowns, league founder Marcus Garland
fittingly scored the Hot Dogs' winning touchdown during overtime.

A juggler for 20 years, Garland, who is known on the field as Larry
Gunn, said he came up with the idea for the league years ago. "I
dismissed the idea immediately," he said. He remembers thinking, "Where
am I going to find all these unicycle riders?"

Turns out, he didn't need to find unicyclists. Instead, most of the
league's loyal players learned to unicycle specifically to join the
league. Love taught himself to ride a one-wheeler in about 16 hours.

The rules are similar to regular football, with a few exceptions. There
are about half as many players on the "field" as in regular football .
Players pull flags from opposing team members rather than tackle them,
but unicycle football is by no means a noncontact sport. Collisions are
frequent, and some players spend as much time on the ground as on the
wheel. A referee broke up at least one pile of players trying to grasp
the ball amid their tangled unicycles.

Instead of a coin toss to start the championship game, there was a
one-wheeled jousting contest that lasted less than two seconds because
one of the players was knocked down by a boxing glove attached to the
end of a broom handle.

After touchdowns, the scoring team tried for an extra point through
uni-sumo, in which two players try to shove each other out of a chalk
circle or knock the other off balance.

Garland has high hopes for the league, which plays in the parking lot
of an abandoned gas station off the San Marcos square. He said he would
like to create teams in Austin and elsewhere and travel to away games.
Although all the current players are men, women are welcome, Garland
said.

There's talk of a cheerleading team, dubbed the "Unibwroadz" on the
league's online forum. And they even have loyal fans.

"Team Mom" Dottie Barnes watched her son, Corporal Punishment , also
known as Alan , play quarterback for the Unicychos during the
championship game.

"The kid was never in Little League," she said of her 30-year- old son.
"I wait until he's 30, and (I'm) team mom."

Barnes said she doesn't fret when her son falls from his bike.

"Most of the time, you fall forward on your feet or you fall backward
on your feet."

Only a couple of players wore helmets, knee or elbow pads last week.
Love said players are looking for second-hand football pads to help
prevent some injuries, such as the "torn up" hip he got from the
championship game.

Despite the bruises, and his team's loss, Love said he wouldn't miss
next season.

"Being a part of something, or a group or a team or whatever, it's
really awesome," Love said. "It feels really good."

;

(512) 392-8750

(BOX)

Want to play?

The Unicycle Football League in San Marcos is looking for teams and
players for next season, which starts in the fall . Knowing how to
unicycle or play football is not required. For more information, visit
www.unicyclefootball.com. Want to play?

The Unicycle Football League in San Marcos is looking for teams and
players for next season, which starts in the fall. Knowing how to ride
a unicycle or play football is not required. For more

information, go to www.

unicyclefootball.com.


--
JJuggle

Raphael Lasar - Matawan, NJ

Pictures from the '10th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://tinyurl.com/5ye394)
held Saturday, June 7, 2008!
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BIG WHEELS PEDDLE ONE WHEEL; UNICYCLES GAIN INTEREST
James R. Johnson; Herald Staff Writer
21 July 2008
Grand Forks Herald
Copyright 2008, NewsBank. All Rights Reserved.

Carl Barrentine was going through a midlife crisis five years ago and
needed a new challenge.

"I saw somebody coming down North Columbia Road on a unicycle,"
Barrentine reflected as he grabbed a model with a 36-inch tire. "He was
dribbling a basketball while riding one of these, and he had more gray
hair than I do now. I said I can do this!"

Barrentine and about a dozen people wheeled around the south Ralph
Engelstad Arena parking lot Sunday evening. He said learning to
balancing on a unicycle is no different than mastering a two-wheeler.
There are going to be bumps and bruises.

"The bigger the wheel, the faster you go, the harder you fall," said
Barrentine.

UND student Jed Shanley said Carl inspired him to give one wheel a
try.

"I've put in about twelve hours total, a half hour to an hour each
time," said Shanley. "There's a lot of frustration, lots of falls, but
I do it recreationally on the bike paths."

Marissa Lind said she took to a unicycle five or six weeks ago. She
rode one to her last day of class at Valley Middle School.

"It's a fun accomplishment because it's one of those things not a lot
of people know how to do," said Lind peddling a 12-inch model. She said
she's eager to move on to a bigger wheel to go longer distances.
Barrentine said the biggest he knows of is 43 inches.

"Seeing kids do something they think is impossible and then succeed is
so rewarding," said Barren-tine.

Andrew Yost, president of the UND Cycling Club, is willing to learn.

"Right now, the farthest I can make it is across my living room," said
Yost.

There are no organized clubs for unicyclists in Grand Forks. The
closest is in the Twin Cities. Barren-tine is looking for a place to
unicycle indoors during the colder winter months. One of his unicycles
has a studded tire for winter wheeling.

"I'm really happy with our bike paths, and the Green-way is just
wonderful," Barrentine said. "In some parts of Japan, it's mandatory
for kids to learn to ride a unicycle. I've heard of a woman who learned
how to do it at 60."

If you're interested in helping other learn to unicycle, you can call
Barrentine at (701) 746-7992 or e-mail . To
learn from other unicyclists on line, log on to
www,.unicyclist.com/forums/.

Reach Johnson at (701) 780-1262; (800) 477-6572, ext. 262; or send
e-mail to .

Dustin Finkelstein, staff photographer; · The small gathering of people
look on as a first-time unicycler gives it a shot at the Second
Rendezvous of the Dakota One Wheel Society, held in the parking lot of
the Ralph Engelstad Arena on Sunday.


--
JJuggle

Raphael Lasar - Matawan, NJ

Pictures from the '10th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://tinyurl.com/5ye394)
held Saturday, June 7, 2008!
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DAD, SON UNICYCLE DUO PAIR OUTSPOKEN ABOUT JOYS OF LIFE ON ONE WHEEL
Rick Smith
21 August 2008
San Angelo Standard-Times
Copyright 2008 Scripps Howard Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Trey Smith and Lee Smith may have the most well-balanced father-son
relationship in San Angelo.

They may also be the city's only father-and-son unicyclists.

You probably have seen them riding around town. Lee rode his unicycle
to Lee Middle School for several years, and Trey rides his to Angelo
State University. They often use the unicycles for trips to H-E-B or to
restaurants, and they enjoy riding the trails at San Angelo State Park.

Because unicyclists are rare around here, the two get a lot of
kidding.

"People always ask us the same questions," the father said, shaking his
head as his 14-year-old son nodded.

"Are you missing a wheel?" his son volunteered. Or, "Your handlebars
are gone!"

"Where's the rest of your bike?" the father added.

Or their favorite: "How the heck do you do that?"

"We get that one a lot," said Trey, an assistant professor of
mathematics at ASU.

"Yeah, and, sometimes, people just say, 'You're crazy,'" added Lee, who
will attend the Central Freshman Campus this fall.

Trey and Lee have been riding their one-wheeled machines for four
years. They taught themselves to ride with a walker - the four-legged
gadget people with balance problems use.

"We'd put the walker behind us, hold on to both sides, then let go and
fall forward," Lee said.

"Lean out and fall. Lean out and fall. The first 100 or so times,
that's all you do," Trey added.

"It takes forever," his son agreed.

"You get mad," the father said, "until you finally go 3 or 4 feet."

"Then you start going longer and longer," Lee said. "Every 10 tries,
you go a little bit longer.

"Do that forever and a half, and you learn how to do it."

Unicycles may look dangerous to non-riders, but they're not, Trey
said.

They don't travel as fast as bikes, he noted, and if you start to fall,
you simply step off, onto the ground.

After four years of regular riding, including city cycling as well as
miles spent on the trails at San Angelo State Park, their only injuries
have been minor cuts and scrapes.

Why do the two enjoy unicycling?

"For me, the best part of unicycling is getting to spend time with
Lee," Trey added. "We get to go out and do something together."

"And riding's a lot of fun," Lee added.

Sure, there's some father-son competitiveness.

"My favorite thing is finding different things to do on the unicycle -
and then making Dad do them," Lee said.

"I like jumping on and off stuff on my unicycle and riding it on small
surfaces, like a board," he said,

Trey shook his head. "Lee will try something and then say, 'Dad, that
was a lot of fun. You've got to try that!'"

Lee's competitive nature paid off this summer. He won three medals at
the North American Unicycling Championship and Convention in Rapid
City, S.D. Contests ranged from obstacle courses to an uphill race. He
said he plans to compete again next year.

Lee demonstrated his moves at home last week as motorists passing by on
Avenue K slowed down to wave and enjoy the show.

Jumping his unicycle down steps, over curbs, in circles, Lee rode
forward, then backward, pumping the pedals, making the little machine
spin like a ballerina one minute, riding it like a pogo stick the
next.

Balancing, bouncing. Bouncing, balancing.

How the heck does he do that?

As his son pedaled, Trey studied Lee's performance closely. I thought
the father looked analytical, a little bit critical and button-busting
proud - all at the same time.

"Hey Dad," Lee said, speeding up, faster and faster. "Try this!"

Rick Smith is a local news and community affairs columnist. Contact him
at or (325) 659-8248.

Learning to ride

Trey and Lee Smith say Unicycle.com is a good source for unicycling
information and equipment. They also recommend the how-to book "Ride
the Unicycle: A Crash Course!" by Gregg Vivolo. It's available at
ridetheunicycle.com.


--
JJuggle

Raphael Lasar - Matawan, NJ

Rien n’est tel qu’il paraît être.
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A couple mistakes in the article, like the number of muni'ists in
Colorado Springs, but still a fun read:

http://tinyurl.com/65egx5
VIDEO: CONQUERING PIKES PEAK ATOP A SINGLE WHEEL
'Comments 2' (http://tinyurl.com/65egx5) |
Recommend
(javascript:recommendReview('Articlecolgazette3987 2')) 0
August 27, 2008 - 8:41PM
'By DAVE PHILIPPS' )
THE GAZETTE
OK. Imagine trudging up Barr Trail to the summit of
Pikes Peak: 7,000 vertical feet of slippery gravel and boulders. You're
sweaty. You're exhausted. Your lungs are burning. It's the hardest thing
you've ever done.

Then some guy comes around the corner riding a unicycle.

And just as you're about to mutter some flabbergasted comment, his
11-year-old, 64-pound, unicycling daughter does, too.

"We get a lot of funny looks," said Luke Ward, 36, who learned to
unicycle with his daughter Dani 18 months ago. They soon got good
enough that they were taking the tipsy one-wheelers off-road, which
led, naturally, to the ultimate local challenge: riding down Pikes
Peak.

A few weeks ago they were dropped off on the 14,115-foot summit.

Dani, with brown hair and a laid-back "this is no big deal" attitude,
strapped on shin pads, knee pads and a helmet, and wheeled a special
knobbytired mountain unicycle to the edge of the abyss.

What does she like about mountain unicycling, or "muni," as the sport's
small band of devotees calls it?

"It's hard," she said. "Not everyone can do it."


"Hard" doesn't begin to describe it. Most people can't balance on a
unicycle for a few seconds, let alone ride down a mountain. The Wards'
munis have no brakes.
The riders' quads are their brakes. And there is no coasting. Keeping
a unicycle upright is a constant dance of muscles.

"By the end you're so tired you can barely walk," Dani said.

The father-daughter pair started down the trail, dropping over rocks
and pivoting through boulder fields, held up by nothing but their own
exceptional balance.

Mountain unicycling is almost as old as mountain biking. John Foss, aka
"The Unicyclone," a Californian who was a pioneer of the sport, started
touting the challenge of trail riding in 1981 and held the first
gathering in 1996.

"Like mountain biking, it had multiple origins. People just started
doing it," he said by phone. "But it wasn't until the late 1990s that
you could buy parts specifically made for municycling. That's when it
really took ofi."

"Took off " is a relative term. The pool of muni riders nationwide is
more like a droplet. The largest annual gathering, in Moab, Utah,
attracts about 300 riders. The Wards say besides them, the number of
other muni riders in town is one.

But that may be part of the appeal.

"It attracts a lot of really smart people who like to do things that
aren't easy," Foss said.

"It attracts a lot of computer people, a lot of artists and savants.
And then there's just people who like to be odd."

On the surface there's nothing odd about the Wards.

Dani likes soccer and macaroni and cheese, and plays lots of "World of
Warcraft." Her dad does computer work for El Paso County, likes
spending time with his daughters, and plays lots of "World of
Warcraft."

What's odd is the looks they get from hikers on the trail.

"You gotta be kidding me," one breathless man said as stepped aside to
let the willowy girl roll past.

"You just have more talent than you know what to do with," a woman said
as she prodded her husband to snap a picture.

Another hiker looked up and, with an incredulous smile, said, "Is this
the sign of the apocalypse?"

Even Matt Carpenter, the uber-focused champion trail runner, stopped
midstride.

"This I've gotta see," he said.

The Wards bounced by like members of an X Games circus.

"OK," said Carpenter. "Now I've seen it."

He kept running.

Dani led her dad down the trail, arms outstretched for balance.

He started the whole unicycle thing after not finding enough of a
challenge when he switched from a regular mountain bike to a rigid
single speed, but she is quickly eclipsing him as a rider.

"He's stronger, but I can do more tricks," she said.

She is more graceful. He tries to power through things.

"I have a job and she doesn't," he said in defense.

There were no uni riders in the area to teach the Wards. They learned
by first balancing with both hands clutching the doorway to their
kitchen. The next step was to ride across the kitchen to grab the next
doorway, 10 feet away.

"We got pretty good in a few weeks," Ward said, "But the kitchen fioor
has taken a beating. There were a lot of slams."

Unicyclists fall a lot more than bicyclists, but the falls aren't
usually as bad. Riders are less likely to get caught up in the frame so
it's easier to bail out and land on their feet. Plus, the top speed is
only about 7 mph, making even bad falls relatively minor.

After about six weeks of riding, Ward and his daughter decided they
were good enough to try the rocky trails at Ute Valley Park. It was a
blast, so they tackled the Captain Jacks trail.

They weren't staying on the whole time, but the point was the
challenge.

They started hiking up the Manitou Incline and riding down the tight
switchbacks of Barr Trail. From there it was only natural to think of
Pikes Peak.

"It was his idea," said Dani, pointing a thumb at her dad and giving
him a slight eye roll.

"But you had fun," he said. "Didn't you?"

They must have, because a few weeks after their first successful
descent, they did it again.

They dropped down through the clouds below tree line and rolled along
at a jogging pace through the mist, toward town.

Four hours after leaving the summit, they arrived in Manitou Springs.

Even when riders have mastered the unicycle, it is still harder and
slower than riding a bike.

It will never be as popular, but, The Unicyclone is quick to note, it
can take you to a place bicycling can't.

"When you learn to unicycle," he said, "you've done something most of
the world thinks is impossible. In the process you've learned that many
impossible things really aren't. That's a powerful idea that can change
your life."

-

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0223 or


--
silentspoon
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A WHEEL ADVENTURE; BRITON AIMS TO TAKE ON EVEREST ON A UNICYCLE
JO STEELE
326 words
15 September 2008
(c) 2008 Associated Newspapers. All rights reserved.

IT MAY be loved by clowns and jugglers, but the unicycle would hardly
be the vehicle of choice for anyone tackling Mount Everest.

Except for extreme unicyclist Steve Colligan... who intends to do just
that to get into the record books.

The father of two will have to overcome 5,000m (16,400ft) mountains,
minus 15°C temperatures and negotiate the worlds largest downhill ride,
all on one wheel.

His 1,000km (600-mile) ride across the roof of the world will take him
along the backbone of the Himalayas from Lhasa in Tibet to Kathmandu in
Nepal, via Everest base camp.

Mr Colligan, who has been unicy-cling for eight years, has specialised
in mountain unicycling muni to aficionados for six years.

He has ridden down Snowdon five times, Scafell Pike in the Lake
District twice and Ben Nevis (twice off-road) and along the Great Wall
of China. But he describes this 25-day trip as my biggest challenge
yet.

Mr Colligan said: This will be 1,000km of unicycling across five
mountain passes over 5,000m high, with the biggest decent in the world,
at 4,600m. The route will go via Everest base camp on the Tibetan side.

Most the riding will be dirt roads, so Im taking my distance unicycle,
fitted with an off-road tyre.

The second part of my trip to the Himalayas will be riding down many
5,000m peaks in Nepal.

The 47-year-old, from Manchester, is undertaking the feat next week to
raise money to build a school in Nepal.

He added: This is going to be an extreme ride, but what an experience
it will be. To follow his progress see www.unicyclesteve.com

ASSCMMGLSTRY000020404134

Look no hands: The daredevil unicyclist in New Zealand. Now he aims to
beat Everest Downhill racer: Steve practising on a rutted path in Nepal


--
JJuggle

Raphael Lasar - Matawan, NJ

On a steel horse I ride.
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