After serially clanging my chime for a couple of weeks, and not really enjoying riding in slushy parking lots, i took a couple of months off my uni. But i never quit.
This week i’ve been back in the saddle, andtoday I knocked out a four mile river loop in my neighborhood. Total time, including rest stops was about 1.5 hours.
This was a personal best in all respects!
My free mounts are still … (um we won’t talk about them), but my balance and control has dramatically improved; i can handle most of the sidewalk intersections, curb cuts and stuff that i come across. Today i even made it along a narrow rutted bicycle shortcut. My pedal control has gotten oodles better, as i’m not getting “hot foot” anymore, and i can actually reposition my foot on the pedal while riding (w/o falling off).
I enjoyed the affirmations from the kids in the park this afternoon, some even asked for my autograph!
Next week, weather permitting, i’m going to ride the tev ring at lunch. 3.8 miles, easy, flat and no traffic.
.max
Great accomplishment, keep up the good work.
Congratulations, Brave Sir!
I too have been hitting some mileage lately, hitting a few of my own personal bests as well. A lot of stops, some freemounting episodes I would rather not mention, wobbly too at times, but still enjoying some excellent rides (usually along the west side highway here in the New York).
What kind of uni are you rolling about on? I was on a 26er, but thanks to Dave Lowell, I am now borrowing his excellent 29er, which really made a big difference (Hi Dave, in case you read this, thanks again!)–actually, yesterday Dave and I went out to this incredible bike path in Ridgewood New Jersey–a bike path that seemed to wind through several towns while still feeling like it was a gigantic park–plenty of flat areas, but also lots of bumps and bridges and doom-level-like obstacles that made it interesting. All under lots of trees. Unicycling heaven, I think would be a more appropriate phrase. While riding there, I reached my own record of just over 10 miles (which I would not have gotten had Dave not insisted that I ride around the parking lot to get the magic 10 on the milage meter–it had been something like 9.48, just short of 10…)
Anyway, if someone told me I would reach 10 miles just 2 days ago I would have thought they were crazy. If someone told me last week that I would reach 6 miles, I would have laughed in their face. If someone told me two weeks ago that I would have ridden a mile I would have spit out all the beer in my mouth from laughing.
Personal bests do have a way of expanding quickly once you get the hang of it. For the first time, I am beginning to think that I may just finish the 19 mile LBI unithon on June 11.
At the rate you are going, Brave Sir, I have no doubt that you would finish it too.
Cheers, and congratulations again!