Today I (brag thread) V2

They have this in common with ordinary roller skates, then ;).
Oh, today (technically, it was yesterday) I road my uni for the first time after a nasty UPD a week ago. So looking forward to go shopping etc. the normal way again. :uni:

Still room for improvement, but I think I can finally say that I can idle.

On a 26":

And on a 32":

I had been struggling with it for some time. I found this “stutter step” drill to be useful, probably largely because it was something I could integrate into a morning ride instead of just trying to practice idling in one place: https://youtube.com/shorts/JYr11ymJl6w

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Well done. I think your “stutter step” practice is the best way to learn. It requires control to slow down, half rev back, full rev forward, repeat. Helps train you to be comfortable with this motions to slow down while riding to enter into an idle.

Have you tried similar where you ride into an idle with the intention of ‘N half revs’ before continuing. Where you idle for that many half revs before continuing on. For practice you chain them together with an increasing count : 2 half idle, then 3 half idle, then 4, then 5, etc. I did similar for 1 foot riding and it really helped me become comfortable with it and actually control it.

yup! i mix up this drill with doing 2-5 idles between full revs. Also with doing multiple half/full revs to work on going backwards, and with N hops to work on hopping. In all cases it helps practice the transition in/out of the skill like you said, helps “practice clean” (do small manageable pieces cleanly instead of going increasingly wild and out of control trying to do a skill until failure), and integrates well into “riding around”

Ooh I should try that

I am happy to finally be able to type this post.

Back in 2018, I learned to ride a unicycle after two major spine surgeries. I was warned that I would need physical therapy to possibly learn to walk correctly again, and was also warned that contact sports and “running for fun” were no longer recommended.

So, I bought a 20” unicycle to provide a loftier goal than walking correctly, and to hopefully provide an athletic hobby that would not cause me to bend my neck, and would not cause repetitive “jarring” that distance running provides.

After joining this forum, before even learning to ride the 20”, I was bitten by the 36” bug, and I dreamed of riding a 36” unicycle.

After learning to ride the 20”, and then a 24” unicycle, a 27.5” Nimbus Muni entered the picture.

Soon after that, I found a $50 UDC Titan on Craigslist that I learned to ride in 2022, with my first “distance ride” being January 2023. That unicycle was then modified to result in the unicycle shown in the attached photos.

Somewhere along the way, I agreed to ride in the Hotter’N Hell 25 mile race in Wichita Falls, TX. The big race is the Hotter’N Hell 100 (100 miles in 100F heat). My first attempt to finish the 25 mile race was August 26, 2023, and I failed to make it to the finish line. The temperature was 108F that day, and I was well into the afternoon when I decided to accept a ride on the SAG (safety and gear) Wagon, only to learn I had made it 1.5 miles from the finish line.

Fast forward to this past weekend, August 24, 2024, and I am happy to say that I was able to finish the race this year. The temperature was 101F when I finished. In addition to the heat, the day was quite windy. The wind did not pose a problem for the first 9 miles as it was a tailwind from behind us from the left. After passing mile 9, the route made a turn and for the rest of the day we either fought gusty crosswinds or a straight headwind. The photo of my son in his green jersey shows the lack of anything to break the wind for the majority of the ride, until we got closer to the finish line.

Photos of me, my son, and three additional riding partners are attached, in chronological order.

The start line

Somewhere within the first mile, photo captured by a photographer that requested that her photos be shared.

After the hill before the first rest stop, 9 miles into the ride

My son, after the first rest stop

Rest stop #2, at the Air Force base, 19 miles into the ride, with my son and the president of our local unicycle club.


The finish line, and our medals for finishing


Lastly, @Maxence and @toutestbon , I have waited over a year to wear the jersey I wore in the race. You may recognize it. :grin:

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I was like: “hey, I know this jersey!” :grin:
Thanks for buying it!

And… Congratulations for your race!

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Well, after knee surgery a couple years ago, I wondered if it would ever be possible… and today I “rode my age”. Aimed for 53km, wound up doing 53 miles in about 11.5 wallclock hours (9.5 hours travel time). Rode my g29er in low gear - I can ride it in high gear for a mile or so at a stretch, but I also had some minor injuries in high gear last month and wanted to be sure I finished today.

Room for improvement for next year :smiley:

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