Tribute to Bruce Hall- Adventure Unicyclist

Hi everyone,

As some of you have heard, there was a tragic accident involving a member of our unicycling community yesterday. Bruce Hall from Auckland, New Zealand was out on a training ride when he was hit by a truck. He passed away at the scene.

Bruce is well known to those of us in New Zealand, and many who have been on our unicycle tours will also know him as a really great guy (with a propensity for altitude sickness!).

He unicycled with us in Laos, Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Nepal, and was due to ride the South Island Unicycle tour later this year.

He leaves behind a partner and a young son, and a grown up daughter.

If you wish to post a tribute or pass condolence to family, please do so on this thread.

I have also made a Givealittle page if you wish to dedicate something to help the family.
https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/brucehall

If you wish to send flowers/card, message me for details.

Best regards,

Ken Looi

Sadly missed

Bruce was a really nice mild mannered man who I had the pleasure of calling a friend.

I am sure he will be sadly missed by all that knew him.

Sincere condolences

Very sorry to hear this sad news. Condolences to family and friends around the world. I rarely ride on roads without flashing to the irony of how such a joyful life activity could spell the end of life in the flash of a moment when combined with a careless driver. Very sad day indeed.

I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s so sad to learn of this news.

I ride on roads in my city and know how tricky it can be to navigate around traffic. We’re put in a difficult position. We love riding long distances which usually means very few options without traffic.

It’s good to see that he was able to enjoy so many wonderful unicycle tours with fellow riders. I’m sure he’ll be missed.

Article in The Sunday Star Times:

Please consider contributing something to his family to help with expenses after this accident.

https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/brucehall

He leaves behind a young son and partner, and older daughter, whom I will pass on messages to from this thread.

I am so sorry for the loss of Bruce. I never had the pleasure to ride with him or know him, however I have several friends who have ridden with Bruce. It is sad when we loss anyone. Bruce sounded like a dedicated and determined rider and I am sure his friends and our unicycle community will miss him. Please extend my condolences to his partner and family. RIP Bruce Hall.

How awful, to lose a fellow unicyclist. Many of us who didn’t have the good fortune to know him can still relate to him because, like Bruce, we’ve put in countless hours doing something quirky for what appears to be no good reason. I have never met a unicyclist with whom I didn’t immediately feel a bond, a kinship.

Many of us learn on 20"ers and graduate to larger and larger wheels. We find out about other riders and join up with them. We work on skills in solitude. We go to conventions and even on long riders (and races) just to hang out with like-minded people. We look forward to teaching our kids to ride, too. And many of us experience close calls with traffic and with other obstacles.

I’m sad about his death and for the grief his friends and family must be feeling.

Unicyclist hugged his wife and son goodbye before being killed in horrific truck accident
AMANDA SAXTON
Last updated 09:13, August 14 2017

A unicyclist who died after colliding with a truck on Saturday morning was a “perfect dad” who had cycled around the world, his grieving partner says.

Bruce Hall, 53, had hugged his partner Lindsay Wu and their young son before heading off on the morning ride in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga that would end tragically.

“He left this morning perfectly happy,” Wu said, in tears, on Saturday night.

Hall was an experienced rider; he and his unicycle had journeyed up mountains and across deserts internationally, and he planned to tour the South Island in November.

Wu described Hall a “a perfect dad” to their seven-year-old boy and the love of her life. The pair met in 2005, at a Mt Albert College night class for cooking. They lived in Onehunga: raising chickens, cooking, and taking long walks together. Hall also had a daughter from a previous relationship, and worked for an Auckland rental company.

He was passionate about unicycling because it was “different and took real skill”, said Wu.

Hall had 15 years of one-wheel experience and had taken tours with multi-national unicycle crews across Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Nepal — among other countries.

“Bruce was an adventurer,” said Wu. “But he was a very careful person, always reminding me to be safe. I don’t know how I’ll live without him.”

Saturday morning was windy, and Wu reminded her partner to take his jacket.

“Before he rode off, our son said ‘can I have a hug, Dad?’,” she said. “Then I asked for mine, he hugged me too, and walked out the door with a smile.”

His accident with the truck happened just before 9.30am near the bustling Onehunga Mall, and Hall died at the scene. The Serious Crash Unit is investigating the accident.

Hall’s friend and fellow unicyclist Ken Looi remembered him as “determined to ride everything”. The pair travelled extensively together with their cycles over the last 15 years.

Looi’s most striking memory was of escorting Hall, stricken with altitude sickness, down a Nepalese mountain in the middle of a snowstorm with sherpas.

“Bruce was up and smiling the next day,” he said.

Looi set up a Givealittle page to help support Hall’s partner and young son in the wake of the tragedy.

So sad to lose one of our own while they were riding, let alone someone I’ve travelled with several times. I’ve been on many trips with Bruce in the past decade, travelling to very exotic places on unitours. We had a lot of fun unicycling together and exploring these different cultures. These trips have been some of the best highlights of my life, and I am sure they were for him as well.

I am curious what exactly happened here, though I doubt we’ll ever know the real answer to this. I try to avoid roads, as too often I have had close calls, and worry that I might fall into traffic if I hit a bump. I try to stick to bike paths and do muni rides to avoid the “stupid drivers” that are on the road, of which I am sure we all are at some times. :smiley:

I’ve never known Bruce, but his loss still affects me as we’re all part of the same family. It’s a terrible reminder to be extra cautious when sharing the road with cars and trucks.

All my condolences and all my love to those who knew him and his family.

I hope his boy gets to ride one day, he’ll find out why his dad loved the sport so much and what an awesome community the unicycle community is.

Ken so sorry for your loss.

Please tell the family the unicycle community is praying for them.

This is really sad. I remember him as a stoic, quiet and determined rider. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

What a tragic event. Though I’ve been on a few unicycle tours, I’ve never had the pleasure to ride with Bruce, or even know him. I do however remember the altitude sickness story from the Nepal uni tour - I think it was posted here or maybe on the Adventure Unicyclist website. From what I read Bruce was a wonderful person.
This is a sad loss for his family and friends. And a reminder for all us unicyclists that the dangers of riding in traffic can be utterly real.

This really sucks.
Didn’t know Bruce either, but it’s just tragic and sad to be reminded of how fragile we are.

This is a tough time for his family and friends. My thoughts are with you all during this very sad time

Bruce’s partner Lindsay and her family would like to pass on their thanks for the support from the unicycle community.

I have made a short video of some off the unicycle adventures we went on:

Very sad

I have only just heard about Bruces’s accident. I knew about a unicycle accident in Auckland recently but only found out it was Bruce yesterday. My condolences to his family; he was a great person and on our trip together, we were happy to walk and chat for a bum break and got to know each other. He drove me around at Unicon NZ and as usual chatted about life and unicycing.
Sadly missed.

I met Bruce and rode with him on two tours (Uzb and Nepal) and the thought that he is no longer among us seems incredible.
My condolences to the family.
Gaetano