This past Sunday was an enjoyable highpoint in both my traveling and unicycling history, and yet another reminder of just how strong and well-connected the international unicycling community has become.
When I found out I was going to be in Copenhagen for work, with a Sunday to myself, I posted this thread. Shortly came a reply from (Morten) Borges, an RSU regular who lives near the downtown area. I also received a reply from Jesper (jyden), whom I had met at Moab Muni Fest 2005. He could not ride that day, but gave me the e-mail for (Lars) Lottrup, whom I had also met at Moab. A few e-mails and PMs later, we had arranged meeting time and location, and Lars had generously volunteered to lend me one of his unicycles.
The nice thing about unicyclists is that even if you’ve never met them before, it’s not hard to spot them in a crowd. At the arranged time, Morten arrived at my hotel on his 24X3 Fireball. We got acquainted and discussed the pros and cons of the Fireball, and shortly Lars arrived on Coker.
Turns out the Coker was for me, and Lars had a 24” in a nearby car for himself. I guess I shouldn’t really call it a Coker, since it was completely lacking any Coker parts. The frame was a baby blue custom-made by Gus Dingemans, and the tire was one of the new “Wheel TA” 36" tires from Europe. The cranks were 125s, which I’d never ridden before, so it took me a several tries and some tips from Lars before I was able to freemount and successfully pedal away. After the first several failed attempts, I got a bit discouraged, telling Lars maybe I’d be more successful on the 24”. Fortunately, Lars would have none of that, thus not depriving me of the opportunity to tack on some new “urban Cokering” skills.
So it was time to mount up and start the ride. We did a little weaving through the mid-day traffic, and had gone less than half a mile (with a dismount or two on my part) when we came across one of Copenhagen’s well-known coffee shops. Break Time! Lars ordered his “to go”, and I just knocked back a quick double espresso inside the shop, as I knew there was no way I’d be able to handle a to-go cup whilst riding when I could barely get and stay on the Coker.
Most of my Coker riding is “open road”, and I’m used to going fairly fast on smooth pavement for miles at a time without slowing down or stopping. Cokering in Copenhagen city has none of this. Even in the bike lanes there are frequent traffic signals, but the really interesting sites require you to get off the main roads and onto the smaller avenues and squares that are closed to motor traffic. These pedestrian streets require slow, precision riding, with lots of weaving back and forth to avoid hitting people. Riding at walking speeds is tough, but the challenge is compounded by the street surface, which is generally uneven cobblestone, with lots of little curbs to negotiate.
Side Note: As is my standard practice, I tried several times to take out my fellow riders via sudden swerves or “loose cobblestone” UPDs, but my efforts were in vain. I think my fellow Seattle riders must have wired ahead and told them what to expect.
It was a great tour in the company of great riders. My co-workers from Denmark were amazed at how much I was able to see in just one afternoon…as we basically ticked off most of the key sites from the local “tourist guides”. We rode across the plaza at Central Square, home to the old city hall building (if I recall correctly), then by Tivoli Gardens (closed for season), the Stroget pedestrian shopping street, and Nyhavn Canal with its amazing old sailing ships along the waterfront. From there we rode to the royal Palace, and around its huge cobblestone courtyard. The Queen canceled our appointment, unfortunately, but at least one of her guards agreed to pose for a picture with me. We then crossed the street to the waterfront to admire the new Opera House, before making our way back through the old part of the city to Christianshavn, home to Christian’s church with a very tall, unique, and climbable bell tower. The first 60 meters spiral up inside the tower, but from there, the staircase emerges to the outside, and spirals up another 30 meters or so, getting narrower and narrower until big people get stuck and only a brave child could go further. The tower was the high point of the day for me, and the adrenalin from the climb—along with a quick sandwich from a local café—gave us the energy needed to work our way again through the old city and back to the hotel. Here’s a picture of the tower taken by somebody else.
So it ended up being a day of firsts for me. First time riding in Copenhagen, first time on 125 cranks, first time trying the TA 36 tire, first time managing the two- or three-person “handhold stillstand” at a stoplight (normally I’m the fatal weak link in the chain), first time on any 36” where my “miles ridden” and “average speed in mph” were both 5. And first time meeting or riding with Borges, a fine rider and—along with Lars—a great tour guide.
Because I’m an idiot, I neglected to pack along a camera for this three-country European trip. Fortunately, Lars took a good number of pictures during the ride, often while in-saddle. He has promised to post them online sometime soon, and I’ll try to steal some of the best ones to post in my gallery.
To paraphrase Harper: unicyclists are great people…you should seek them out and ride with them wherever you travel. Thanks to Morten and Lars for a day of riding I’ll never forget.
