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



M

MuniAddict

Guest
Just a little article that came out in today's local newspaper, the
"Lomita-Harbor Connection". Here's the online version:
http://www.lomitaharborconnection.com/

http://tinyurl.com/3l95ll


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SADDLE UP
By LIZ WALKER
7 May 2008
The Evening Chronicle, Newcastle
(c) 2008 The Newcastle Chronicle & Journal Ltd

UNICYCLES ARE PUPILS' LATEST CRAZE

SCHOOLCHILDREN are swapping four wheels for one and travelling to
school by unicycle.

They are a familiar sight in the circus tent but now unicycles are
proving a hit at St Catherine's School in Sandyford, Newcastle, where
youngsters are ditching their parents' cars and travelling the school
run in a fun way.

And the unicyclists showed off their new skills to mark the start of
Bike to School Week and the opening of the school's new bike park,
which it is hoped will encourage more children to get "on yer bike".

Headteacher Michael Ewing said: "We have a few children who come to
school on them every day. They take a lot of skill to ride but the
children love them.

"We have a school travel plan that is trying to reduce congestion
outside the school gates and cycling is a big part of that."

A bike park has been created outside the school's main entrance with
the aim of giving cycling a higher profile.

Pupils at the school can also take part in Bikeability lessons - the
new-look cycling proficiency course - and Children, Schools and
Families Minister Kevin Brennan visited the school to see the
children's saddle skills.

Research has shown that cycling is on the decline and parents have been
blamed for being overcautious and not letting their children out on the
roads.

But Mr Brennan said: "Cycling to school is a great way for children to
get fit and develop their independence. Bike to School Week is a good
way of encouraging them."


--
JJuggle

Raphael Lasar - Matawan, NJ

'10th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://jjuggle.unicyclist.com/lbiunithon) -
Saturday, June 7, 2008!
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MuniAddict wrote:
> Just a little article that came out in today's local newspaper, the
> "Lomita-Harbor Connection". Here's the online version:
> http://www.lomitaharborconnection.com/
>
> http://tinyurl.com/3l95ll



Hey,
Just read the story. Six foot drop? Are you nuts? Please, please,
please figure out a way to come to the right coast of the North
American continent this June.
Good work, nice story.
With the greatest geezer respect ( I'm 55), be well, man, (health
insurance or not.)
william


--
ridethelobster2008

A Nova Scotia rider.
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Never mind the motorised uni.

Sewage-proof dive suit?


--
Into the blue

ok you primitive screwheads, listen up! you see this? this... is my
boomstick!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0nwe4xqdmm&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w0finuhtnk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clwuso7vbze
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0jynznbl0q
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Chrashing wrote:
> [image: http://www.booksamillion.com/mag/covers/0/05/102/0051020.jpg]
>
> June 2008




Does it come with a free dental plan and plastic surgery?


--
GizmoDuck

The Uninam Tour 2008.....Hanoi to Saigon!!! www.uninam.net

The SINZ Unicycle Tour 2007....South Island, New Zealand
www.sinzuni.org

The Induni Unicycle Tour 2009. Unicycle Tour of India. Email me for
details.
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ridethelobster2008 wrote:
> Hey,
> Just read the story. Six foot drop? Are you nuts? Please, please,
> please figure out a way to come to the right coast of the North
> American continent this June.
> Good work, nice story.
> With the greatest geezer respect ( I'm 55), be well, man, (health
> insurance or not.)
> william


Thanks William! I was so wanting to participate in RTL, but alas, I
can't fly; that is, I'm deathly afraid of flying so that pretty much
dashed my hopes. :(


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FOR SOME, ONE WHEEL IS BIG DEAL
Claudia Zapata
STAFF
600 words
12 May 2008
San Antonio Express-News
STATE
1C
English
(c) Copyright 2008 San Antonio Express-News. All Rights Reserved.

When A.J. Greig's mother repainted her kitchen recently, there was one
area that was off-limits. "I told her she couldn't paint over the tire
mark on the wall," Greig says. That tire mark, after all, represents
the beginning of his journey - on one wheel. Greig is a unicyclist. "It
took me about 3 weeks to learn to ride in my mom's kitchen," he says
during a recent phone interview from his home in Austin. "I went from
the wall to the island, to the table, around the table, and back to the
island." Slowly, Greig says, he ventured outdoors. Around the
neighborhood. To the convenience store. And, eventually, on a tour of
the Mediterranean. Since those first baby jaunts in the kitchen 13
years ago, Greig, 32, has logged between 15,000 and 20,000 miles on
various unicycles. He says the attraction was instant. "I bought my
first unicycle for $40 and that was pretty much the end of it," he
says. Greig says once you ride a "uni," you never go back to two
wheels.

Next month, Greig will be the only rider from Texas to participate in
"Ride the Lobster" (www.ridethelobster.com), a five-day, 800-kilometer
relay race through Nova Scotia considered the Tour de France of
unicycling. Along with two unicyclists from California, Greig is part
of Team Texacali. The first team to qualify from the U.S. was Team
Venus, a trio of female riders that includes Irene Genelin, 23, who
teaches French and unicycling at a Montessori school in Hutchinson,
Minn. Genelin is the current unicycling world champion in the 10K and
ranks second in the marathon. She began riding at the age of 11 when a
unicycling club hosted weekly classes at her elementary school. "It's
crazy how it's kind of taken over, but it's really brought me to a lot
of great places," Genelin says. In college, she spent her junior year
studying in France and was hired to teach unicycling. Genelin has since
competed in races and tours throughout Europe and, most recently,
toured Vietnam on a unicycle. San Antonio's not much of a unicycling
town, although two Keystone School sophomores might be changing the
landscape. Jordan Zesch, 16, says he picked up the skill while at
summer camp a couple of years ago. "There's a lot more freedom with a
unicycle," he says. "You don't have to just go forward. You can switch
direction in an instant, hop up in the air, and jump up on a park
bench." Brooks "Chance" Ruder, 15, dusted off his unicycle soon after
watching his friend. He says his love of unicycling says two things
about him: "I like to try new things. And I'm not afraid to be
different." Safety gear, especially a helmet and wrist guards, are a
must in unicycling. So are strong legs and a strong core. "You have to
do constant adjustments with your core to keep your balance," Greig
says. Finally, you need a sense of humor. "People think it's pretty
clever to say â¿¿you lost your other wheel,'" he says. "I get a lot of
â¿¿here come the clowns' and humming circus music," adds Ruder. One
thing is for sure. Unicycling is something you want to first try at
home. Preferably with mom close at hand. Claudia Zapata is a registered
dietitian. Her column appears every other Monday in S.A. Life.
[email protected].


--
JJuggle

Raphael Lasar - Matawan, NJ

'10th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://jjuggle.unicyclist.com/lbiunithon) -
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SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT: WHEEL IN MOTION
BY PATRICIA MONTEMURRI
25 May 2008
Detroit Free Press
(c) Copyright 2008, Detroit Free Press. All Rights Reserved.

Here's a different spin on the balancing act many women perform every
day.

Wendy Grzych and Kathy Susanka are working mothers who find relaxation
and quality family time by pedaling a unicycle.

They are members of the Redford Township Unicycle Club, who will be
flexing their core muscles and maintaining their balance, in
entertaining unicycle formations in Monday's Memorial Day parade in
Dearborn.

Wendy, the group's choreographer, appreciates how she can share an
activity with her son and daughter.

"This is something we can do together," says Wendy, 40, an alternative
education teacher.

When the Grzyches go for a bike ride, that means a unicycle ride. You
can sometimes spot Wendy, Amanda, 14, and Dale, 11, atop their
unicycles in their Garden City neighborhood.

Wendy, a unicyclist since she was 9, has nurtured the talent in others.
She is taking several unicycling teens to a national competition this
summer in South Dakota.

She even plays unicycle basketball - pedaling, dribbling and dunking.

Kathy Susanka, 43, of Dearborn Heights bought a unicycle for her
daughter 15 years ago. She eventually encouraged Kathy to give it a
whirl.

Unicyclists are rated on a 1-10 skill level range, depending on tricks
they master. Kathy's a level 2. Her son, Steven, who was practicing a
move called the "suicide side mount" on a recent Saturday, is a level
5.

"We very seldom have a family where just one kid does it," Kathy says.
"Parents will bring the kids to learn to ride, and the parents will end
up trying it."

Patricia is a Twist writer. Reach her at 313.223.4538 or
[email protected].

( sidebar: SEE THE CLUB AT THE PARADE! )

* The Redford Township Unicycle Club practices at 9 a.m. Saturdays at
St. Robert Bellarmine school gymnasium or parking lot, West Chicago at
Inkster, Redford Township. Check www.rtuc.org for schedule changes.

* In June, RTUC members will participate in a 500-mile relay race
across Nova Scotia.

* The club offers lessons beginning in January or February. If you
don't have a unicycle, they'll initially provide you with one for
lessons. The cost previously was $30 for the first family member for
8-10 lessons, and $15 for each additional family member.

* You can see the unicyclists en masse during Dearborn's Memorial Day
Parade, which will begin at 10 a.m. Monday along Michigan Ave. from
Greenfield to Schaefer.

ILLUSTRATION: Photo

CAPTION: Kathy Susanka, 43, of Dearborn Heights is a member of the
club. Families - from grandparents to grandkids - put a
multigenerational spin on the activity.

Wendy Grzych, 40, of Garden City is the president of the Redford
Township Unicycle Club. She leads practice May 3 at St. Robert
Bellarmine church in Redford Township.


--
JJuggle

Raphael Lasar - Matawan, NJ

'10th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://jjuggle.unicyclist.com/lbiunithon) -
Saturday, June 7, 2008!
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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

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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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