Last month, I got a Nimbus Oracle from unicycle.com.
This badass mountain unicycle was in the hands of someone with no clue how to ride it.
Instead of watching the instructional DVD's I took to the tennis courts to figure it out.
I fell a bunch of times and ultimately rode like 10 feet.
I was learning the hard way.
The next time at the park, I made huge progress and was basically able to ride the thing—in
random directions.
After another hour of practice I could steer it and sort of go where I wanted to.
That day I learned that unicycling is exhausting.
On a rainy day a week later I rode all the way to Riverwalk and crossed a scary main
road.
This was my first trip through the streets.
I learned to free mount that day, which is getting up on the unicycle without support
from a fence or a pole.
My technique was to push down with my dominant foot, hop into position, and pedal away.
This wrong technique is now burned into my brain.
I messed around in the park some more and rode home in the rain.
I was ready to step it up.
Eager to take my unicycle off-road, I visited a nature path at Birch State Park.
The path was windy and unstable with some low branches, but nothing like a real mountain
bike trail.
Ultimately I made it up this incline and through these roots.
In 90 degree heat with no water, I almost vomited, and deserved it for not hydrating.
I rode back to the car, which felt really far away, and downed melted iced coffee.
And here's the part you didn't see.
Friday evening, I rode all the way to James's house 2 miles away.
I had to free mount multiple times, and ride much further than I ever had before.
Surprisingly I made it with relative ease.
Two miles would have been unthinkable just a week before.
I did need to squeeze between these two cars, which could have ended in property damage.
And here I am, Sunday morning at Oleta River State Park, to attempt a real bike trail.
This is what I've been training for all
this time.
Roots, rocks, and wooden platforms all look bigger when you only have one wheel.
Alright, here goes!
I've ridden a unicycle about 10 times now in total, so it feels really good to be out
on the trails this soon.
Turning quickly is still the hardest part, followed by inclines, but just riding along
an uneven surface trips me up from time to time.
This platform might just be the most difficult obstacle I've braved yet.
Riding a
unicycle is now muscle memory.
I could put it down for a week and pick up right where I left off.
As a cyclist, it'll be interesting to see if the unicycle has helped me in other areas.
Can I wheelie a fixie forever now?
Has my precision on a normal mountain bike improved?
Only time will tell.
Every day I get messages from fans.
While it's impossible to answer every one, I have noticed a lot of people asking if they're
too old to start mountain biking.
The answer to that would be a resounding "No".
If unicycling were bicycling, I just learned to ride a two wheeler a few weeks ago.
Now, I'm learning to ride mountain bike trails.
Thanks for riding with me today, and I'll see you next time.