2 wheels good, but 1 is better
When Napier woman Roxanne Price said Saturday’s ‘‘ Prison Brake’’ urban mountain bike race could be ‘‘challenging’’ she may well have offered one of the understatements of the year.
Because she’s about to hit the streets, paths, steps, tracks and alleyways which make up the 4km course on one wheel. Her trusty unicycle. ‘‘Yes it is going to be challenging,’’ she said yesterday before setting out on another training session.
‘‘I am a bit nervous, and a bit worried about my fitness,’’ she confessed, before adding she was entering the race ‘‘because it’s a fun event and I want to be part of it.’’
The race, split into several categories and distances, is set to kick off from the old Napier Prison grounds at 2pm, and is one of six cycling events which make up the great Ride For Your Life weekend which has been sparked by the Napier City Council as a way to fire up the mid-winter in the city, and encourage people to get pedalling.
Ms Price said she started riding the unicycle about two years ago after being intrigued by the idea.
‘‘I was curious to see how they worked,’’ Ms Price said.
She spotted one for sale on-line and took the plunge.
‘‘I took it easy — one step at a time,’’ she said. ‘‘I got hooked.’’ She started out by getting aboard using a wall for balance, but gradually got the hang of freemounting, where riders get on without using anything for balance or support.
She also learned the balancing laws of turning, and within a couple of weeks was well and truly up and cycling.
‘‘It is like anything you want to achieve; it doesn’t come without effort,’’ Ms Price said.
She is used to the sideways glances and occasional stares she gets as she rides around the city.
‘‘Some might think I’m a show- off or something but I’m not, I just enjoy it,’’ she said.
While riding has become easy, parking has not.
‘‘There’s nowhere to park one because they won’t stand up. That gets a bit tricky sometimes,’’ Ms Price said.
This Saturday she won’t have her mind on parking though. It will be on having fun and completing the 12km in her race section and one advantage she will have is the unicycle’s lightness during stages where riders may have to dismount and carry their bikes.