52 year old Terry Peterson doing extreme unicycling.
A piano tuner by trade, with the work being pretty much sedentary, I wanted to get into an exercise program that would get me in shape and keep me in shape for the long haul.
I thought about mountain biking, running, swimming, and stuff like that, but still I wanted to do something that was not only really challenging, but fun and exhilarating. Something that would put me in the best shape of my life!
So at age 50, I bought a very inexpensive unicycle online and as soon as it arrived to my surprise, I was able to get right on it and ride...after 36 years since my last ride! (I learned how to ride a unicycle when I was about 11..waaaay back in 1967!
I remember it well because it was the same year that the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper, which I still play today on my Ipod when I'm riding! I quickly realized that the type of riding I wanted to do would not be possible on the unicycle I had.
Well, after 2-years of intense riding I have worked my way up to dropping off up to 7-foot structures including; tractors, fedex drop-boxes, giant boulders, various walls, and whatever I can find!
I currently own a Kris Holm 24 Mountain Unicycle, and I've upgraded it with the most high-end components. It's now essentially as good as it gets. I have over $1,000 invested in it, but it's still a far cry from what a high quality mountain bike would cost me!
Kris Holm is one of the pioneers of the sport of Mountain Unicycling. You can find out more about him online at Wikipedia.com
I live in Lomita, a suburb or Los Angeles County, CA. The riding in one of my videos was all shot locally by me in Torrance, Lomita, Simi Valley and all around Los Angeles County.
I also ride with various uni clubs from Santa Barbara to San Diego. Mountain unicycling is a world-wide sport and is not restricted to only the West coast.
I routinely ride 20 to 30 miles on a beach bike path from Torrance to Marina Del Rey and back! I use my big wheeled 36" touring/racing unicycle for those treks.
Obviously this sport is not as wide spread or mainstream as mountain biking (which is just fine by us, we enjoy being unique), but it is gaining popularity and notoriety. I was just on "Ocean force" on TRU TV. They featured a quick shot of me riding my big wheeled 36" touring/racing unicycle.
Extreme unicycling and unicycling in general has introduced me to a world of wonderful people, 15,000 in fact, of which are members of an online community called 'Unicyclist.com'.
I joined this online forum also about 2 years ago and it has changed my life forever. I have met many of the members in person too. The Unicyclist.com group has many events annually.
We all get together for about 2-3 days of riding, competitions, and the chance to meet new people who share our love for this SPORT! Yes, Mountain Unicycling (Known as MUni) along with trials and street unicycling is becoming more well known as a serious sport, requiring very specific skill sets, strength, stamina, superb balance, and focus.
In 2008 many of us will be participating in the two biggest MUni events: The MoabMUni Fest (moabmunifest.com) and California MUni Weekend (unicycling.com/muni/).
Also, check out the Unicyclist Community online at www.unicyclist.com - they have a great links section listing organizations, events, and more!
See Terry's video stunts: His personal page on YouTube is http://www.youtube.com/user/ttt8699
Tags: unicycle extreme mountain unicycling trials how to bmx skateboard unigeezer
