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THE C2C ON UNICYCLES

A group of eight riders rode the C2C in August 2010, but cycling on two wheels wasn’t enough of a challenge. Peter Haworth outlines the challenge of unicycling the route and shares some tips…

An average 35 miles per day might not sound a big deal to many two-wheeled cyclists, but unicyclists generally ride a lot slower, with pedals driving the single wheel directly at a low 1:1 ratio. My comfortable cruising speed on the flat is around 9 or 10mph, so taking the fairly hilly terrain of the C2C route into account, this meant at least 5hrs in the saddle every day, with no chance of freewheeling, even on downhills. But, thanks to an amazing support team and a lot of perseverance, we did it, overtaking two-wheeled cyclists on the steep climbs but struggling (and, very occasionally, getting down) on the downhills, and raised a few thousand pounds for the British Heart Foundation on the way.

Tips for one-wheeled success

The best thing you can do to prepare is to check your equipment before you set out. Carrying sufficient spares and having the skills to use them was vital to our success, but a bit more preventive maintenance in the weeks before the ride would have made things go a lot more smoothly.