Coming Soon: Ride the Lobster!

I have been training for the past few months for next week's 500-mile Tour de Nova Scotia, the first ever "Ride the Lobster." Each team of racers consists of 3 riders who take turns, tag-team style, riding about 120 miles a day, swapping riders whenever fatigue or injury dictates. My team consists of the three riders with the most years of unicycling, a combined 100. I suggested the team name, Centurions, based on that fact, and it stuck.


For the most part, our riding will consist of flat, paved roads. I've been training mainly on the gravel-and-dirt 'rail trail' that runs thru New Paltz and all over this county. My daily rides are generally 13-20 miles, riding as fast as I can on my geared unicycle (in high gear), and I would say that I've gotten to the point where I can maintain an average speed of 14 mph for the rail trail. Lately I've also taken a diversion onto a local paved road (Springtown) that leads to a nearby town or two. The lightly-trafficked road allows me to reach average speeds over 15 mph. Today I also hit my greatest speed, albeit momentarily: 22 mph. Occasionally I'll also ride around the Central Park bike loop; it's 6 miles around, including a monstrous hill, or 5 miles if you skip the nasty part. In all, I've pedaled around long enough to see a significant increase in my leg muscles and my stamina (as well as in my ability to withstand lengthy rides without saddle soreness or other discomforts).