Ryan Kremsater

My Uncle Byron is responsible for introducing me to unicycling. He broke his collar bone back in 2001 and since he couldn’t mountain bike during the recovery period, he bought a unicycle saying “well, you don’t need two arms to unicycle…” I was 10 at the time, and was amazed by it, so my uncle gave me my first unicycle that Christmas. I remember being incredibly ecstatic. I took it home and started practicing right away. After a couple weeks of daily practice, I had ridden an unimpressive distance of zero revolutions leaving me disgruntled and disheartened.

Two years later while sifting though DVD’s I found One Tired Guy and Universe One. I watched both movies, and was instantly addicted. I found my unicycle, knocked the dust off, and started practicing with renewed determination. Daily practice, daily movie re-watch, daily unicycle day-dreams. And finally, after some difficulty, I learned to ride in early 2004 and went to the inaugural Vancouver Unicycle Club ride later that Spring.

With a diverse group of very committed and very supportive riders, they soon became an amazing group of friends and we rode almost every weekend for 3-4 years. I would not be the rider I am today without their support.

Why do you love to ride and what is your ideal day of riding? I love to ride because the unicycle is a very playful, nimble and agile machine. I can turn on a dime, twist and jump at a moments notice. I can place the wheel anywhere at anytime… the options are endless! The freedom of movement is enthralling. The unicycle is also very connected to the terrain. There’s no suspension or added stability from a second wheel. The rider feels the terrain and responds to it. It is easy to push ones comfort zone because the zone of comfort on a unicycle is narrow. The rider is never far away from the edge of control. This means that unicyclists are always in the zone or in a state of flow. The sport demands it and the feeling is very rewarding.