A new challenge...
Lloyd was an avid runner for as long as he can remember. He competed in some of the most well known marathons and ultra-trail events all over the world. In fact, for his 40th birthday, he treated himself to a 180 km trail run across the island of Crete in Greece! After he turned 40, well....it was all downhill. His back started to hurt and he wasn't able to enjoy running anymore. He needed a new challenge, so purchased a unicycle which sat in the back of his car for about three months. During the 2020 / 2021 summer holidays, he finally got it out and decided to dedicate an hour a day to learning a new skill. Before long, he was cruising the streets of Port Macquarie feeling like a superstar as people clapped and cheered him on! A lot of people also asked where his other wheel was...
When Port Macquarie when into lock-down due to COVID-19, unicycling was Lloyd's exercise of choice and he started encouraging others to learn as well (including his son, Oliver). While it didn't fix his back issues, it did dramatically improve his mental health and well-being. Once lockdown was over, he started a Unicycle Meetup called the One-Wheeled Wackadoos! Lloyd was inundated with donations of new and old unicycles and people from all walks of life started turning up to learn how to ride.
When Port Macquarie when into lock-down due to COVID-19, unicycling was Lloyd's exercise of choice and he started encouraging others to learn as well (including his son, Oliver). While it didn't fix his back issues, it did dramatically improve his mental health and well-being. Once lockdown was over, he started a Unicycle Meetup called the One-Wheeled Wackadoos! Lloyd was inundated with donations of new and old unicycles and people from all walks of life started turning up to learn how to ride.
Mountain Unicycling?!
While looking online for second hand unicycles, Lloyd noticed someone selling a MUni (Mountain Unicycle). Really?! Intrigued to learn more, he discovered and watched "Revolution One", which is a feature length documentary taking a look at the sport of off-road unicycling. The film combines current and historical footage from the last 30 years with interviews from pioneers of the sport. Lloyd was hooked and purchased his first MUni!
Things get interesting...
As if Mountain Unicycling wasn't interesting enough, Lloyd then learnt about a unicycling initiative with at-risk youth at a Taiwanese Christian boys home. Faith Hope Love Academy is a home for teenage boys from backgrounds of foster care and juvenile detention. In 2006, they completed a 1000 km around-Taiwan unicycle trip, and a documentary ("飛行少年"/"They Are Flying") was made to tell the story of these boys and their unicycle trip. The film was released in 2008 and won the Best Documentary Award at the 10th Taipei Film Festival that same year. Clips from the film can be viewed on YouTube below:
Combining the two...
MUniverse: A One-Wheeled Odyssey is unique as it combines the use of the most basic form of transport ever invented, the unicycle, and the wilderness-based activity of MUni (Mountain Unicycling) to instill a sense of grit in people, young and old. University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth has found repeatedly that the most important quality in determining a person’s success is their level of grit. Grit is the quality that makes us keep going when we the going gets tough.
