Record-setting unicyclist Lars Clausen has been coast to coast, but on April 22, he’ll celebrate the publication date of his book, "One Wheel — Many Spokes: USA by Unicycle," at Sultan Elementary School.
It’s also the two-year anniversary of the start of his historic ride.
Clausen won’t be the only one at the school with unicycle experience. About 100 students are part of the Unicycle Club, Clausen said, and the day will include a student riders’ presentation.
Clausen set the record for longest distance on a unicycle in a 24-hour period (202.78 miles in South Dakota) and then obliterated the 3,876-mile total distance record by going from Tillamook, Ore., to New York and back west to Santa Monica, Calif., 9,136 miles coast to coast to coast.
All in the name of name of fund-raising for the Seward Peninsula Lutheran Endowment Fund, which seeks to preserve the culture of the Inupiat Eskimos.
"It helps the people make their own decisions how they want to build their most hopeful future. They’re right at the intersection between hunting for seals and the Internet."
This summer, Clausen will take an author tour of the West Coast, from the Canadian border to Mexico.
On his first cross-country trip, Clausen rode a bicycle and packed for himself. His family (wife Anne and children KariAnna and Kai) came along on the unicycling adventure, following along the route in a camper. The Clausens are former residents of Greenbank on Whidbey Island now in their first two years at Holden Village, a remote ecumenical Christian center in the Cascades near Lake Chelan.
Clausen rides a unicycle with a 36-inch wheel.
"It’s the largest unicycle wheel that has an inner tube in it. The bigger ones have solid rubber tires and they’re not as nice to ride on.
"Almost anyone who rides long distances on a unicycle has one of these. The advantage is speed. I could get 10-11 mph rather than 5 or 6," he said.
He also added handle bars to the back. "I used them all the time, especially with heavy winds and going up hill."
A unicycle trip has a different set of challenges than a bike trip.
"You can’t coast and there are no gears unless you change the crank length. It’s 10-11 mph all the way across the country, a very steady pace.
"With bicycling, I had times when I thought I was going a little bit too fast to really see the country. With the unicycle, it was perfect."
There was an Achilles tendon problem, but it eventually strengthened with all the pedal revolutions. Clausen has calculated the number of revolutions: 5,118,000.
The weather was occasionally challenging, he said, particularly the winds in Montana.
"It was so windy that it became exciting. It actually blew me off the road one day."
Then there was the Mojave Desert, the hurricane in Louisiana, and the heat and humidity of the East Coast and the South.
To be successful on this type of adventure, a cyclist must like people and like to be alone, Clausen said.
"You do spend a lot of alone time. For me that’s great. I think about things, speculate and dream and reflect on the experiences I have. Then I come into a community and enjoy the people."
Clausen has master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and theology. He’s designed windmills in Denmark as well as preached and written his book.
"It’s wonderful to find out different ways to live a life and make a living."
Dreams are important, Clausen said.
"Life is an adventure. A lot of times we’re tempted to believe that if we have a stable job, then life will be stable and certain. My experience is that no matter how much we try to pin it down, there’s still uncertainty in life.
"There are no guarantees (but) unless you step into your dreams, they are certainly not going to happen."
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.
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