Unicyclist Ken Looi left the Tour Aotearoa checkpoint at Durie Hill on March 7. Photos / Bevan Conley
Unicyclist Ken Looi left the Tour Aotearoa checkpoint at Durie Hill on March 7. Photos / Bevan Conley
Wellington GP Ken Looi is attempting to ride the length of New Zealand on a unicycle.
He's one of more than 400 doing a Tour Aotearoa Brevet this year. Their journey takes them from Cape Reinga to Bluff, and on cycle trails rather than roads as much as possible.
Looifound the first stretch on Ninety Mile Beach difficult.
"The beach ride was tough. I had too much gear at the start. I have ridden on sand before, but not 80kms of it, and there was a lot of resistance," he said.
He has unicycled the Timber Trail and then the Mountains to Sea cycleway. He spent Sunday night in a cabin at Matahiwi, and loved the ride down the Whanganui River Road in early morning mist.
People aim to complete the Brevet in 30 days - he's hoping to do it in 28. He can do 17-18km/h cruising on the flat, but less than 12km/h on off-road sections.
A unicycle is slower than a two-wheeled bicycle. Looi can't coast downhill and has to pedal constantly.
Riding a unicycle means Ken Looi can't coast downhill and must pedal constantly. Photo / Bevan Conley
He's carrying his minimal survival gear on his back - a sleeping bag and a bivvy in case he's caught out without accommodation.
He needs a constant supply of food and water, which can be difficult on long distances without a town.
"I'm eating three times as much as I normally eat. I only packed twice as much, but now I've figured that out," he said.
Looi is an experienced unicyclist, and led a supported tour of 30 unicyclists through Cambodia in the pre-Covid times. He's also done the South Island's Alps to Ocean and Otago Rail Trails on his one-wheeled bike.
