Jeff Bauer looks like a guy who designs software for a living, which is exactly what he does. But he also happens to be a passionate devotee of ultra-distance cycling, and in August is scheduled to ride the grueling Paris-Brest-Paris, a 1,200-kilometer test of ability and human endurance (and also the oldest bicycling event held anywhere on a regular basis). More recently, Bauer has expanded his cycling horizons to include the unicycle. “I started on a 24-inch 'trainer,’ ”says Bauer, tooling through a neighborhood not far from his Hillsboro Village home. “Then I learned about the Coker—a.k.a. 'the Big One’—a 36-inch-wheel uni. The Coker is larger and heavier than most unicycles, but once you overcome inertia, the flywheel effect tends to keep you rolling along—almost as if on cruise control.” (Well, maybe for him.) Bauer’s longest unicycle ride was 16 miles on the Mammoth Cave bike tour in Kentucky. His next goal, scheduled for 2004, will be to complete a “century” ride (100 miles). “I like unicycling because it’s about minimalist riding,” Bauer says. “In addition to getting rid of the unnecessary wheel, you eliminate gears, brakes, freewheel—no coasting allowed!—and handlebars. Compared to bicycling, unicycling requires some technical skills that make the rides more interesting.” Truth is, though, it didn’t take him all that long to get the hang of uni riding—about 10 hours to get the basics down—though he claims he’s no expert. “I’m still relatively new at this,” he says, riding along Westwood Avenue with a jaunty cap atop his head, conjuring sepia-toned Currier & Ives images of a bygone age. While the sport is far from winning masses of converts, several locals are in the process of forming the Nashville Unicycling Club. Contact Bauer at jbauer@rubic.com.
—By Martin Brady
