A man aims for his goal of riding his age on a unicycle
Dawson Tennant is used to compliments from other cyclists. It isn't common to see unicyclists out in the wild.
The 58-year-old first tried riding a unicycle in a university juggling club, but it didn't appeal to him then.
After returning to Canada from working overseas, Dawson got immediately back into cycling. “When I was overseas, the only people who rode bicycles were foreign labourers or local kids.”
Dawson had the opportunity to try unicycling again in 2018 when he borrowed one from his boss’s son for a month. He was 53 at that time. “At the end of the month, I could only really do one or two revolutions and I was still holding on to a wall for support.”
His youngest son, David purchased a unicycle and he practiced on it before buying his first unicycle. It cost $50 and was broken. “I ended up buying a $10 unicycle for parts just to fix it. That is how I got into building unicycles.”
The first unicycle did not last long as the frame snapped as Dawson rode down a hill. He ended up building his own unicycle which costed him $300. With David encouraging him, he progressed from counting wheel revolutions to seeing how far he could ride without the support of a wall. Then it was unicycling to the grocery store to eventually unicycling to work.
Now he regularly rides his unicycle to and from work. His longest ride is 25 kilometres on a round trip from his house to the Calgary Zoo. Inspired by American unicyclist Terry “UniGeezer” Peterson, Dawson plans to ride his age, a 58-kilometre journey. Peterson rode 65 miles in 2021 and recorded it on his YouTube channel.
He does not see himself reaching that goal this year, but it is amazing that he can unicycle at all, due to a back surgery 11 years prior. “It is something that I reflect on, thinking that there was a time when I could barely walk, so that is something I give glory to God for.”
Dawson wants to continue unicycling for as long as he can and has a goal to improve his hopping skill so he can navigate around obstacles easier.
Dawson fills his water bag at his home in preparation for a unicycle ride
Dawson in his garage, where he built his unicycle
Dawson prepares to mount his unicycle in the alley behind his house
Dawson conquers a hill for the first time in West Nose Creek Park
Dawson holds up a unicycle crank arm
Dawson stores his unicycle in his garage
Dawson goes on a ride around the neighbourhood
Dawson rides down a steep gravel path at West Nose Creek Park
Dawson's longest unicycle ride (for now)
