Taylor Stark took his first pedals atop a unicycle when he was 10-years-old.
While attending a friend鈥檚 birthday party in his hometown of Canmore, Alta., Stark says he was distracted from taking in the planned celebration by an older sibling鈥檚 unicycle perched in the backyard.
From there, he was immediately pulled in by the challenge, which held his complete attention for the rest of the afternoon.
鈥淚nstead of interacting with any of the other kids, I spent three hours desperately trying to ride more than a meter,鈥� Stark recalls. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 that day, but my dad, when he came to pick me up, saw how intensely focused I was on it, so he came home a week later with a unicycle to give to me.鈥�
Thirteen years later, Stark is looking to travel quite a bit further than the initial meter goal, stretching his distance to over 6,500 kilometers as he attempts to be the first unicyclist to travel coast-to-coast across Canada.
Stark, now 23, began his journey across the world鈥檚 second largest land mass on May 7, dipping the tire of his Kris Holm brand unicycle in the Pacific Ocean before departing from Vancouver towards his destination of Sydney, Nova Scotia.
The trip originated from a joke cracked by a friend surrounding how Stark could spend his summer before heading back to school to begin his master鈥檚 degree in the fall.
鈥淚 was talking with a friend two years ago, almost to the dot, and we were kind of joking and they offered up, 鈥榳hy don鈥檛 you just unicycle across Canada with that summer?鈥� And it was like, 鈥楬a! That鈥檚 funny鈥� Wait a minute,鈥欌�� Stark says of the trip鈥檚 origins. 鈥淎nd we talked for a while and it鈥檚 actually possible, so I decided to do that.鈥�
Stark鈥檚 not the first to traverse Canada鈥檚 diverse landscape on a unicycle, but would be the first to span from coast-to-coast.
In 2014, activist Joseph Boutilier traveled from Victoria to Ottawa in order to raise awareness of climate change before the 2015 federal election. Unicyclist Dave Cox planned a trip similar to Stark鈥檚 in 2009, but ended his ride in Alberta.
Though the across Canada title offers a convenient shorthand for the trip, Stark says his choice to bookend the ride with the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans didn鈥檛 originate from a desire to travel across the nation.
鈥淭he conception of the trip was never 鈥榣et鈥檚 go across Canada.鈥� It鈥檚 鈥榣et鈥檚 unicycle a great distance and Canada might as well be it,鈥欌�� says Stark.
When completely loaded with all of his supplies, which includes a tent, sleeping bag, cooking equipment, electronics, books, clothing and repair equipment among other miscellaneous items, Stark鈥檚 unicycle weighs approximately 60 pounds (27 kg). The bulk of his equipment sits in pannier bags affixed to a homemade aluminum frame.
| Taylor Stark takes a running start at his fully loaded unicycle, which weighs approximately 60 pounds when packed with equipment. Stark describes the mounting process as a "leap of faith" which has to be made when starting the cycle. (Nathan Kunz/Revelstoke Review) |
On average, Stark figures he travels about 17 km/h on the fully loaded cycle. As the unicycle does not have gears, he is reliant on the large 36 inch wheel to help climb hills along the shoulder of highways.
Throughout his ride, Stark is raising money for the Canadian Mental Health Association, a cause he decided to support due to direct connection between mental health and people close to him.
鈥淚鈥檝e just seen a lot of people my age struggle with mental health. I feel like any benefit we can add to programs that increase resources and increase support for that is good to do,鈥� says Stark.
In his own life, Stark says unicycling has offered therapeutic qualities in terms of his personal mental health through the required focus riding offers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about just you and that tire. You can鈥檛 think about anything else or you鈥檙e going down,鈥� explains Stark. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 a really good exercises for mental clarity, if I鈥檓 going through a stressful period or an anxious period, riding a unicycle will dispel that right away, because I can鈥檛 afford to be ruminating or thinking about stuff like that when I鈥檓 riding.鈥�
Through his first 565 kilometers from Vancouver to Revelstoke, Stark says he has been consistently greeted by extremely enthusiastic support. Whether it be through offers of accommodations to allow for breaks between camping excursions or general curiosity, Stark says people have been eager to learn more and offer support for his trip.
鈥淚 definitely get a lot of honking. In towns I get a lot of people leaning out the windows and stuff. And especially when I stop - when I鈥檝e got my unicycle leaning against somewhere, everyone just walks up to me and starts up a conversation,鈥� says Stark. 鈥淚f I鈥檓 beat at the end of the day and still have ten kilometers to go and someone walks up to me and is so enthusiastic about it, that energizes me as well.鈥�
Looking back at the first completed section of his trip, Stark says his favourite moments have been when he can step back and take in his surroundings, offering an opportunity to reflect on the grand scale journey he鈥檚 embarked on atop his one-wheeled vehicle of choice.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 probably just the sense of joy that I get every once and a while when I鈥檓 riding a section of road, the sun鈥檚 out, the birds are out and there鈥檚 just this wave of contentment and joy that kind of washes over you and you鈥檙e just like 鈥榳ow, I鈥檓 doing this,鈥欌�� says Stark of his favourite moments. 鈥淎nd that evaporates as soon as you hit a hill, and suddenly you鈥檙e swearing.鈥�
To learn more about Stark鈥檚 trip and how you can help, visit .
nathan.kunz@revelstokereview.com
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