Genevieve Nawrot
AKA: Gen
Age on tour: 25
Location: Newcastle Australia
Occupation: Dentist
Pre-occupation: Unicycling (of course), circus (juggling, fire twirling, this and that – just started knife throwing!), camping, hiking, being outside in general, reading, baking, building stuff in my shed
Superpower: In real life, my seemingly unstoppable metabolism. In fantasy land, teleportation 🙂
Years Unicycling: 12
Number of Unicycles owned: 6
Why go on tour: Because there are so many places to see and a great unicycling community to meet and see them with! It will be by far the longest ride I have done and I’m looking forward to the challenge.
Favourite food: Not one but many – love Italian and Asian, love seafood but hate fish (weird I know) and love potato chips.
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: First weekend on the 36er went too fast, fell off and spent the next 3 months regrowing the skin on my arm and elbow and showering 1 handed.
Best thing about unicycling: The song “I’m on top of the world” by Imagine Dragons sums it up. There is this amazing feeling when you get on, particularly after not riding for a little while, that makes me want to sing that song at the top of my lungs. Sounds corny, but pure joy 🙂
My signature dish is: My friends always come back for seconds for my sticky date pudding with caramel sauce and vanilla icecream
Daniela Ruedel
AKA: Dani
Age on tour: 31 (turning 32 at the end of the tour)
Location: Aachen, Germany
Occupation: consultant
Years Unicycling: 18
Number of Unicycles owned: 4 (ready to start)
Why go on tour: always looking for new adventures
Favourite food: pizza and potatoes (yes i’m german)
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: fall into a ditch while the police passes by
Best thing about unicycling: it’s always fun
My signature dish is: banana bread
Sean Bennett
Age on tour: 54
Location: Brisbane Australia
Occupation: Computer Programmer
Pre-occupation: Music
Superpower: Making food disappear
Years Unicycling: 11
Number of Unicycles owned: six (6)
Why go on tour: I loved the first SINZ Tour and have been eagerly awaiting the return tour
Favourite food: Lamb Korma
Favourite quote: Ying Tong Iddle I Po (sorry I was infected with The Goons at an early age and it has affected my thought patterns ever since)
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: Wiping out on corrugations during the tour of Uzbekistan. Fortunately the HelmetCam was running at the time so the UPD has been immortalised on youtube and provides a ready answer to the FAQ – “What happens when you crash”. If you have not seen the video the short answer is – “Not Much”
Best thing about unicycling: It is fun
My signature dish is: Chocolate Cake
Bruce Hall (RIP)
Location: Auckland
Occupation: Rental Consultant
Years Unicycling: 14
Number of Unicycles owned: 5
Why go on tour: Such a buzz to tour with other unicyclists
Favourite food: Fish and Chips
My signature dish is: Broccoli Cheese
Christopher Smith
AKA: Bestie
Age on tour: 30
Location: Newcastle,NSW
Website: healthbychris.kyani.net
Occupation: Crane/plant operator – (MTD) Motor transport Driver
Pre-occupation: changing the components on my unicycles (I pull them apart more than I ride them)
Superpower: i’m super forgetful (you never said it had to be a good one)
Years Unicycling: on and off seven years
Number of Unicycles owned: 10
Why go on tour: you can only follow other peoples stories so long before you embark on your own epic journey
Favourite food: mexican
Favourite quote: a man who won’t die for something is not fit to live. Martin Luther king, Jr.
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: I’ve never had any big/spectacular injuries unicycling (touch wood)
Best thing about unicycling: the community, the best group I’ve ever belonged to
My signature dish is: tuna pasta bake
Eric Pulvermacher
AKA: saskatchewanian on unicyclist.com
Age on tour: 31, turning 32 on tour
Location: La Ronge, Saskatchewan, Canada
Occupation: Duty Officer – Sask Wildfire Management
Years Unicycling: 10+
Number of Unicycles owned: n-1
Why go on tour: It’s been a couple years since the last one and I love travel and the unicycle community.
Favourite food: Perogies
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: Before RTL I tore all the ligaments in my right shoulder in a crash. They used muscle casing from my leg to re-build them, which I think is pretty cool.
Best thing about unicycling: The community
My signature dish is: Moose Jerkey
Tomas Nemecek
AKA: Thomash
Age on tour: 43
Location: Phoenix, USA (Czech in previous life)
Occupation: Real estate fixer
Pre-occupation: Fixing everything else
Superpower: I can disappear, but unfortunately not enough to be invisible
Years Unicycling: Almost a decade
Number of Unicycles owned: 10+
Why go on tour: It’s a great way to meet people; see interesting and exotic places
Favourite food: Casa dia
Favourite quote: It’s never too late
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: Wow, there were so many, but I noticed the least impressive crashes are usually the most damaging and painful
Best thing about unicycling: It’s amazing how a simple apparatus can be so versatile
Jaco Wood
AKA: Yakuh
Age on tour: 34
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Website: Facebook
Occupation: Mechanical Engineer
Pre-occupation: What’s that? -we have 2 toddlers!
Superpower: Feeding the chickens
Years Unicycling: On and off for 10 years
Number of Unicycles owned: 6
Why go on tour: Because it is theree
Favourite food: Mexican
Favourite quote: Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: When you act like it was planned
Best thing about unicycling: The floating feeling
My signature dish is: Braai
Gaetano Peluso
AKA: Gae (for friends); Gippì (on some forums)
Age on tour: 55
Location: Avezzano (AQ) – Italy
Occupation: Engineer in Italian railways
Pre-occupation: Unicycling, Hiking, Field Hockey, DIY (I try to repair everything)
Superpower: I can repair everything… or break definitively
Years Unicycling: 9
Number of Unicycles owned: about 6 (perhaps 7…)
Why go on tour: Learning the HAKA – Maori war dance !!!!
Favourite food: Doesn’t matter, because I wish to taste typical NZ foods…
Favourite quote: I divorced, so had to divide also my bicycle with my wife (as an answer to people, while I’m riding)
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: An hard crash with my bottom on gravel… and some piece gravel into my gluteus… 🙁
Best thing about unicycling: Not many people able to use it, but at same time this is the worst thing (often riding alone). So you find a valid excuse to participate to this tours !!! 😉
My signature dish is: Mixed salad
Natascia Muccini
AKA: Naty
Age on tour: 37
Location: Monteveglio, Bologna
Occupation: Vascular surgeon
Pre-occupation: cooking, MTB, running
Superpower: I can transform myself in a Rhino
Number of Unicycles owned: Zero but my MTB is super cool
Why go on tour: because NZ is not so far from Italy….
Favourite food: Pizza
Favourite quote: It’s Not the Years in Your Life That Count. It’s the Life in Your Years
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: I never fall
Best thing about unicycling: I’ve a unicyclist husband
My signature dish is: Quinoa with saffron, zucchini and pine nuts
Nicola Cassanelli
AKA: Giocologgi on the unicyclist forums
Age on tour: 38
Location: Monteveglio and Peschiera del Garda
Occupation: thoracic surgeon / emergency physician
Pre-occupation: juggling, science, comedy…
Superpower: Ability to think about stupid things when it’s not the right moment
Years Unicycling: 17
Number of Unicycles owned: something between 10 and 15
Why go on tour: because they told me that Sean Bennet will NOT be in
Favourite food: Noodles in Yunnan, Plov in Uzbekistan, Momos is Nepal… what about NZ?
Favourite quote: Life is What Happens To You While You’re Busy Making Other Plans
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: see the intro of Unipal 2015 video
Best thing about unicycling: it’s super cool
My signature dish is: Almond Chicken
Ken Looi
AKA: Gizmoduck (on the unicyclist forums)
Age on tour: 39
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Website: this one!
Occupation: General Practitioner
Pre-occupation: doing tax returns
Superpower: I can turn my thumb backwards
Years Unicycling: 17
Number of Unicycles owned: 20-30 in various states of disassembly
Why go on tour: Because I’m organising it
Favourite food: Durian
Favourite quote: “Flying is learning to throw yourself at the ground and miss”–Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: Broke my leg in Laos, pulled it straight and stuck the bone back in, then taped up in a wine box for transport to Thailand where I had it screwed back together.
Best thing about unicycling: Unicycle Racing and Unicycle Touring.
My signature dish is: Chocolate porridge
Anna Bailey
AKA: String Bean Puppets
Age on tour: 33
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Website: https://www.facebook.com/stringbeanpuppets/
Occupation: Puppeteer
Pre-occupation: chocolate
Superpower: pulling strings
Years Unicycling: 3
Number of Unicycles owned: 2
Why go on tour: Because Ken made me
Favourite food: Kumara and Chocolate (not together)
Favourite quote: “Kaua e mate wheke mate ururoa”–Don’t die like a octopus, die like a hammerhead shark– Maori proverb
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: Getting taken out by a cyclist on a downhill at last years Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge
Best thing about unicycling: spending time with Ken
My signature dish is: Pavlova
SUPPORT CREW
Dave Goodman
AKA: to the kids THE BANK
Age on tour: 71
Location: Dunedin New Zealand
Website: Live in a house … The Website is Spidermans address when he’s camping
Occupation: Collecting Superannuation
Pre-occupation: Collecting it for as long as I can
Superpower: GOD
Years Unicycling: (Support) 14 years
Number of Unicycles owned: eight that I remember
Why go on tour: The people…the views… be aware you will be riding through paradise
Favourite food: Venison casserole and fresh air
Favourite quote: Where’s the next toilet ? and ‘ Please please please manage your shoelaces on this tour
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: Observed… unmanaged shoe-laces
Best thing about unicycling: He tangata
My signature dish is: My gorgeous wife
Said El Khannossi
AKA: Morrocan SuperMan
Age on tour: 49
Location: Peschiera del Garda
Occupation: head nurse
Pre-occupation: ambulance nurse, reading, travel
Superpower: always smiling and always available
Why go on tour: because I’m crazy (I’ve already booked other 2 travels)
Favourite food: rice
Favourite quote: Peace and love!
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: In indonesia, in a multi riders crash
My signature dish is: Cous Cous
Diesel
AKA: The Penguin
Age on tour: 2
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Occupation: Penguin
Pre-occupation: Catching fish
Superpower: Going where no penguin has gone before
Years Unicycling: Still trying not to get tangled up
Number of Unicycles owned: 1
Why go on tour: to look after Ken and Anna
Favourite food: Chocolate fish
Favourite quote: “So long, and thanks for all the fish”–Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy
Best crash/ unplanned dismount: Getting tangled up
Best thing about unicycling: watching other people do it
My signature dish is: Chocolate fish on toast