Hong Kong wins gold as Asia’s top unicyclists take to Lamma’s downhill trails on final day of Asia Pacific Unicycle Championships
The third and final day of APUC was mountain unicycling, but the wildlife proved as much an obstacle as the downhill routes
Lamma Island recently played host to one of Hong Kong’s more obscure sports. One wheeled riders ventured to the island’s trails for mountain unicycling (muni).
The event was the third and final day of the Asia Pacific Unicycle Championships (APUC). The pedallers set off on a timed loop. Bridger Estell from Hong Kong took gold despite contending with the local wildlife as well as the course itself.
Estell accidentally angered a hornets’ nest and was stung as the riders walked the course before the race. He was then stung again later.
Once the nest was angered, the athletes had to approach the section of the trail slowly and then just as they came within range of the nest, they would pedal like mad as the hornets swarmed behind them.
Alternatively, they were given the option of getting off the unicycles and walking through the jungle.
“Make sure you push your wheel in front of you as you go through the bush,” Robert Rogers, event director said. “This is definitely snake territory.”
Most riders picked the hornet gauntlet in a sure case of ‘better the devil they know’.