Carroll completes RAGBRAI’s fourth day on unicycle

Jon Carroll met the challenge Wednesday.

The 54-year-old from Creston pedaled nearly 40 miles — from Forest City to Mason City — to successfully complete the fourth day of the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) on his unicyle. He was one of more than 8,000 riders from across the United States.

“I arrived about 4 p.m. (in Mason City). That was a couple hours quicker than I expected,” Carroll said.

Carroll has been training for RAGBRAI on his 28-inch wheel unicycle for the past five months.

He started the day at 7 a.m. near Forest City with a group of seven others from southwest and central Iowa, including Chris Leonard — athletic trainer at Greater Regional Medical Center — who pedaled a 1941 single-speed Schwinn bicycle the entire fourth day.

“I traveled anywhere from 8 to 12 miles per hour (on the unicycle),” Carroll said, “and took breaks every 20 to 30 minutes. My legs really aren’t too bad, but I do have some tender areas.”

Carroll said the support he received from other riders on the route Wednesday was overwhelming.

“There weren’t too many unicyclists out there,” he said.

Today, Carroll puts the unicycle away and will ride two wheels from Mason City to Waverly. The route today is 66 miles. Temperatures for today’s ride will be comfortable with highs only reaching the upper 70s.

RAGBRAI concludes Saturday in Guttenberg.