Unicycle race back for 8th year at OMSP

The Magic City Muni Club of Birmingham will host STOMP MuniFest the weekend of Oct. 16-18 at Oak Mountain State Park. STOMP stands for Southern Trails of Oak Mountain Park, and MuniFest is mountain unicycling.

The goal of the Magic City Muni Club is to promote unicycling rides and events in the Birmingham area. It is currently the only Unicycling Society of America affiliated club in Alabama.

This will be the eighth year for the event that was created by co-founders Wendell Rotenberry and Geoff Wymer. They modeled the event after one they attended in North Carolina. After it was shut down, the two decided to host one in Birmingham.

“We have grown every year,” Rotenberry said. “The first year we had about a dozen from maybe four states. Last year, about 35 came from nine different states and one foreign country [Canada].”

Participants come from all walks of life and ages, from around 10 to mid-60s. The crew spends Friday evening through Sunday camping, riding and enjoying each other’s company. The weekend includes a night trail ride Friday, the big ride Saturday morning followed by races in the field with unusual unicycles during the afternoon.

“One thing that seems to be said every year at our festival is you never meet an unhappy unicyclist,” Rotenberry said. “We love our sport. We love the challenge of pushing the envelope, and quite honestly, [we] know that it is unusual, just like us riders.”

Because people camp separately in the field at the south trailhead at Oak Mountain and because the ride is distanced outdoors, it is a COVID-19 safe event.

No registration fee is required, but donations are appreciated to help cover costs. Also, membership to the Unicycling Society of America (USA) is strongly encouraged before coming to our event.

For information, visit stompmunifest.blogspot.com.