GOLDEN, Colo. — While cyclists huff and puff up Lookout Mountain, it's hard for them not to smile when they catch sight of Dustin King. Not only does he shout out words of encouragement, but he is also gaining elevation just on his unicycle, Harmony.
"This unicycle’s name is Harmony, and it's just because it takes so much harmony to be able to ride it. You have to have perfect balance," King said. "You have to have perfect flow, perfect rhythm. You have to be one kind of with it and make sure that everything checks out, otherwise you're not going to be able to ride it."
At 12 years old, King discovered the thrill of pedaling on a bicycle. Fast forward a couple years he would discover mountain unicycling and knew that would be his next skill level.
His first attempt at unicycling was not easy.
"It was a bloodbath. My shins were shredded. I wasn't wearing knee pads, and I learned on gravel. So it took me a week to go 50 feet on gravel because I had been in mountain biking, so I had prior skills and stuff, which translated over to unicycling," King said.
There was no stopping King, who persevered fall after fall to learn how to successfully pedal and navigate on just one wheel. Now, his sights are set on conquering Pikes Peak after being told he would not be able to make it on a unicycle.
"I was told I couldn't and I'm proving, I'm defining my own self. I'm not letting others define me. I'm not letting others choose what I can and can't do," King said. "You are your own person, you got to make your own choices and define yourself."
King began training in May. Over the months, he has cycled 541 miles, completed in more than 38 rides and clocked just over 68 hours on the unicycle.
"Feels good to finally discover myself, discover how my training works because I've always worked on other people's schedules and things, and it's not what's always best for you," King explained. "So, figuring out my eating habits and figuring out what training schedule works for me, it's been awesome to learn more about myself and to find myself."
While King's mission to unicycle up Pikes Peak may sound out of the ordinary, there have been a handful of tales of other crazy climbs.
"Throughout our history here in Manitou Springs, we've had several crazy individuals who have climbed the mountain using several modes of transportation or means of getting to the top," said Michael Maoi, president of Manitou Springs Heritage Center and Museum.
Some tales include a group of people pushing a piano to the top, a group of high schoolers and teachers who dribbled basketballs and volleyballs to the top and the famous four peanut pushers.
"Well, have you heard of the expression 'Because it’s there?' I think that's probably a motivation for doing it," Maoi said. "It's something unusual. These are feats that nobody else has been able to perform."
As King gets ready to ascend and descend Pikes Peak on Friday, he hopes his story will inspire others to pursue their dreams and not let anyone stand in the way.
"Everybody's crazy in their own way, I'm just doing it my way," King said. "Everybody should be their own weird self, whatever works for them, have fun doing it, and don’t let anyone criticize you."