Invasion of Privacy: SUNY Geneseo’s “Unicycle Guy:” Julian Delisle
Photo courtesy of Peyton Jamison
Julian brightens students’ day as he rides by with a warm smile and friendly wave.
Chances are that over the past few weeks, you’ve heard mention of the mysterious “Unicycle Guy” riding around campus. Maybe you even managed to catch a glimpse of him while walking to class or to the dining hall. It’s quite possible that you’ve been wondering just who exactly this man is, and why his preferred mode of transportation around campus is as distinct as it is; and to that, we, at The Lamron, say wonder no longer! We sat down to interview with the man himself, and learned all there is to know about his talent and passion, as well as where he plans to take it in the future.
Julian Delisle, better known around campus as simply the “Unicycle Guy,” is currently a freshman at SUNY Geneseo with an undeclared major and tentative plans to get involved in Pep Band, WGSU, and the Badminton Club. Julian told us his choice for college was between Geneseo and St. Lawrence University, stating that he wanted to attend a “liberal arts college in the middle of nowhere.” He ended up choosing Geneseo in part due to the fact that he had heard St. Lawrence students are mostly “rich, obnoxious [arrogant individuals].” But now that he’s here, Julian says that over the course of his college career, he’s most looking forward to meeting new people, making friends, and forming close bonds with others, and least looking forward to taking exams, admitting he was never a great test-taker.
When asked how he feels about being a campus celebrity, he told us that the fact that his reputation precedes him on campus is crazy, and that he’s glad to have made so many people on campus happy. And now, it’s time for some backstory on the object that gave Julian his alias: the unicycle. A family friend, whom Julian refers to as being “like an uncle,” had been riding a unicycle since his youth.Tragically, he passed away, leaving Julian drowned in grief. With his passing, he left Julian his unicycle, and with the extended time granted from the COVID lockdown, Julian began his journey in mastering the art.
When asked how hard it was to learn how to ride his unicycle, Julian said that, “It was a solid 8/10 in difficulty when first starting, but after practice and conquering the hills at Geneseo, I’d give it a 4/10 at most.” At the beginning of his journey, Julian would use the unicycle mostly as a means of transportation, so tricks have been few and far between. Even so, after starting college at Geneseo, he is more driven to learn new things such as idling, juggling, jumping over curbs, and even playing the saxophone while on his unicycle!
He has already accomplished various impressive feats in his time unicycling, including spending nearly the entire total eclipse in Buffalo on his unicycle, as well as riding on the Buffalo Skyway. Yet, despite these skills and accomplishments, Julian told us that every moment he spends unicycling is special, especially when he sees it brings joy to others.
We were taken aback when we asked Julian about his long-term goal, and he said that before he was 30, he wanted to ride across the Erie Canal. He calculated that it would take him two weeks to do so, something that we could hardly believe. We later asked Julian if there was anything that he wanted you all as readers to know, and after pondering for a moment, he said, “Hit me up if you want to try the unicycle.”
We asked an anonymous student on campus for their thoughts on the unicycle guy, and they said “I love that guy! He is always smiling, and his smile is the embodiment of friendliness.” We hope that you enjoyed this interview and learned some things about SUNY Geneseo’s most recent rising celebrity. Stay tuned for next week’s Invasion of Privacy.