David Krack, a 36-year-old junior high teacher, is going to ride his unicycle in a race in Canada.

It sounds surprising to everyone but those who know him.

The city resident entered a mountain trail race on a single-speed bike and is always training for the newest event. So, he said, when he told his family he would enter an 800K five-day relay race across the Canadian island providence, they pegged it as his next adventure.

Reactions from people on Butler County roads as he trains are often more wide-eyed.

"The most common reaction is 'You're missing a wheel,' " Krack said. Other people will tell him to pop a wheely or they will start humming circus music."

Since qualifying for the race in late October by taking 45-mile rides on consecutive days, Krack has prepared for Ride the Lobster. He leaves today with his wife, Lisa, for Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

Beginning Monday, teams of three will trek across the countryside in five stages from the flat terrain of Yarmouth to the rugged terrain of Baddeck. From 12 countries, 124 riders qualified.

"It's the only thing of its kind in the world," Ride the Lobster media coordinator William Dockrill said.

"It's being compared to the Tour de France of unicycling,"Krack said.

Dockrill said participants in the race include unicycle Guiness World Record holder Sam Wakeling and the man he took the record from.

Krack met one teammate, Morgan Griffith of Vevay, Ind., only once and has yet to meet the other, Dan Hansen of Minneapolis. The trio teamed up on the Internet after the qualifier. "I couldn't convince my friends to ride with me," Krack said.

Training demanded much of the spare time Krack had. He teaches math at Butler Junior High School and also instructs a spinning class at the YMCAin Butler. During summer months, he opens a community bicycle workshop.

He rides to Prospect and back to his city home on a normal day of training. Weekend trips are longer, sometimes heading past Zelienople toward Beaver Falls, he said.

He battled through some injuries and rehabilitated tendinitis in his knee. Though the rides can be physically demanding, he said the largest deterrent is seat comfort.

He rode in 15-degree snowy days and humid days where temperatures exceeded 90.

Sitting atop his 36-inch wheel, Krack said he is 7 feet above the ground.

He feels prepared for anything when he lands in Nova Scotia, even though it's somewhere he's never been. The temperatures are expected from 55 degrees to 70 degrees, with fog in the mornings.

He said he looks at it as a great tourism opportunity. For the team entry fee and transportation costs, he gets to spend a week in a coastal province with an abundance of seafood.

His only responsibility is to pedal about 80 miles a day. To keep up the pace, he'll have to ride 10 to 15 miles per hour.

As team members finish legs of the race, they will hand off a GPS unit that tracks progress.

Along the route, many of the 136 towns the race passes through will have lobster boils, regattas and town picnics.

"Through the context of the race, communities get together," Dockrill said.

The town of New Germany, will ring all the church bells as the first riders show up there.

"No one is going to see 105 riders (the expected number of participants) on unicycles again," he said.

To track the progress of Krack and his team, called the Surly Speed Goats, visit www.ridethelobster.com.