Rodney "No Hands King"
Gender: Male
Age: 25-64
Race: Black
Nativity: Born in NC
Educational Attainment: No High School
Occupation: Marketing Bike Rider
Travel Time to Work: N/A
Internet Access in the Home: No
Religion: Believes in God
City: Raleigh
Narrative:
“The world record wheelie was 300 miles, but I think the guy cheated because he used his hands.” Rodney, Raleigh’s famous “No Hand King,” rides his bike for 50-100 miles a day on one wheel without hands. You can spy Rodney on any morning commute at the corner of Martin Luther King Blvd. and Person St. His house is there on the corner with numerous bikes, white shirts with messages for the troops fluttering in the front yard, and American flags. He practices wheelies by balancing on the two back legs of his chair, sometimes for a whole day.
Rodney has been through what he describes as some “tough times.” He went to jail for six years and strives to still be a good role model to children by not drinking or smoking. Rodney says that he wants to be a good role model not only to all kids everywhere but to his three children also. He wants to be a father that his kids can be proud of, since he grew up in a bad environment without a father; he does not want his own children to grow up with the same experience.