Zac Darnell, 28, of Folsom, California, finished second in Mens Pro at Northwest Electric Fest 2026 with a combined time of 10:17.200, just 5.5 seconds behind winner Joshua Fagerness. In this interview from the event, the five-year NWEF veteran talks suspension tuning, tire pressure, the rivalry driving him, and why off-road is where the electric unicycle shines.
Darnell making a push for the finish line at NW Electric Fest on his Begode X-Way. Photo credit Seth Johnson (USA EUC)
Zac Darnell is somewhere on a narrow single-track at Havenroot in Veneta, Oregon, just west of Eugene, threading his electric unicycle through stumps, tree roots and tight switchbacks at a speed that demands total commitment. One wrong read of the terrain, one miscalculated apex, and the race is over. He knows it. He loves it. That tension between controlled aggression and catastrophic consequence is precisely what keeps the 28-year-old Folsom, California, native coming back to the start line.
Darnell is one of the most recognizable competitors in the electric unicycle racing scene, a rider whose name comes up whenever serious people talk about who belongs at the front of the Mens Pro division. He earned that reputation the hard way, one event at a time, across five consecutive years at Northwest Electric Fest. This year he came within a heat of winning the whole thing, taking Saturday's run from eventual champion Joshua Fagerness by a single second before settling into second overall.
Finding the Wheel
Darnell did not stumble onto electric unicycles by accident. His entry into the sport came alongside his father, James Darnell, and the two have been inseparable from the community ever since. What began as a shared hobby evolved into something deeper. Darnell calls his father "a very good positive influence in my life" and marvels at where the sport has taken their relationship.
Zac Darnell and his Dad James Darnell, a fellow EUC racer - photo by @s_m_l_s_
"It's almost like we're best friends," he said, joking that nobody expects to want to keep hanging out with their parents after coming back from college.
That bond, forged on trails and at events, speaks to what makes this sport different from the mainstream. It is not just a competition. It is a lifestyle that pulls families and strangers into the same orbit.
Built for the Dirt
Ask Darnell about his riding philosophy and he will tell you, without hesitation, that off-road is where his heart lives. Pavement has its appeal, and the sensation of throwing your body weight forward and getting a shoulder low through a turn offers its own brand of adrenaline. But the trail offers something a closed circuit never can: infinite variation. Off-road, he says, "offers more stimulation" for a simple reason: "I get bored on a track."
It's risky but you get maximum traction especially when you're trying to go as fast as you possibly can. You need as much contact with the ground as possible.
"There's lots of different angles and corners you can take," he said. "It's fun to pick the path of least resistance. It's really enjoyable. I think that's where the electric unicycle really shines is off road."
At Northwest Electric Fest, Darnell competed in the Mens Pro division, racing two timed attempts downhill and two uphill on a course he loves for being flowy yet brutally technical. He rode a 168-volt Exway, spending considerable time before competition dialing in suspension settings calibrated precisely to his weight. Compression, rebound, tire pressure, all of it measured and adjusted with the care of someone who understands that the margin between a podium run and a crash can come down to millimeters of contact patch.
Darnell's beloved and highly customized Begode X-Way. Photo provided by Zac Darnell.
He runs a Shinko 241 tire at around 19 PSI on courses like this one. Lower pressure means more tire deformation against the ground, more surface area, more traction. He explains that event thought it's risky, you get maximum traction especially when you're trying to go as fast as you possibly can. He maintains that while racing you need as much contact with the ground as possible.
The Competition That Drives Him
Zac Darnell and Joshua Fagerness commiserating after Joshua placed 1st and Zac clinched 2nd at Let it Ride 2026. Photo provided by Zac Darnell.
Darnell is candid about who occupies his competitive headspace. Joshua Fagerness, the man who beat him by 5.5 seconds combined this weekend, is the name he raises immediately when asked who keeps him up at night.
I swear we're cut from the same cloth of craziness, but I've been in it for so long that I kind of have a little bit of a mental block on, you know, preserving myself and longevity
"That guy is on a completely different level," Darnell said, adding that the two are "cut from the same cloth of craziness." Watching Fagerness ride leaves even a five-year veteran searching for words: "He's in control but he's not in control."
"It really brings the fire back to racing, which is what I live for," he said, describing the feeling of knowing a rival is "just right there. One second away."
He recalls a similarly electric duel with Sean in a previous season, two riders neck and neck with a single second deciding it. Experiences like that are the reason Darnell races. Not trophies. Not rankings. The knowledge that someone equally hungry is one mistake away from taking everything.
More Than a Race
Five years at Northwest Electric Fest has given Darnell a perspective that goes well beyond lap times. The event, he says, functions as much as a community gathering as a sporting competition. Axe throwing, pie eating contests, pull-up bars and the increasingly legendary rumble, a mosh-pit style elimination contest on small unicycles and Onewheels, fill the hours between races with the kind of chaos that bonds people permanently.
it's not just about the racing it's about, you know, having a great time. It's like camping with your friends and everyone brought their coolest toys. You can't bottle up and sell it. . .You got to come and experience it.
His partner, Lauren Ford, who won the Womens Pro division at this year's event, shares his passion for the sport and, by his account, is sometimes even more competitive than he is. He credits her energy as a consistent motivating force.
Zac Darnell with his girlfriend Lauren Ford who was the Women's Pro race winner at NW Electric Fest. Photo provided by Zac Darnell.
Eyes Forward
Darnell is bullish on where electric unicycle sport is headed. He sees the physics of suspension tuning for single-wheeled vehicles reaching a tipping point, with proper science perhaps a year or two away from being codified. He sees events growing, crowds swelling and the broader culture of PEV riding gaining momentum that feels, to him, unstoppable.
So much happening behind the scenes. It's just hard to explain to everyone because there's just so many moving parts but it's all going to come together very very soon. We're on such a positive incline right now, the best is about to come.
For Darnell, the next trail is always the best one he has not ridden yet. Find him at @euczac across social platforms, or better yet, find him at the start line.
Read the full event story in our Northwest Electric Fest 2026 recap, and follow the season at the 2026 USA EUC schedule.
Amped Electric Games coverage of Northwest Electric Fest 2026 was made possible by HyperDonkey.com, the Official IT Provider of Amped Electric Games.
