British Penny Farthing Championships

Hosted by the Pickwick Bicycle Club, the oldest cycling club in the country, cycling enthusiasts from across the nation and Europe gathered on September 24 at Hillingdon Cycle Circuit in London to compete in the British Penny Farthing Championships. The Penny Farthing, an iconic bicycle, was the pioneer of mass-produced cycling.

The race featured 20 riders who battled it out for 30 minutes plus two laps. Charlie Burrell from the UK claimed the men's title, while Belgium's Evi Dumon emerged victorious in the women's category. Race strategy played a crucial role as both winners strategically utilised slipstreaming to conserve energy behind race leaders and make their move on the final lap.

This marked the second edition of the British Championship, doubling the number of entrants from the previous year, underscoring the growing popularity of this unique sport in the modern era. Riding a Penny Farthing is a distinctive challenge, standing at a towering height of two and a half meters. These bicycles lack gears and feature fixed wheels, making uphill climbs demanding and descents and corners quite tricky. Taking a fall from such heights can be painful, but for these dedicated riders, the thrill of racing on a Penny Farthing carries on the legacy of this timeless mode of transportation.

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