In a scene that could have been plucked from the late 1900s, a smattering of penny-farthing cyclists rode through central London on Saturday afternoon, as part of a record-breaking amuse-bouche to the City of London Nocturne.
In total, four records fell, including the smallest and largest penny farthings ever ridden, and the fastest 100m while juggling.
Siblings Flo and Finn Woodward, aged six and seven years old, took the women’s and men’s titles for riding the smallest, the front wheel of which measured 11.41 inches (29cm) in diameter.
At the other extreme, Neil Laughton, founder of The Penny Farthing Club, rode a custom 100-inch (254cm) penny farthing nicknamed ‘Big Bertha’, which lifted him some nine feet off the ground among the office blocks near Bank Station.
“I was born in London, worked in London and honestly, after riding the world’s largest penny farthing bicycle that’s ever been built, I’m just pleased I didn’t die in London today,” Laughton said. “It was a fabulous day.”
The record for the fastest 100m on a penny farthing while juggling was set by Sweden’s Henrik Hedström and now stands at 19.87 seconds (18.1kph).
There was also a successful world record attempt on a unicycle, with Roger Davies clocking the fastest 100m while blindfolded: 37.31 seconds (9.7kph).
Guinness World Records adjudicator Juliet Dawson said the spree was a reminder that record-breaking can be “joyful, unusual and incredibly skilful all at once”.
“What stood out most was the mix of people involved, from experienced riders to the next generation of penny farthing enthusiasts, all willing to take on something genuinely challenging in front of a live crowd,” Dawson continued.
“We’re incredibly proud to recognise the dedication, focus and courage behind today’s achievements.”
Guinness tracks around 30 penny farthing world records in its database. In October 2024, London’s Herne Hill Velodrome and Lee Valley Velopark hosted a penny farthing record ‘extravaganza’, in which 13 world records were broken, including the fastest 1km on a penny farthing by a man (1:30.103) and the furthest distance on a penny farthing in one hour by a solo woman (26.199km).
The record-breaking largest and smallest penny farthings ridden on Saturday were both hand-built in Australia by Dan Bolwell, also known as ‘Penny Farthing Dan’.
