20220723 Cyclopark: Penny-Farthing.org ‘s admin is on the right

Site Admin’s Penny-Farthing Cycling Experience:

I guess an obvious question for any visitor to this site is: “Why should I trust what you have to say about riding Penny-Farthings?!?!?” which is a question worthy both of asking and being answered. I- Terrence Houlahan– have thousands of miles experience cycling a Penny-Farthing on extremely busy UK urban roads-including Central London & Cambridge- at night and in all weather conditions. But independent evidence of my cycling competence can be found in my race results:

  • I’m a sponsored rider: I’m a Brand Ambassador for probably the most popular cycling jersey companies: Owayo. Most club- and probably pro- cyclists will have had their custom jerseys produced by Owayo. They’re fairly circumspect about who they let represent their brand. Being fit and looking good in a their jerseys is not enough…
  • Not brilliant, but I managed a top-10 finish (OK “8th” place) at what most consider one of the toughest races in the Penny-Farthing world: The Great Knutsford Race: a gruelling 3 hour bag of hurt held only once every TEN YEARS. I did beat all team riders at the event except for the winning team. So yes, I’ve earned my bones.
  • 3rd Place, 2022 British Open Penny-Farthing Championships Race (Cyclopark, Kent). Racing involves sharing a track with other Penny-Farthings cyclists pedalling furiously and passing each other. A collision at these speeds- between 15-20 MPH- on a 5 foot high PF could result in serious injury or death. So racing Penny-Farthings at very high speeds on a track with other cyclists requires a certain minimum baseline of competence.
  • 3rd Place, 2022 British Open Penny-Farthing Championships Slalom (Cyclopark, Kent). This involves navigating obstacles- cones- at high speed. I’d say this fairly evidences technical skill navigating hazards at high speeds. Strike a cone and you’re going over the handle bars…
  • 3rd Place, 2022 Penny-Farthing Hill Climb World Championships. This involves cycling a Penny Farthing up a continuously sloping (3) mile route starting on the Eastbourne Seafront to the top of Beachy Head. One part of the course has a 12% gradient- and it appears at the 2/3 point. Cyclists with standard GEARED bicycles can be seen walking them up Upper Dukes Drive. One cannot be an average cyclist and complete this epic race.
  • 3rd Place, 2022 Pickwick Penny-Farthing Race (Hillingdon Cycle Circuit, W. London). This race is 12 laps on twisty track with a long, fast straight competing with a crowded field of about 20 Penny-Farthing cyclists. It’s a fast race- the top 3 places exceed 18 MPH- where competitors have to communicate numerous lane changes to their fellow racers. Participation is by invitation and limited to experienced Penny-Farthing cyclists.

My first Penny-Farthing was a “QU-AX” with a 36″ pressurized tire. Although smaller than a proper Penny-Farthing, the mechanics of mounting, dismounting and cycling it were (roughly) the same as a full-size Penny-Farthing. So I learned the fundamentals  on a smaller 36″ PF before graduating to a full-sized 50″ model that I train & race with exclusively now.

And I’ve also been mowed-down by an SUV that didn’t see me despite wearing a Pro-Viz jacket with flashing rear and front lights and even a flashing light on my helmet.  Hence the big emphasis on road cycling safety here. I’ve earned my bones road cycling & racing Penny-Farthings…

Site Admin’s Social Media Handles & Links:

If you want to subscribe to my Rumble Channel where I post Penny-Farthing racing & Safety videos or follow my Penny-Farthing cycles & cycling rants on social media:

Kamoot: “PennyFarthingGuy“
Twitter: “MyPennyFarthing“
Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/PennyFarthing