World Records for Penny-Farthing Bicycles

Corrections and additional information (maybe even new record claims?) for this list are welcome!
Please just contact us if you can contribute results (in particular from other countries) or if you know the missing names or first names of the record breakers.

The last season where penny farthing races were held were 1892 in the US and 1895 in Germany.
For this list, we considered the best records from the UK, Australia and the US (using record lists up to December 1893) and Germany (using a record list up to 10 September 1894).

Unless noted otherwise, all records have been achieved from a standing start on a racing track.

Pacing was usually permitted. The times have been measured to the fifth of a second.

We do not make a difference between time trials and races and between amateurs and professionals.

Many thanks for their support in compiling this list to Wolfgang Schoppe (cycling archive, Leipzig, Germany), Maxi Kutschera (fahrradbuch.de) and the Road Records Association (UK).


1/4 mile
 32.0 sec
 A. E. Lumsden (USA)
 30 Aug 1890, Providence
1/4 mi without using hands
 43 sec
 F. F. Ives (USA)
 29 August 1886, Springfield, Mass.
500 m
 41.2 sec
 Paul Präsent (Germany)
 27 May 1894, Bremen
1/2 mi
 1:10.8 min
 W. W. Windle (USA)
 11 September 1890, Peoria
1/2 mi without using hands
 1:22.2 min
 F. F. Ives (USA)
 29 August 1886, Springfield, Mass.
1 km
 1:28.0 min
 Otto Beyschlag (Germany)
 20 July 1894, Vienna
1 km without using hands
 2:02.7 min Neil Laughton (UK) 11 October 2024, Herne Hill Velodrome, London DETAILS
1 km, women
 2:11.9 min Evi Dumon (Belgium) 12 October 2024, Herne Hill Velodrome, London DETAILS
1 km, women, without using hands 2:11.9 min Evi Dumon (Belgium) 12 October 2024, Herne Hill Velodrome, London DETAILS
1 mile
 2:15.6 min
 William W. Windle (USA)
 15 Sept 1890, Peoria, Ill.
1 mile without using hands
 2:44.4 min
 F. F. Ives (USA)
 29 August 1886, Springfield, Mass.
2 km
 3:06.4 min
 Otto Beyschlag (Germany)
 30 August 1894, Vienna
2 miles
 5:11.0 min
 W. A. Rowe (USA)
 14 Oct 1886, Springfield, Mass.
5 km
 8:04.0 min
 Otto Beyschlag (Germany) 7 July 1892, Frankfurt/Main
5 miles
 13:22.2 min
 G. Whittaker (USA)
 1888, Long Eaton
10 km
 16:29.4 min
 Otto Beyschlag (Germany) 30 August 1894, Vienna
10 km without using hands
 23:23.7 min
 Neil Laughton (UK)
 10 October 2019, Herne Hill Velodrome, London
10 km, women
 24:31.02 min
 Lizanne Fox (Canada) 21 July 2023, Jerry Baker Velodrome, Redmond, Wash.
10 miles
 27:05.4 min
 G. Whittaker (USA)
 1888, Long Eaton
20 km
 35:37.0 min
 Hans Ludolphi (Germany)
 25 July 1894, Breslau (now Wrocław)
20 km, women
 50:45.78 min
 Lizanne Fox (Canada) 21 July 2023, Jerry Baker Velodrome, Redmond, Wash.
20 miles
 51:25.4 min
 W. A. Rowe (USA) 1886, Springfield, Mass.
50 km
 1:37:03.6 hr
 Adolf Elsner (Germany)
 11 September 1893, Breslau (now Wrocław)
50 miles track
 2:28:10.2 hr
 Frank W. Shorland (UK)
 21/22 July 1892, London
50 miles road
 2:45:20 hr
 R. J. Illsley (UK)
 13 June 1891, Grand North Road
100 km
 3:11:00 hr
 Paul Leinert (Germany)
 July 1896
100 miles track
 5:05:03.4 hr
 Frank W. Shorland (UK)
 21/22 July 1892, London
100 miles road
 6:19:06 hr
 R. C. Nesbitt (UK) and J. F. Walsh (UK)
 15 August 1891, Grand North Road
200 miles
10:49:32.4 hr
 Frank W. Shorland (UK) 21/22 July 1892, London
300 miles
 17:10:18 hr
 Frank W. Shorland (UK) 21/22 July 1892, London
1 hour track DETAILS 35.743 km = 22 mi 369 yd Chris Opie (UK)
 10 October 2019, Herne Hill Velodrome, London
1 hour track without using hands
 26.00 km = 16 mi 273 yd
 Neil Laughton (UK) 10 October 2019, Herne Hill Velodrome, London
1 hour track, women
 26.199 km = 16 mi 490 yd
 Melissa Eisell (UK)
 11 October 2024, Herne Hill Velodrome, London DETAILS
2 hours track
 64.70 km = 40 mi 360 yd
 Wilbur F. Knapp (UK)
 16 Aug 1888
3 hours track
 97.39 km = 60 mi 910 yd
 Frank W. Shorland (UK) 21/22 July 1892, London
6 hours track
 183.56 km = 114 mi 100 yd
 Frank W. Shorland (UK) 21/22 July 1892, London
12 hours track
 354.18 km = 220 mi 140 yd
 Frank W. Shorland (UK) 21/22 July 1892, London
12 hours road
 282.4 km = 175.5 mi J. F. Walsh (UK) 1891
24 hours track
 666.135 km = 413 mi 1615 yd
 Frank W. Shorland (UK) 21/22 July 1892, London
24 hours road
 546 km = 339 mi
 Manfred Cizek (Austria)
 4 / 5 August 2002, Schötz, Switzerland

Notes: Frank W. Shorland rode a geared high-wheeler. with a sun-and-planet gear. It should be noted that his results have been achieved in a race (i.e. not in a time trial).
The 19th century record for 24 hours on road were 502 km [312 mi] by J. F. Walsh (UK) (22 August 1891, Grand North Road).
The best record for 24 hours on road on solid tyres were 416.8 km [259 miles]  by George P. Mills (UK) in 1885.
The 19th century record for one hour was 35.54 km = 22 mi 147 yd by William Rowe (USA), achieved on 25 October 1886, Springfield, Mass.It remained unsurpassed for 133 years. DETAILS

OTHER RECORDS

Trans-US: Steve Stevens (USA), 29 days 9:03 hours, 26 May to 23 June 2000, using a 1887 Rudge penny-farthing

Land's End - John O'Groats: Richard Thoday (UK), 4 days 11 hours 52 minutes on 20-24 July 2019 (DETAILS / VIDEO). The previous record was more than 100 years old (George P. Mills, 5 days 1:45 hours, on 4-9 July 1886. Mills only slept for six hours during the journey).

Greatest distance without dismounting: 234 mi [376.5 km] by W. J. Morgan (USA) on 20 Dec 1886 in Minneapolis, Minn., USA

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