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).

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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.

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

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 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, 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	35.54 km = 22 mi 150 yd	William Rowe (USA)	25 October 1886, Springfield, Mass.
1 hour track, women	23.412 km = 14 mi 963 yd	Lizanne Fox (Canada)	21 July 2023, Jerry Baker Velodrome, Redmond, Wash.
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