Stratford: Jeremy Vine helps break Penny Farthings world records

Cyclists on Penny Farthings have broken 12 Guinness World Records at a gathering in east London on Sunday.

The 140-strong group, which included BBC presenter Jeremy Vine, made up the largest number of Penny Farthing riders in an upright stack, which previously stood at 131.

All riders in the stack had to stay in position for more than three minutes, before they cycled from the Herne Hill velodrome to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park velodrome.

A spokesperson for Guinness World Records confirmed that a total of 12 world record attempts by the group and individuals during the event were broken.

A spokesperson for Guinness World Records confirmed that a total of 12 world record attempts by the group and individuals during the event were broken, including the largest number of Penny Farthing racers in a velodrome.

Organisers called the event at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park velodrome in Stratford the “greatest gathering of Penny Farthing riders in London since the 1880s”.

Cyclist Robert ON Torto said the Penny Farthing was his “primary mode of transport”.

“This is the only thing I ride,” he said.

“So if I’m going to work, if I’m going on any kind of errand, this is my mode of transportation, I ride nothing else.”

Fellow enthusiast Stuart Horth said: “It looks scary but once you’re used to it it’s just a great way of getting around really, and a bit of fun.”

Neil Laughton, founder of the Penny Farthing Club, said: “The bike is extraordinary.

“It’s just a great invention, it’s very simple. It has no brakes, gears, it’s solid rubber tyre, no suspension – it’s the original bicycle.

“And we’ve got people from all over Europe, some from the States and further afield.”