Man completes 'painful' penny farthing challenge

A cyclist says he is looking forward to adding another Guinness World Record to his "wall of certificates" after setting a new record for the fastest 100km (62.1 miles) on a penny farthing.

Rolf Woodward unofficially covered the distance in five hours and 23 seconds at Palmer Park Velodrome in Reading on Thursday.

"It was tough, it was painful, it was mental, but it's an achievement I've wanted to do for a while," he said after the endeavour.

Woodward's whole family are penny farthing record breakers, with his wife Julie previously holding the fastest female 1 km and his son and daughter setting a record for riding the world's smallest in June.

The new record is expected to be officially confirmed by Guinness at a later date.

It is one of a series of record attempts being undertaken by the Penny Farthing Club at the venue on Thursday and Friday.

Others include the furthest distance travelled without dismounting, the fastest speed over 100m/328ft (male and female), the furthest distance in one hour (female), and the furthest distance in one hour on the tandem penny farthing.

The riders are raising funds for charity Keep Me Breathing, which develops life-saving medical technology for people with Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS).

"I have set the records for the first time, so it's open for anyone to have a go at, but after my experience last night I probably would not recommend trying it," Woodward told the BBC.

He added: "My legs felt like jelly. I probably will not want to do that again, to be honest."

The Penny Farthing Club, which was founded in 2013, runs training courses, social and charity rides, track racing, Victorian costume events, and international penny farthing polo.

Its members already hold several Guinness World Records.

James Oakley, CEO and co-founder of Keep Me Breathing, whose son Casper has CCHS, said: "We are enormously grateful to the Penny Farthing Club and every rider taking on these incredible challenges."

He called the "skill, stamina and determination" required "extraordinary".