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Mark Beaumont sets sights on penny farthing hour record

Record has stood for 127 years

Maybe that whole round the world inside 80 days thing was just a warm-up. Mark Beaumont’s next goal is to secure the prestigious penny farthing hour record.

The Scottish Sun reports that Frederick J Osmond’s record has stood since 1891. Beaumont will try and set a new mark at Herne Hill Velodrome in Surrey in June.

The Scot took delivery of a custom-made penny farthing on January 2 and appears to be taking his attempt at least semi-seriously.

He said: “I have been training hard around the parks of Edinburgh and you get some funny looks. The hour record is 23 and a half miles, which is pretty nuts on a penny farthing, but I have been quite enjoying not training ultra-endurance – this is just me and my mates wanting to do something eccentric and daft.”

Beaumont does have a bit of experience, having cycled the 100-mile Etape Royale route on a penny farthing in 2015. Speaking at the time, he said it was the first time since he was a kid that he’d had to walk up hills and that descending was “downright treacherous.”

Videos: Penny-farthing crashes compilation ... it's a long way down

Looking ahead to his hour record attempt, he said: “Everything I have ever done has felt like a natural stepping stone to the next expedition but the honest truth is that going round the world in 80 days doesn’t naturally lead to anything – that was my Everest. Last year was completely professional and I don’t want to take life quite so seriously this year.”

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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