This is what the first bicycle races must have looked like — folks riding penny-farthings down the Main Street of town.
Penny farthing enthusiasts gathered in Frederick, Maryland, this past weekend for the Frederick Clustered Spires High Wheel Race.
Among them was 3-time Tour de France champion Greg Lemond, who was attending another charity bike event but took a teetering spin on one of the vintage bikes.
According to a Washington Post reporter at the scene, the three most frequently asked questions asked of penny farthing cyclists are:
“How do you get on? How do you stop? How do you get off?”
The single answer from Keith Carter, 59, of Hagerstown: “You have to plan ahead and you have to slow down.”
The event was organized by Eric Rhodes, 37, a member of a national organization supporting bicycle heritage called the Wheelmen.
This was more than a get-together for the 25 bicyclists who came from as far as Arizona. It was a race. The person to finish the most 0.4-mile laps around downtown in an hour would be the winner.
Rick Stumpf of Missouri won with 42 laps and Carol Kennedy won a women’s race with 37 laps. Then, somehow, they slowed down and dismounted their high-wheelers.
One cyclist fell off her high-wheel and was transported to the Maryland Shock Trauma unit where she was reported in serious but stable condition.
Here’s longer video:
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