- [Announcer] The World Hour Record is one of the most
enduring in the sport of bicycling.
It is currently held by William A. Rowe,
who pedaled a remarkable 22.09 miles
on a beautiful Summer's evening
in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1886.
In the last 132 years, several people have tried
and ultimately failed to best that mark, but now
(records scratches)
sorry, now in 2018
someone is going for it again.
Oh, did I mention it it's on a penny-farthing?
(rock music)
Ah yes, the penny-farthing,
also known as the upright and,
slightly bizarrely perhaps, the ordinary.
Although to be fair to it, this was supremely popular
in it's hay day of the late 19th century.
It is of course, characterized by that giant front wheel
and that tiny little trailing back wheel.
The rider sits over the top of the front wheel,
and the pedals are connected directly to the front axle,
so it's effectively a fixed wheel.
The handlebars also
are connected directly to that front wheel,
so yes, you will find that your pedals
change direction the same time as the front wheel.
Now, in terms of riding this thing quickly
you are limited by the size of your front wheel,
so taller riders could theoretically,
therefore go a little bit faster.
And although there is no gearing as such,
I'm told, that by changing the length of your cranks
you're effectively change the gearing
in relation to your legs.
Hopefully, therefore that can mean
you can eke out little bit more speed.
These are more recent modifications,
some aerodynamic handlebars and
of course this, a Garmin.
Which as you can see is on a nice custom mount, there.
Which is perhaps in keeping with the 19th century.
So this is the rider stepping up to the challenge.
A man you might not recognize
if it wasn't for the new mustache.
It's Mark Beaumont of course.
A rider that we followed on incredible
round the world record breaking ride last summer.
From 78 days though, to one hour.
I'm not gonna lie mate, I don't blame you
for going to something just a little bit shorter this time
but why Penny-farthings?
- Yeah, I don't really have that itch to scratch,
(Interviewer laughs)
when it comes to distance anymore,
I mean the world was 1200 hours time traveling.
- Yeah.
- This is an hour.
How hard can it be?
If anyone watched me riding into Paris,
and you where there.
- Yeah.
- There was two blokes on penny-farthings
that made the trip out,
and shortly afterwards to be honest,
they stole the show in the finishing line.
I mean, how couldn't you on these things?
And they got in touch and said,
would be interested to go for one
of the oldest record that stands?
Not just in cycling,
but full stop.
You know, set back in the 1880s,
and I love the eccentricity of that.
I love the madness of it,
so yeah, I thought why the hell not.
- Yeah, fair enough.
So have you been training specifically for this now then?
- Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, you've got to.
I mean, what's the point in being able to ride
sixteen hours when you're training for one?
- Yeah. - It's all about threshold,
it's all about absolute topping
and I've quite enjoyed that.
You know it's just a completely different discipline.
- Yeah.
- And so it's supported record,
insofar as there's eight of us on the track,
flying start
they're my domestiques,
hopefully, you know, they'll protect me.
You can time travel on a penny-farthing, believe it or not,
you can, you know, slipstream,
but I can do with any help that I can get.
- Okay.
- You know, I've ridden with you a lot,
I know you're strong,
you're up for it?
- Join the record itself?
- Yeah, yeah.
- I would absolutely love to, mate.
Yeah, thanks mate.
- Let's see your form.
- Alright, yeah, no, I'll get hitted up.
Thanks. - Perfect
(lively guitar music)
- Right, so I've found someone to actually teach me
how to ride a penny-farthing
and this is Neil, who's the founder
of the Penny Farthing Club.
I'm terrified, if I'm completely honest.
What's, what are we gonna do?
- Okay, so in a minute we gonna get you off on the bike.
We're gonna do it two phases,
we're gonna get you riding first
and then the tricky part of mounting, riding
and then dismounting on your own,
to qualify for honorary membership
of the Penny Farthing Club.
- Okay, alright, well there's a target.
- Push, push, push, hop, hop, hop.
Up, toe, seat, join the pedals.
(lively guitar music)
- Oh that looks easy.
- Yep.
Then you can wave to the crowd.
- No problem.
(quirky music)
Oh.
- A bit more.
(quirky music)
A bit tentative.
- Oh. Okay, right.
- On the seat before you run out of puff.
- That's right yeah, it's easier than it looks.
- Okay, full beans, full chap.
- Did we do risk assessment, John?
- Three, two, one, push, push, push.
Come on, let's get it going.
That's it, join the pedals.
- Oh yes!
Oh my God.
(Neil claps)
Oh, wow.
(Neil claps)
- Well done.
- I'm genuinely quite pleased.
(quirky music)
So how fast do we gotta go to get 22 miles and hour?
- So you're doing about two miles an hour there,
you got to do another--
- Another twenty. - Another twenty.
Well that would be alright.
So now I've gotta stop, right?
- No don't stop.
- But I want to be part of the club.
- Yes, so you have to dismount, you don't stop.
- Oh, I see what you mean.
- At walking pace, reach back for that peg.
- Okay.
- With your right foot.
[inaudible 05:14]
We'll do one more lap.
Now straight line, a bit faster.
- Okay.
- Right foot, reach it back.
Left foot and off, there you go.
You're in the club.
- Yes, I'm in the club.
Thank you very much, cheers.
(Neil claps)
- You've done it.
- Who would have thought you get an adrenaline rush
from riding a penny-farthing?
It's an extreme sport, isn't it?
- Yep.
- Right, okay, so 22 mile an hour now.
- 23 miles an hour.
- 23.
- For racing and tomorrow's penny-farthing polo.
- Okay, alright, yeah, one step at a time.
23 mile an hour first.
Let's go for it.
We need to get suited up.
It's a little known fact, actually, here at GCN
that one of the presenter mottos
is always be prepared.
But I will be honest,
when I set out this morning
I did not expect to need my Asos speed fast skinsuit
and Kask Mistral helmet,
but what a lucky coincidence
that they're in my kit bag nevertheless.
It's all about saving watts.
(upbeat music)
I think I'm ready.
So is there going to be some kind of
rider briefing now, Mark?
Have we got like a team warm up to do,
or some kind of?
- Yeah, yeah that is the plan.
- Okay.
- And it's important that,
there's a wider team.
And I mean, you look fantastic,
you look strong on a bike
but we were thinking, you know
we also need somebody for the lap board.
I don't know if that's a skill you've got as well.
You know, it's just, - Uh, yeah.
- just spreading the talent, really.
- Yeah, no I can do lap boards.
- Fantastic, fantastic.
- I'll, I'd probably go get changed, if that's alright.
- Yeah, yeah, fantastic.
- Okay, alright.
- Thank you.
Good to have you onboard.
- No, thanks Mark.
Yeah, you too.
Aside from the fact that Mark is riding a penny-farthing,
this is an Hour Record with a difference.
A conventional one, currently held by Bradley Wiggins,
is a solo effort.
One rider on the track, riding as fast as they can
until the time is up.
However, as Mark alluded to,
this record allows him to have a team of riders
with whom to share the pace.
The plan is to have a core group of three
staying with him for as long as possible,
in a kind of big wheel team pursuit,
sharing the pace equally with our record contender.
The remaining riders will stay at the top of the track
and contribute to the pace setting
as and when they're able to.
Communication, you'd think, is going to be key.
Right there behind me you can see
Mark on the start line
and his teammates, his pacers, lining up behind him.
They're ready to go.
The temperature here at track side
is absolutely scorching.
Now I have a feeling that
actually we're about to witness
one of the most dramatic parts of the entire event
as they try and get on their bikes
wearing normal road cycling shoes
so this could be make or break moment for the guys.
But actually the clock doesn't start
from as soon as they leave.
They've got four laps to get up to speed.
So, it's going to be a rolling start
before the clock starts counting.
(lively music)
And they're off.
78 laps to go, one hour.
(lively music)
Right, we are deep into the record attempt now
and Mark is 18 second adrift of world record pace.
Actually, I found someone that he'd probably
really want to talk to.
This is a legend of the Hour Record, Gareme Obree.
Gareme, you've got quite a unique perspective
on this given that you did two Hour Records
within a 24 hour period,
and the first one you missed the World Record
and then the second one you did, you nailed it.
So how will Mark be feeling, you think,
knowing that he's 18 seconds off
and he's got 20 minutes to go?
- It's a horrible feeling being off the pace
with the expectation of a World Record
and with a crowd and everybody behind you
so at this point I would be thinking to myself
you have to risk going at a pace
that you might not sustain for 20 minutes,
because there's nothing else to lose.
- Yeah.
- But there's also the pacers involved,
so there's a communication to say
we need to risk everything,
even if it means physically we completely bomb.
What's important here is that I'm also guilty
of maybe underestimating the quality of the original record.
- Yeah.
- Um, because the Victorians, you know
they did this all the time.
It was such, it was the football of the day for them.
- You still look like you're in great shape.
Are you slightly tempted by something like this?
It's a bit unorthodox maybe,
but you know, another World Record?
- Well, I have ridden penny-farthing 25 years ago
and actually, ironically two weeks before
breaking the World Record I rode a cotillion,
that's the reason, in the streets of Market Harbor
on a high bike and peeled off an amazing victory of the day.
- Did you?
Nice work.
So you've dabbled before but presumably
you could put an aerodynamic spin on this as well.
- Well these guys have struggled for it
and they've trained specifically for this, right?
And I'm thinking "Hold on, let's not underestimate this".
- I think you hit the nail on the head by saying
that this record is an awful lot harder
then maybe it looked initially.
(lively music)
Right then, we have got seven minutes 26 seconds remaining
and as I'm talking now Mark is 25 seconds back
on World Record pace.
He's clearly well into the pain cave now.
I should imagine it's completely different to anything
experienced on his round the world.
Go Mark!
But it's a sterling effort because the wind
has really got up here.
So the temperature's high, it's now getting super windy
and as you can see, his pacers are all over the place.
They're really, really feeling it as well.
So maybe the World Record
is looking a little bit like a big ask now.
It would be now pulling back
two seconds a minute or something
but, on the flip side the British Record
is still up for grabs
and he is two minutes and one second up.
(lively music)
(crowd cheering)
(lively music)
(bell ringing)
(lively music)
- [Crowd] Seven...six...five...
Four...three...two...one.
(gun shot)
(applause)
(lively music)
- Well done Mark!
Great effort mate, great effort.
(clapping)
(sad music)
- I'm absolutely cooked, absolutely cooked.
I've never done a ride where just everything feels...
my arms are shot, my legs are shot.
I mean the last 20 minutes, 25 minutes,
I was just, I can't ever remember
being in a hurt locker like that.
When you do ultra endurance
you're always protecting yourself so you don't overcook it.
That was all about just living out there.
I was nuts.
With the right team and on a completely still day
with no wind, you could get the World.
But hey, we got the British Record.
- Is that you saying you're going to do it again?
- Give me a day, I think I'll come back to you on that.
That was type two fun.
That was ridiculous.
- Yeah, what kind of intensity do you ride in at?
Was that you at threshold on a penny-farthing?
- Do you know what?
I think I've done tougher hours on the walt bike,
I've done tougher hours on the road bike
but there's so much more going on there.
You don't feel particularly efficient.
Like you're bumping all over the place,
your arms are shot,
it's just trying to keep smooth on the bike.
When I finished, I thought I was going to crash.
I mean that last lap I was seeing stars.
I was absolutely-
I'm used to riding ultra endurance for the last 20 years.
I guess I've just never-
I've taken myself to that place in training,
you know when you're sick off the bike and stuff
but for an hour, and on that ridiculous contraption,
there's so much more going on.
But you know what was amazing?
The crowds.
I mean like banging.
Like, I'm used to being out
in the Gobi Desert, the Sahara Desert.
I had them bashing on the railings,
I had the team yelling at me.
I've nearly lost my voice from shouting orders.
That's like unlike anything I've ever done.
Hey, a cool bit of history there.
- Yeah, well fair play mate.
You actually looked like you genuinely
have enjoyed yourself as well, despite the effort.
So again, huge congratulations from all of us at GCN.
Great effort mate.
- Thank you.
- Right, we're going to leave
the World Cycling Revival now,
having witnessed a quite incredible new British Record
for the World Hour on the penny-farthing.
Now, it was also a quite incredible feat
of mental fortitude.
I've never actually witnessed
anyone climbing off a bike after an Hour Record before,
but it's quite frightening to witness.
Mark was in pretty shape there,
but you could see he's bounced back nice and fast.
Anyway, the rest of the racing is about to carry on,
so this is our cue to leave
as a derny cruises past.
That's probably what he needed.
Anyway, if you want to see Mark's previous feat
of physical and mental endurance,
his around the world in 78 days,
why not click on that video just down there now.