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Flanders flag.jpgWatch Joff Summerfield as he rides Tour of Flanders sportive on a penny-farthing
Remember our story earlier this week about Joff Summerfield who plans to ride parts of the course of the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège on his penny farthing? Well yesterday he tackled the first of those - and a film crew from Belgian TV sporza followed him throughout.
You can watch the report - much of it in English - here to see how he got on over the cobbles and bergs as he took part in the Tour of Flanders Sportive alongside around 17,000 other riders.
One fellow cyclist at the start, an Irishman, wishes him "good luck."
"Have you done it before?" asks Joff.
"Yes," replies Sean Kelly - three times a runner-up at the Tour of Flanders, the only one of cycling's five monuments he never won.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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12 comments
I passed him on the way down to the Paterberg - feet off the pedals and flying! Cracking ride....
There was also a bloke doing it on a Dandyhorse. Rather him than me, it looked like it weighed a ton. Literally.
I spoke to Joff just after the start, made some inane comment about the view from on top of the high wheel - it looks like he was still cheerful at the finish. Why does he loose points for not recognising Kelly? The man himself didn't seem to mind, I thought it was amusing. There was a short piece on Sportza on Sunday morning about the number of brits riding (1,700), they also interviewed a Japanese guy on the Koppenberg, who dryly commented that he'd come to walk round Flanders.
I thought it was charming. Two cyclists who have in common that they're just starting out on the Flanders sportive.
One is the equal third most successful rider in terms of Monuments won, but is looking at Joff as if he's a nutter, in the nicest possible way; while Joff seems blissfully unaware of the identity of the person to whom he's talking.
Proof that after all, it is about the bike, whichever kind it is; it's what unites us.
Agree.
I saw him at the bottom of the Paterberg on Saturday, and I thought I would struggle with 20% gradient! Chapeau!
Wasn't one of Joff's challenges to use his penny to travel round the globe on a fiver a day? I don't think he got to far though
I love Joff and his craziness. But he loses a few points for not knowing who SK was.
Hes got some balls attempting that, well they are at least 3 times the size now!!
Only a Brit would have a go on a PF it makes you proud to be British!!
Where did he get that chapeau? He's taking the pith...
Great feat though. Hope to see him on the Grand Depart in July.
Chapeau!!
Just watched the race online, no Eurosport for me!, and the cobbles looked absolutely brutal. Think I'd struggle on the cobbles on my road bike, let alone a high wheeler!
NUTTER, but enjoyed that, I know all about losing traction on the steeper climbs, I get that all the time on the trike.
Did anyone else hear Kelly speaking with a weird accent, I wonder if he'd just got used to doing interviews in Belgian and then kept the accent to speak in English.