Sport
27 January, 2026
Mike the penny farthing rider off to national championships
Local penny farthing rider Mike Hawley is off to the National Penny Farthing Championships in Evandale, Tasmania next month.
You may have seen Mike in training around town, and even on rides out past the Army Base to Boodua.
The seed for convincing the long time cyclist to give the penny farthing a go came on a bike-packing trip through Tasmania in 2017.
There, he encountered the beautiful town of Evandale, south of Launceston and home to the National Penny Farthing Championships.
“I saw a statue of a man with a penny farthing and dog,” he said.
Upon inquiring about the statue, Mike learned about the town and its unique place in the national sporting landscape.
From there, he decided he’d buy a penny farthing, sourced from a Sunshine Coast coffee shop, and made by a man known as ‘Penny Farthing Dan’ at Bacchus Marsh, Victoria.
The bike had been part of a static display at the cafe and hadn’t been ridden for a while.
Riding a penny farthing required a big mental adjustment for Mike, who had only ever competed in mountain bike racing before.
“The biggest challenge is the height of the seat, and mounting of the bicycle,” he says.
“If there’s an obstruction in front, you could go head-first over the handle bars.
“Once you get over the fear of getting on the saddle, it’s a lot easier than you think.”
It’s been twelve months since and Mike hasn’t looked back.
He’s getting recognised now.
“People wave, take videos, pull me up and have a yarn,” he said.
“It’s been a really good workout for my quads and my heart rate was elevated while riding, so I’ve incorporated it into my training for a 24 hour mountain bike ride.”
Now, Mike is off to those very same National Championships which he knew nothing about 9 years ago.
Started in 1983, the races attract enthusiasts from across Australia and overseas to compete in a triangular circuit in the centre of Evandale village.
Mike will be competing in most events on Saturday. February 21st, and will aim to qualify for the feature race of the day where the eight fastest riders racing over 4 laps of the circuit.
He will also suit up for:
- Slow Race (last over the line wins)
- (Novice Race for first-time riders)
- Sprint (a high-speed 200m dash!)
On the Sunday after the main day of events, he will also give the Clarendon Road Race (32km) a crack.
Starting from Evandale this race heads south to the finish at historic Clarendon Homestead, built in 1838 by James Cox, son of pioneer William, who built the road over the Blue Mountains.
The fastest riders take just over an hour.
Good luck Mike!
