A peloton of Penny Farthing bikes arriving in London yesterday, having ridden all the way from Paris, heralded the IG Markets London Nocturne, which will be run this Saturday evening around the Smithfield Market in the centre of the city. The Penny Farthing riders had taken five days to cover the 400 miles between the French and British capitals, where they will be competing in the Brooks Ordinary Trophy, which will be the first Penny Farthing race in London for more than a century.
“It was amazing to see the Penny’s ride across the bridge today,” said Nocturne series founder James Pope. “We are thrilled that riders from all over the world have made the journey to be a part of the IG Markets London Nocturne.”
As well as the Penny Farthing race, and the Elite criterium, there will be a women’s criterium, the Kansi folding bike race – which features a Le Mans style start, involving the riders unfold their commuter bikes, as well as the Schwalbe Longest Skid competition for fixies, and a number of other support races.
“The event has gone from strength to strength since its inception and we expect 2011 to be our biggest and best year yet,” said Pope. “The event has a reputation for being the most exciting and diverse urban cycling experience on the planet so make sure you come down to Smithfield on Saturday. We’re aiming to offer London the ultimate in two-wheeled entertainment as riders from the World Tour take part alongside commuters and recreational cyclists.”
Unlike last year’s event, the London Nocturne does not clash with the Halfords Tour Series and so the cream of the domestic peloton will be riding, as well as Cameron Meyer and Matt Wilson (Garmin-Cervélo), Leigh Howard and Matt Brammeier (HTC-Highroad), and Russell Downing and Alex Dowsett (Team Sky) representing the WorldTour.