“It’s a combination of flying a helicopter and riding a mechanical horse,” says Melissa Eisdell. She’s getting ready to mount a penny farthing, a Victorian-era bicycle with an enormous front wheel almost as tall as the rider, a tiny back tire, and a saddle that sits typically five feet off the ground. Eisdell is the current European Female Penny Farthing Racing Champion, and held the UK title for a year. Now, she’s participating in The Knutsford Great Race 2023, in a leafy corner of northwest England. The Great Race is…
