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ALEXANDRE Voisine stormed to victory in Eastbourne’s Penny Farthing Hill Climb today (Sunday), smashing the previous benchmark with a blistering time of 11 minutes and 35 seconds.
Voisine successfully defended his title after winning the unique Beachy Head event in 2025, but this year went considerably faster.
The French rider completed the 4.69km climb from outside the Grand Hotel to Beachy Head in 11m:35s – 23 seconds quicker than his winning time of 11:58 last year.
His performance also beat the previous benchmark of 11:51, set by Charlie Burrell in 2024, by 16 seconds.
There was a gap of more than two minutes between Voisine and the rest of the field, with Paolo Togni taking second place in 13:42.
Togni also improved on his performance last year, when he finished fifth in 14:07. His 2026 time was 25 seconds quicker and moved him three places up the rankings.
Roger Davies completed the podium in third, crossing the finish line in 13:56. Davies had finished runner-up to Voisine in 2025 with a time of 13:03.
Eric Daguin took fourth place in 14:07, improving considerably on his 2025 performance when his 14:34 time put him seventh.
Mark Jefferson rounded out the top five with a time of 14:54, a major improvement on his 17:07 performance last year, when he finished 16th.
Further down the leading positions, Robert Torto finished sixth in 16:14, Joran Van de Plas was seventh in 16:25 and Melissa Eisdell took eighth in 16:33.
Almost 40 riders competed in this year’s event, tackling the climb from Eastbourne seafront to Beachy Head with an elevation gain of around 150 metres.
Riders set off individually at one-minute intervals before gathering at the finish for the traditional prize-giving ceremony.
Voisine’s victory means his name will once again feature on the event’s distinctive ‘Block of Wood’ trophy, alongside previous winners of Eastbourne’s unusual high-wheel challenge.
Full Results:
(Position, race number, name, time)
1 1 Alexandre Voisine 00:11:35
2 3 Paolo Togni 00:13:42
3 2 Roger Davies 00:13:56
4 4 Eric Daguin 00:14:07
5 14 Mark Jefferson 00:14:54
6 12 Robert Torto 00:16:14
7 8 Joran Van de Plas 00:16:25
8 11 Melissa Eisdell 00:16:33
9 20 Tom Norris 00:16:40
10 5 Glynn Stockton 00:16:50
11 10 Bjorn Van de Plas 00:16:58
12 17 Ryan Hill 00:17:15
13 27 Mickey Forrest 00:17:26
14 28 Gerry McGarr 00:17:28
15 16 Leigh Wright 00:17:38
16 13 Mark Henley 00:17:49
17 22 David White 00:17:54
18 6 Paul Gwyther 00:18:05
19 39 Alex Lester 00:18:10
20 9 Terrence Houlahan 00:18:19
20 19 Nick Lines 00:18:19
20 21 Simon Ware 00:18:19
23 7 Rik Vernack 00:18:23
23 23 Keith Read 00:18:23
25 30 Martin Stevens 00:18:36
26 15 Neil Laughton 00:18:58
27 24 Anthony Wynn-Ruffhead 00:19:07
28 34 Laurie Copland 00:19:41
29 32 Geert Dumon 00:19:43
30 18 Pete Searle 00:19:47
31 26 Martin Wynne 00:19:59
32 25 Evi Dumon 00:20:19
32 40 Rolf Woodward 00:20:19
34 33 Paul Weiss 00:21:19
35 35 Thomas Duyck 00:22:15
35 38 Stijn Aelter 00:22:15
37 36 Brian Cobbold 00:22:46
38 29 Leslie New 00:23:05
39 31 Francesca Daisy Hill 00:26:25
40 37 Mel Glass 00:27:05
