Penny-farthing champion

A South Australian bike rider has become the national Penny Farthing champion for the fifth time.

The competition was fierce as Penny Farthing enthusiasts from around the world converged on historic Evandale in northern Tasmania for a shot at the title.

The event is the largest of its kind in the world.

It came down to eight cyclists in the final, with 24-year-old Sean Hennessy blitzing the field.

"It's not something I was really looking out for, I just came down to get first over the line, all credit to the other guys who did a great race, they put it out there, but I had a good day," he said.

He is become the only person to ever win the event five times.

The veteran and junior championships also drew a crowd with the oldest competitor aged 79 and the youngest aged just eight.

Organiser Di Sullivan says the event is unique.

"It's something that you won't see any else in the world," she said.

"Elsewhere in the world people collect penny farthing bikes and they ride them quite a bit but there is no where else where people race them quite like here in Evandale, so it's something that we do that's really unique and something that we're really proud of."

She says with no prize money up for grabs competitors do it for the prestige.

"We've never raced for prize money, just the medal and the glory of winning the Penny Farthing championship," she said.

The event was held as part of the Evandale Village Fair which is in its 25th year.