102–year-old set for cycle record

CYCLIST Robert Marchand will tomorrow attempt to break his own hour-record at France's new national velodrome – at the age of 102.

The former fireman set the previous mark in the over-100 years category, which was created especially for him by the sport's governing body Union Cycliste Internationale, in February 2012 in Aigle, Switzerland, when he cycled 24.25km in an hour.

Tomorrow he hopes to average 25km over the course of the hour.

He also holds the centenarian's record for the 100km - set in Lyon on September 28, 2012. It took him 4hr 17min 27sec, which means he rode at 23km per hour.

The remarkable Mr Marchand was born in Amiens on November 26, 1911, and has worked as a lumberjack in Canada, lived in Venezuela for several years and only retired from his job as a market gardener in the Paris area at the age of 89.

He now lives in a small studio flat in the French capital. He said the key to his long and healthy life was regular exercise and a honey and water mix in his water bottle.

His record attempt will take place at the velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, just outside Paris, the day after its official inauguration.

Here is a link to a video of his previous record

Photo: Mr Marchand breaks the centenarians' record in 2012