Robert Marchand (cyclist)
 Robert Marchand (center) in 2012 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 November 1911 Amiens, France |
| Height | 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Cycling |
Robert Marchand (born 26 November 1911) is a French centenarian cyclist.
Career
Marchand was born in Amiens, near the frontline of the First World War.[2]
Marchand was a firefighter in Paris in the 1930s. He was a prisoner-of-war during World War II. He then moved to Venezuela, where he was a lorry driver and sugarcane planter.[3] In the 1950s he went to Canada, where he had a job as a lumberjack. He returned to France in 1960 and worked as a gardener and wine dealer until 1987.[1][4]
Aged 35 he finished seventh in the Grand Prix des Nations in 1946.[5] He returned to cycling in 1978[4] and continued training after his 100th birthday. In February 2012, he set a world record in one-hour track cycling in the over-100 age group at 24.250 kilometres (15.068 miles). He improved this record to 26.927 kilometres (16.732 miles) in January 2014.[6][7]
He is a member of the French Communist Party and the CGT Trade Union, the longest serving member alive to this day with 90 years of membership in the Trade Union.
He took an active part during the strikes of 1936 in France that gave birth to the modern era foundations of French employment legislation.
On 4 January 2017, he set a world record in one-hour track cycling in the over-105 age group, covering 22.547 kilometres (14.010 miles) in one hour, and the 105 years old centenarian declared: "I could had done better, if I had seen the 10-minute warning card, otherwise I would have pedalled slightly faster".[8][9]
At the age of 105 he was recognised as the world's oldest competitive cyclist by Guinness World Records.[10]
Marchand puts his remarkable fitness and longevity down to a diet consisting of: lots of fruit and vegetables, a little meat, not too much coffee – and an hour a day on the cycling home-trainer.[11]
References
- ^ a b A 102 ans, Robert a l'énergie d'un homme de 45!. Le Parisien. 25 October 2013
- ^ Chapman, John (5 January 2017). "French cyclist Robert Marchand sets new record at 105 YEARS OLD". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ Chapman, John (5 January 2017). "French cyclist Robert Marchand sets new record at 105 YEARS OLD". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ a b Robert Marchand sets new 100-kilometer speed record. Agence France Presse. 28 September 2012
- ^ Robert Marchand. cyclingarchives.com
- ^ Daniel McMahon (31 January 2014) When your age hits the triple digits, it's like riding a bike. Time
- ^ 102-year-old French cyclist breaks world record. Associated Press (31 January 2014)
- ^ new mondial record at 105 years old 22.547 kilometers in one hour . Franceinfos. 4 January 2017
- ^ Robert Marchand 105-year-old sets new Hour Record with 22.547km ride . News Of This Today. ' 4 January 2017
- ^ Joseph Delves (4 May 2017). "Robert Marchand, 105, recognised as the world's oldest competitive cyclist". cyclist.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ Chapman, John (5 January 2017). "French cyclist Robert Marchand sets new record at 105 YEARS OLD". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2017.