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}}Robert Marchand (born 26 November 1911) is a French centenarian cyclist.
Early life
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.[2] 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.
He took an active part during the strikes of 1936 in France that gave birth to the modern era foundations of French employment legislation.
He is a member of the French Communist Party and the CGT Trade Union, the longest-serving member still living, with 90 years of membership.
Career
Aged 35 he finished seventh in the Grand Prix des Nations in 1946.[ He returned to cycling in 1978][ 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 {{convert|24.250|km|miles}}. He improved this record to {{convert|26.927|km|miles}} in January 2014.]
On 4 January 2017, he set a world record in one-hour track cycling in the over-105 age group, covering {{convert|22.547|km|miles}} in one hour, and the 105 years old centenarian declared: "I could have done better, if I had seen the 10-minute warning card, otherwise I would have pedalled slightly faster".
At the age of 105 he was recognised as the world's oldest competitive cyclist by Guinness World Records.[3]
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.[2]
After he turned 106 Marchand’s doctors advised him to stop competing for world records. He obliged, but refused to quit racing completely. In early February 2018 Marchand completed a 4,000-meter race in the same stadium where he made his last record.[4]
References
1. ^{{cite web|url=https://www.corsematin.com/article/article/robert-marchand-dun-siecle-a-lautre-a-velo|title=Robert Marchand d'un siècle à l'autre à vélo|publisher=Corse-Matin|author=Staff|date=2018-03-26|accessdate=2018-04-26|language=french}}
2. ^1 2 {{Cite news|url=http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/750806/Cyclist-105-years-old-world-record-Robert-Marchand|title=French cyclist Robert Marchand sets new record at 105 YEARS OLD|last=Chapman|first=John|date=2017-01-05|newspaper=Express.co.uk|access-date=2017-01-06}}
3. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclist.co.uk/news/2771/robert-marchand-105-recognised-as-the-world-s-oldest-competitive-cyclist|title=Robert Marchand, 105, recognised as the world’s oldest competitive cyclist|publisher=cyclist.co.uk|author=Joseph Delves|date=2017-05-04|accessdate=2017-05-15}}
4. ^{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/02/27/106-champion-cyclist-robert-marchand-refuses-stop-pedaling/378198002/|title=At 106, champion cyclist Robert Marchand refuses to stop pedaling|publisher=USA Today|author=Rebecca Rosman|date=2018-02-27|accessdate=2018-04-24}}
External links
{{Commons category}}- [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/well/move/lessons-on-aging-well-from-a-105-year-old-cyclist.html New York Times: Lessons on Aging Well From a 105 Year Old Cyclist]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNfAgxYxvzE YouTube: Cyclist Robert Marchand retires from sport at 106 years of age]
{{Authority control}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Marchand, Robert}} 5 : 1911 births|Living people|French centenarians|French male cyclists|Sportspeople from Amiens