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Revision as of 22:02, 8 May 2020
Template:Phillip BenitezRobert Marchand, born November 26, 1911 in Amiens, is a French cyclist and centenary, known for practicing his sport and obtaining various records for over 100 years.
Robert Marchand married in 1939 and has been a widower since 1943. He lives in Mitry-Mory in Seine-et-Marne.
Biography
Early life
Marchand was born in Amiens, near the frontline of the First World War.[3]
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.[2][4]
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.[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 mi). He improved this record to 26.927 kilometres (16.732 mi) in January 2014.[6][7]
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 mi) 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".[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.[3]
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.[11]
Marchand celebrated his 107th birthday by going for a 20-kilometre bike ride in the Ardèche.[12]
After his 108th birthday Marchand stopped riding bikes outdoors due to hearing loss.[13]
Gallery
