Robert Marchand (cyclist)
{{Short description|French cyclist (1911–2021)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name =
| image = Robert Marchand (cropped).jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Marchand in 2012
| birth_date = {{birth date|1911|11|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = Amiens, France
| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|05|22|1911|11|26|df=y}}
| death_place = Mitry-Mory, France
| weight =
| sport = Cycling
| club =
| alma_mater =
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates =
}}
Robert Marchand (26 November 1911 – 22 May 2021) was a French centenarian cyclist. He was the holder of the world record for cycling 100 km and for the distance cycled in one hour, in both the 100–104 and over-105 years old age categories.
Early life
Marchand was born in Amiens, near what was to later become the front line of World War I.{{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=5 January 2017|newspaper=Express.co.uk|access-date=6 January 2017}}
Marchand was a firefighter in Paris in the 1930s. He took an active part during the strikes of 1936 in France which gave birth to the modern era of French employment legislation. He was a prisoner-of-war during World War II. After liberation he moved to Venezuela, where he was a lorry driver and sugarcane planter. 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 was a member of the French Communist Party and the CGT Trade Union, the longest-serving living member, with 90 years of membership. At the time of his death he was one of the oldest remaining World War II veterans.
Cycling career
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 year 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.{{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|work=Cyclist|author=Joseph Delves|date=4 May 2017|accessdate=15 May 2017}}
Marchand put 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.
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.{{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=27 February 2018|accessdate=24 April 2018}}
Marchand celebrated his 107th birthday by going for a 20-kilometre bike ride in the Ardèche.{{cite web|url=https://road.cc/content/news/252565-robert-marchand-celebrates-107th-birthday-20km-spin|title=Robert Marchand celebrates 107th birthday – with 20km spin|publisher=road.cc|author=Simon MacMichael|date=29 November 2018|accessdate=10 November 2019}}
After his 108th birthday Marchand stopped riding bikes outdoors due to hearing loss.{{cite web|url=https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/insolite/robert-marchand-cycliste-mascotte-de-l-ardechoise-fete-ses-108-ans-1574767610|title=Robert Marchand, cycliste mascotte de l'Ardéchoise, fête ses 108 ans|publisher=France Bleu|author=Nathalie Rodrigues|date=26 November 2019|accessdate=24 January 2020|language=fr}}
Death
Marchand died on 22 May 2021 at the age of 109.{{cite news |title=Robert Marchand, record-setting centenarian cyclist, dies at 109 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/robert-marchand-dead/2021/05/22/5041bbaa-bb0f-11eb-96b9-e949d5397de9_story.html|newspaper= The Washington Post|accessdate= 22 May 2021|language= English}}{{cite news |title=Record-breaking French centenarian cyclist dies aged 109 |url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/record-breaking-french-centenarian-cyclist-dies-aged-109-2021-05-22/ |publisher=Reuters |date=22 May 2021}}
References
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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]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Marchand, Robert}}
Category:French men centenarians
Category:French disabled sportspeople
Category:French military personnel of World War II
Category:French Communist Party members
Category:French prisoners of war in World War II
Category:Cyclists from Hauts-de-France