105-year-old man bikes 14 miles in an hour, setting new world record

(Image credit: PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

published 4 January 2017

Prepare to feel really, really out of shape. While the rest of us were perched at our desks staring at a screen, 105-year-old Frenchman Robert Marchand set a new world record in cycling Wednesday. Marchand biked 14 miles in an hour — the most miles a man over the age of 105 has ever biked in just 60 minutes. The overall world record for the men's hour is about 34 miles; the 105-and-over category was created specifically for Marchand.

Marchand, who completed the feat in a neon yellow and purple biking jersey, thinks he could've done even better, too. "I did not see the sign warning me I had 10 minutes left," Marchand said, per The Associated Press. "Otherwise I would have gone faster, I would have posted a better time. I'm now waiting for a rival."

The former firefighter, who picked up biking again at the age of 68, credits his fitness to eating his fruits and vegetables daily, only drinking wine occasionally, not smoking, exercising every day, and going to bed by 9 p.m. Previously, Marchand set a record for riding 62 miles when he was over the age of 100.