Robert Marchand

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Robert Marchand (center) in February 2012

Robert Marchand (born November 26, 1911 in Amiens , † May 22, 2021 in Mitry-Mory ) was a French cyclist who was active up to the age of 105. He was considered the oldest athlete in the world.

biography

Professional

In the 1930s, Robert Marchand worked for the Paris Fire Department . After the Second World War he moved to Venezuela and later to Canada , where he worked as a lumberjack, among other things. In the 1960s he returned to Paris and worked as a gardener and wine merchant, among other things.

In addition to cycling, Marchand was politically active and a member of the French communist party PCF . In 2009 he refused, out of political conviction, to accept the gold medal for youth and sport from Minister Roselyne Bachelot of the conservative party UMP .

Sports

In 1946 Robert Marchand took seventh place at the Grand Prix des Nations . After a long hiatus, he didn't start serious cycling again until 1978. Since then he has competed in various cycling races, twelve times as doyen at L'Ardéchoise . A pass on this racetrack at a height of 911 meters has been named after him since June 2011. In 1998, he contested the age of 86 years, the Jedermannrennen of Paris-Roubaix , and on his 100th birthday, he completed a workout on his exercise bike, which corresponds to a distance of about 23 kilometers.

On February 17, 2012, the petite Marchand (1.52 meters tall, 50 kilograms) set the first hour record for over 100-year-olds on the cycling track of the Center Mondial du Cyclisme of the World Cycling Association Union Cycliste Internationale in Aigle : he completed it in one hour 24.251 kilometers. The “100+” rating class was only introduced on the occasion of this record attempt. In the same year he set the record over 100 km for people over 100 with four hours, 17 minutes and 27 seconds. On January 31, 2014 Marchand, now 102 years old, improved his own hour record in the Velodrome of Saint-Quentin to 26.952 kilometers. He celebrated his 104th birthday by driving the 20-kilometer route to the Caverne du Pont d'Arc (today Grotte Chauvet 2 Ardèche ), which was intended for the individual time trial in the 2016 Tour de France .

On January 4, 2017, the 105-year-old Marchand set a world record for the first time in the “105+” class in the Vélodrome National near Paris with 22.574 kilometers. The following year, on the advice of his doctors, he decided to end his cycling career for good.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Cyclisme. Robert Marchand, un homme de records. May 22, 2021, accessed May 22, 2021 (French).
  2. ^ Par Eric Michel: Robert Marchand, plus vieux sportif et cycliste de la planète, est mort à 109 ans. In: leparisien.fr. May 22, 2021, accessed May 22, 2021 (French).
  3. ^ A 105 ans, l'Amiénois Robert Marchand tente un nouveau record de vitesse à vélo. France Info Picardie, January 3, 2016, accessed January 6, 2016 .
  4. ↑ À 109 ans, le cycliste communiste Robert Marchand s'en est allé. In: humanite.fr. May 22, 2021, accessed May 22, 2021 (French).
  5. ^ Hortense Leblanc: Cyclisme: Robert Marchand, le doyen des cyclistes, est décédé à 109 ans. In: Franceinfo. May 22, 2021, accessed May 22, 2021 (French).
  6. ^ Joseph Delves: Robert Marchand, 105, recognized as the world's oldest competitive cyclist. In: Cyclist.co.uk. May 4, 2017, accessed May 22, 2021 .
  7. ↑ For comparison: the world hour record for elite athletes is 51.852 km. See: World hour record .
  8. ↑ Centenarian sets cycling record over 100 km. Die Welt, September 28, 2012, accessed January 31, 2014 .
  9. ↑ Frenchman breaks his own cycling record at the age of 102. Yahoo! News, January 31, 2014, accessed January 31, 2014 .
  10. ↑ Robert Marchand a fête ses 104 ans à vélo. In: ledauphine.com. June 11, 1970, accessed November 29, 2015 (French).
  11. ↑ Bike: The 105-year-old Robert Marchand sets the hourly world record. In: THE WORLD. January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2017 .
  12. ↑ Robert Marchand, 106 years old, has decided to hang up his bike .... In: radsportseiten.net. February 17, 2012, accessed January 13, 2018 .
  13. ^ Robert Marchand: End of career at the age of 106. In: radsport-news.com. January 13, 2018, accessed January 13, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Marchand, Robert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French cyclist
DATE OF BIRTH November 26, 1911
PLACE OF BIRTH Amiens
DATE OF DEATH May 22, 2021
PLACE OF DEATH Mitry-Mory