100-year-old Frenchman aims to be fastest 100km cyclist

A French centenarian was set to climb on his bike on Friday and try to set a record for the fastest 100-year-old to cycle 100 kilometres (62 miles). Robert Marchand, an amateur cyclist who claims to have clocked tens of thousands of kilometres in the saddle, will make the attempt in a stadium in the city of Lyon. "The stadium track is 333 metres long. I'll have to do 300 circuits on a cement track in the open air. The most important thing is not to fall," he said in his apartment in Mitry-Mory near Paris. Marchand, who has lived in Canada and Venezuela and whose professional life has included stints as a market gardener, show salesman and wine dealer, said he only took to cycling when he bought his first bike in 1978. His bid for the centenarian record will be certified by the French national cycling federation.