105-year-old man sets cycling world record

A 105-year-old man has set a world record by cycling more than 14 miles round a track in an hour.

Robert Marchand set the first hour record in the over-100s category in 2012, and then beat his own record two years later at the age of 102 when he cycled 16 miles.

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A new category of over-105s was created specifically for him to show that, while his 14-mile (22.547km) distance isn't as far, it's still a fabulous feat.

Mr Marchand completed the laps at St Quentin-en-Yvelines national velodrome in France in front of a cheering crown, who also gave him a standing ovation at the end of the ride, reports the Telegraph.

However, it seems the man himself was a little disappointed. He told the Guardian: "I did not see the sign warning me I had 10 minutes left. Otherwise I would have gone faster, I would have posted a better time. I'm now waiting for a rival."

His physiologist, Veronique Billat, also agreed that he could have gone faster and said that he stopped eating meat a month before the ride after worries over animal cruelty.

However, Mr Marchand said that at the end of the day he just wanted "to prove that at 105 years old you can still ride a bike".

According to Cycling Weekly, Marchand was born in 1911 near Amiens, and was a keen rider in his youth but only took it up again in his 90s.

He once found himself in prison during World War II for failing to teach the children of Nazi collaborators as a gym instructor.

He worked as a lorry driver in Venezuela and a lumberjack in Canada, before moving back to France.

He rides every weekend and goes to the gym on a daily basis.