Hot on the heels of Jens Voigt's announcement yesterday that he will make an attempt on the world Hour Record comes the news of a British attempt on cycling's most prestigious record.

But at twice Voigt's age, 84-year-old Sidney Schuman is aiming to set a record for his age group on Friday September 5, not to beat Ondrej Sosenka’s 49.7 kilometer record.

Sidney, from Hither Green in the south-east London borough of Lewisham, started cycling when he was 11 but had not ridden on a track until he took part in a taster session Lee Valley VeloPark in May. He was instantly hooked and began training for a world record attempt.

The retired maths teacher told News Shopper: "I can’t contemplate a life without a bicycle, it’s the greatest invention known to man. There are a lot of guys my age, who are a lot fitter than me, and I think it’s a great way of letting people know, that just because you’re older doesn’t mean you can’t do things, that make you feel good."

No record currently exists for the 80-84 age category, but the oldest Hour Record holder is Frenchman Robert Marchand who broke his own record in January when he rode 26.925km at the age of 102.

Sidney typically rides a lap of the 250m velodrome in 30 seconds, so if he can maintain that pace for an hour he should set a mark of about 30km for other riders his age to go after.

Want to cheer Sidney Schuman on? His record attempt starts at 6.30pm on Friday September 5 at the Olympic velodrome at Lee Valley Velopark. Entry is free and the café will be open.