Irrepressible French cyclist Robert Marchand celebrated his 107th birthday on Monday by going for a 20-kilometre bike ride in the Ardéche.
The ultra-centenarian was accompanied by 30 cyclists from the Ardéchoise association including Gérard Mistler, the co-founder and organiser of the eponymous cyclosportive.
Marchand took part in the inaugural edition in 1992 at the relatively sprightly age of 79 and remains an ambassador for the event, always sporting its yellow, purple and pink colours.
He also has a climb on the route named after him – the Col du Robert Marchand.
After Monday morning’s ride between Privas e Pouzin, Marchand had just one minor lament, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I was only sorry that I suffered from the cold, I wasn’t dressed properly for the weather.”
That didn’t stop him from enjoying a birthday party laid on in his honour following his spin.
In January last year, Marchand – who rode his first bike race more than 90 years ago under a false name because he was too young to enter – set a 105+ age group Hour Record created specially for him by the UCI, riding 22.547 kilometres.
While he retired from competitive cycling after that, he was back on the boards at the French national velodrome at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines last month, although the UCI declined to ratify any fresh record attempt due to concern about his health.
After that hour-long ride on the track, Marchand – a former gym instructor to the Paris fire brigade and who also had a spell working as a lumberjack in Canada – revealed some of the secrets of his longevity.
“I try to do a little bit of exercise every day, even if it’s just 20 minutes,” he said.
“One mustn’t let oneself go soft. The day you just sit in your armchair and stop moving, you’re screwed.”
It doesn’t look like he’ll be stopping moving that any time soon.
SNL did a good sketch based on the bi-partisan 'My body, my choice' hypocrisy.
You would hope that an embassy official assaulting a resident of this country would be grounds for them to be expelled, wouldn't you?
I've seen that one before but appropriate private for the context - a classic case of motorists who panic at a blue light rather than thinking "how...
Handy place to keep your baguette or a wedge of cheese or even a spare inner tube, be a bitch to clean on a regular basis though.
This, presumably, is why the Met told me they couldn't share the outcomes of any NIPs sent as a result of my submissions due to GDPR, though not...
I've never entered the world of pain which is tubeless, but I have wondered whether a judicious wrap of PTFE tape around the valve core threads...
If I were to desire a commuting ebike that Cannondale would seem to be a perfect fit.
Drop the coding [ quote ] [ /quote ] (without the spaces in the square brackets) at the start and end of the pieces you are quoting which can help...
Another thing that might be helpful regarding the scenario above, would be if Adam Yates is not fit after COVID and doesn't ride. Thomas being...
More like an emergency pot noodle on an audax - you might not want one in normal life but you can be deeply grateful when you really need it.