When Robert Marchand turned 67, most of his acquaintances were already discussing medications, blood pressure, and a quiet retirement.
At that time, he… bought a bike and started training.
Robert MarchandIn a few decades, scientists will study his body, and sports federations will create separate categories of competitions.
Because the usual ones no longer existed for him.
The Frenchman lived 109 years and continued to pedal almost to the end of his life.
Childhood without sports and life without a plan
Robert Marchand was born on November 26, 1911 in France. His childhood was during the First World War — the family lived near the front line, so the boy was sent to work on a farm.
He dropped out of school at the age of 11.
In his youth, he tried his hand at boxing and gymnastics, and even became the French champion in the “living pyramid”, a discipline where acrobatic structures are built out of people.
But he never became a professional athlete.: his height — 152 cm — was considered unsuitable.
He worked physically all his life.:A gardener, a Paris firefighter, a lumberjack in Canada, a farmer in Venezuela, a shoe and wine seller.
He retired only at the age of 89.
And only after that, his real sports career began.
Cycling after retirement
At 67, Marchand decided to just “keep fit.”
He started riding every day — without a program, without a coach, without ambitions.
But gradually the loads grew.
He rode:
- Bordeaux — Paris race 8 times
- Paris — Roubaix 4 times
- dozens of marathon bike races
- at the age of 81 he traveled from Paris to Moscow
That was the first time anyone noticed him.
Cyclist Robert Marchand
Robert Marchand, French
When age ceased to matter
After 100 years, Marchand became a worldwide sensation.
Sports federations are facing a problem:There was no category in the rules for athletes over 100 years old.
It had to be created especially for him.
He sets records:
- 100 km in 4 hours 17 minutes in 101 years
- 24.1 km per hour on the track (100+)
- 26.9 km per hour in 102 years
- 22.5 km per hour in the 105+ category
After the finish, he said:
“I could have done it faster if I’d seen the time plate.”
Robert Marchand is a cyclist
What the doctors found
The Frenchman has become the object of scientific research.
Scientists expected to see phenomenal genetics.
But they found something else.
His body was changing from training even after 100 years.
- heart like a 45-50 year old man
- increased strength and endurance after 105
- muscles continued to adapt
- excellent oxygen efficiency
The main conclusion of the doctors:
aging slows down with regular exercise, even at a very late age.
He didn’t have a system
- He did not adhere to proper nutrition.
- I didn’t count calories.
- Did not follow the recovery modes.
- He was just constantly moving.
His formula sounded primitive.:
“If you don’t move, you rust.”
In recent years
At the age of 106, his doctor convinced him to stop competing, but he continued to ride “for pleasure.”
He even had an exercise bike in his retirement home.
On May 22, 2021, Robert Marchand died at the age of 109.
He remained an active person almost to the end.
Why are they still talking about him
Marchand became not a speed record holder, but a record holder of the body’s capabilities.
He showed a simple thing:
the human body ages faster from inactivity than from time.
His story is not about sports.
It’s about the fact that you can start at any moment of your life.
Former firefighter Robert Marchand
Former firefighter Robert Marchand
Former firefighter Robert Marchand
Robert Marchand, France
Frenchman Robert Marchand
Robert took part in the “Race against Time”
Robert in the “Race against Time”
“Race against time”
Frenchman in “Race against Time”
Robert Marchand;
