On Wednesday, French cyclist Robert Marchand set a world record in the 105-plus age category by riding 22.547 kilometers (14.01 miles) in one hour. He is 105 years old.

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2017/01/04/french-cyclist-robert-marchand-sets-world-record-at-105.html

I have ridden multiday 400 mile tours with men that are in their 80's, and they keep a solid pace each day.

I am humbled by those that never give up and excel in the later years.

Got 90 year olds that can swim. We just lost a 100 year old swimmer, and yes she still swam.

Here is some more on this individual.

Marchand, born in the French town of Amiens in 1911, rediscovered his love for cycling at age 68 and since has set a series of records over the last 47 years. But he'd never had achieved such success had it not been for his sensible lifestyle regimen.

His raison d'etre, if you will, includes "a lot of fruits and vegetables, no smoking, just the occasional glass of wine and exercising on a daily basis," according to Marchand's coach Gerard Mistler, who spoke Wednesday to the Associated Press after his good friend's historic ride. "He never pushed his limits, goes to bed at 9 p.m. and wakes up at 6 a.m.," Mistler added, "there's no other secret."

Given his lifetime of smart, health-related choices, if the American Council sought out someone who personified our beliefs – regarding exercise for older folks, food consumption, harm reduction and benefits of sleep – we'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better candidate.

Moreover, as he aged, Marchand never lost sight of an essential goal: "One needs to keep his muscles working," he said. He reportedly "rides every day on his home trainer and puts himself through outdoor training sessions on the road when the weather is good enough."

And interestingly, even when Marchand briefly veered away from sound dietary recommendations, in doing so he now helps remind us about the value of a balanced diet. Prior to Wednesday he gave up eating meat for roughly a month, having read about cruel treatment of animals in the production process. As a result, Marchand's lost muscle mass and his performance suffered. (He also missed his 10-minute warning at the end of the event.) Three years earlier during his one-hour ride he covered an additional 4.3 kilometers (or about 2.6 miles).

"If he starts eating meat again and builds more muscle, he can better this mark," said Marchand's physiologist, Veronique Billat.

http://acsh.org/news/2017/01/04/105-year-old-cyclist-fueled-healthy-living-rides-10681