100-year-old Frenchman aims to be fastest 100km cyclist

MITRY-MORY, France (AFP) - A French centenarian was set to climb on his bike on Friday and try to set a record for the fastest 100-year-old to cycle 100km.

Mr Robert Marchand, an amateur cyclist who claims to have clocked tens of thousands of kilometres in the saddle, will make the attempt in a stadium in the city of Lyon.

"The stadium track is 333 metres long. I'll have to do 300 circuits on a cement track in the open air. The most important thing is not to fall," he said in his apartment in Mitry-Mory near Paris.

Mr Marchand, who has lived in Canada and Venezuela and whose professional life has included stints as a market gardener, show salesman and wine dealer, said he only took to cycling when he bought his first bike in 1978.