105-year-old Robert Marchand sets cycling record

Age is but a number.

As cliche as that trope may be, for 105-year-old Frenchman Robert Marchand, it's more than just a concise chestnut; it's a way of life.

Sporting a luminous purple and yellow kit, Marchand set a world record Wednesday in the 105-years-plus category for the oval hour at the indoor Velodrome National in Montigny-les-Bretonneux, south west of Paris.

Cycling's most prestigious record has its latest star.

Marchand rode 22.547 kilometres (14 miles) in the hour, setting a standard that's unlikely to be matched by his dwindling number of peers.

Marchand told AFP after his display that he "could have done better." Seems modesty and cycling prowess go hand in hand.

For context, the world record in the track hour belongs to recently retired British star Bradley Wiggins, who covered an astounding 54.526 kilometres in London in 2015.

More than just a means of passing time, Marchand is a seasoned cyclist who at the age of 35 finished seventh in the 1946 Grand Prix des Nations.

It would be another 32 years before Marchand returned to his first love - after being a prisoner of war in World War II and spells living and working abroad in Canada as a lumberjack, and in Venezuela as a sugarcane planter.

After breaking the record for the over-100 age group in 2014 (26.927 km), Marchand has again etched his name in the annals of cycling, proving once more that age is but a number.

Asked about his performance Wednesday, Marchand conceded, "I am not here to be champion. I am here to prove that at 105 years old you can still ride a bike."

Consider that point proven, Mr. Marchand.