Robert Marchand (cyclist)

Marchand was born in Amiens, near what was to later become the front line of World War I. Marchand was a firefighter in Paris in the 1930s. He took an active part during the strikes of 1936 in France which gave birth to the modern era of French employment legislation. He was a prisoner-of-war during World War II. After liberation he moved to Venezuela, where he was a lorry driver and sugarcane planter. In the 1950s, he went to Canada, where he had a job as a lumberjack. He returned to France in 1960 and worked as a gardener and wine dealer until 1987. He was a member of the French Communist Party and the CGT Trade Union, the longest-serving living member, with 90 years of membership. At the time of his death he was one of the oldest remaining World War II veterans. ==Cycling career==

He returned to cycling in 1978 Marchand put his fitness and longevity down to a diet consisting of: lots of fruit and vegetables, a little meat, not too much coffee – and an hour a day on the cycling home-trainer. Marchand celebrated his 107th birthday by going for a 20-kilometre bike ride in the Ardèche. After his 108th birthday Marchand stopped riding bikes outdoors due to hearing loss. == Physiology ==

Marchand's physiological capacity was the subject of scientific study during the final decade of his life. Between the ages of 101 and 103, researchers found that his VO2 max increased by 13%, from 31 to 35 ml/kg/min, while his peak power output increased from 90 to 125 watts. This improvement was attributed to a polarized training regimen consisting of 80% low-intensity mileage and 20% high-intensity work. == Death ==

Marchand died on 22 May 2021 at the age of 109. == References ==