GOOD

105-Year-Old Cyclist Robert Marchand Is The World’s Fastest Centenarian

He’s too busy shattering records and stereotypes to age

 Andre Grant
01.11.17

When Robert Marchand was born in 1911, the gas-powered automobile was a mere 10 years old. Just six years before in 1905, Albert Einstein changed the world with his theory of special relativity. Now it’s Marchand changing the world, setting a world record for the 105-plus category (a designation created just for him) by cycling 22.547 kilometers miles in one hour. That’s just a little over 14 miles for nonmetric-system users. So maybe we all can find a little time to get to the gym.

As reported by USA Today, Mr. Marchand has been defying the odds for quite a while. When he was just a boy, he had a coach tell him he would never amount to anything on the bike. At 5 feet tall, Marchand cuts a slight figure. But he was not deterred, and even after years of having no time to practice, he finally picked up a bike again at the age of 68. Soon the Frenchman was hitting the road for long hauls, riding from Paris to Roubaix, from Bordeaux to Paris, and from Paris to Moscow.

[quote position="full" is_quote="true"] He never pushed his limits—goes to bed at 9 p.m. and wakes up at 6 a.m. There's no other secret. [/quote]

His youthfulness comes from his balanced diet. Marchand’s coach and friend Gerard Mistler told the AP, “He never pushed his limits—goes to bed at 9 p.m. and wakes up at 6 a.m. There's no other secret.” Mistler continued, saying that Marchand eats fruits and vegetables every day, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t watch much TV, and only has the occasional glass of wine.

And, here’s the thing—he could have gone even faster, his physiologist Veronique Billat told the AP. Billat, who relayed that Marchand stopped eating meat after recently discovering how cruelly animals are treated, believes that Marchand can better his time if he starts eating meat again and building up muscle.

For now, Marchand isn’t looking toward the future. He lives on a roughly $900 pension in a flat in Paris, and he’s looking out for his next challenge. “I did not see the sign warning me I had 10 minutes left," Marchand said. "Otherwise I would have gone faster, I would have posted a better time. I'm now waiting for a rival."

aging bikes health living well sports and fitness
Sports

NASA's solar probe sent back its first findings, and it's more incredible than we thought

upload.wikimedia.org

One mystery in our universe is a step closer to being solved. NASA's Parker Solar Probe launched last year to help scientists understand the sun. Now, it has returned its first findings. Four papers were published in the journal Nature detailing the findings of Parker's first two flybys. It's one small step for a solar probe, one giant leap for mankind.



It is astounding that we've advanced to the point where we've managed to build a probe capable of flying within 15 million miles from the surface of the sun, but here we are. Parker can withstand temperatures of up to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit and travels at 430,000 miles per hour. It's the fastest human-made vehicle, and no other human-made object has been so close to the sun.

Keep Reading Show less
nasa space parker solar probe sun

Ford will cut down plastic use by recycling McDonald's coffee into car parts

McDonalds sells a lot of coffee. Over a billion cups a year, to be exact. All that coffee leads to a lot of productive mornings, but it also leads to a lot of waste. Each year, millions of pounds of coffee chaff (the skin of the coffee beans that comes off during roasting) ends up getting turned into mulch. Some coffee chaff just gets burned, leading to an increase in CO2.

Now, that chaff is going to get turned into car parts. Ford is incorporating coffee chaff from McDonalds coffee into the headlamps of some cars. Ford has been using plastic and talc to make its headlamps, but this new process will reduce the reliance on talc, a non-renewable mineral. The chaff is heated to high temperatures under low oxygen and mixed with plastic and other additives. The bioplastic can then be formed into shapes.

Keep Reading Show less
environment circular economy sustainablility green mcdonald's coffee waste ford

Move over Jordan, Nike has created a new shoe specifically designed for nurses

via Wikimedia Commons

Nike has made a name for itself creating shoes for playing basketball, tennis, and running. But, let's be honest, how many people who wear Air Jordans or Lebrons actually play basketball versus watching it on television?

Now, Nike is releasing a new pair of shoes created for everyday heroes that make a bigger difference in all of our lives than Michael Jordan or Lebron James, medical professionals — nurses, doctors, and home healthcare workers.

Nike designed the shoe after researching medical professionals at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, Oregon to create the perfect one for their needs.

Keep Reading Show less
nike doctors shoe health care shoes air jordan michale jordan portland nike nursing foot health CNN nike shoe nurses
Health