FILE PHOTO: French cyclist Robert Marchand, aged 105, rides on his way to cover 22.528 km (14.08 miles) in one hour to set a new record at the indoor Velodrome National in Montigny-les-Bretonneux, southwest of Paris, France, January 4, 2017. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen/File Photo
PARIS (Reuters) - French cyclist Robert Marchand is retiring at the age of 106, a friend of the bike-mad centenarian has announced.
The decision to quit comes a year after the tenacious sportsman set what was widely billed as a world record for the over-105s category: he completed 22.528 km (14.08 miles) in one hour.
The feat, at an indoor track near Paris, drew intense media coverage and a moment of international celebrity for Marchand, an amateur who has been in the saddle for well over 90 years.
FILE PHOTO: French cyclist Robert Marchand, aged 105, reacts after he rode 22.528 km (14.08 miles) in one hour to set a new record at the indoor Velodrome National in Montigny-les-Bretonneux, southwest of Paris, France, January 4, 2017. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen/File Photo
His retirement, at not far off twice the average retirement age in France and three or four times the age at which top-notch athletes usually bow out, was announced to AFP news agency by a neighbour and friend.
(Reporting By Brian Love Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
FILE PHOTO: French cyclist Robert Marchand, aged 105, rides on his way to cover 22.528 km (14.08 miles) in one hour to set a new record at the indoor Velodrome National in Montigny-les-Bretonneux, southwest of Paris, France, January 4, 2017. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen/File Photo
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