LYON: A French centenarian on Friday set a record for the fastest 100-year-old to cycle 100 kilometers (62 miles) and said he had outdone himself. Robert Marchand, an amateur cyclist who claims to have clocked tens of thousands of kilometers in the saddle, finished the distance in 4 hours, 17 minutes and 27 seconds.
“I did a little better than I hoped,” he said. “However the going was tough in the last few kilometers.”
Marchand, who has lived in Canada and Venezuela and whose professional life has included stints as a market gardener and shoe salesman, said he only took to cycling when he bought his first bike in 1978.
His bid for the centenarian record was certified by the French national cycling federation.
![]()
100-year-old Frenchman smashes 100-km record
100-year-old Frenchman smashes 100-km record
Pakistan PM calls for beneficial Ramadan relief package, digital wallet payments
- The holy fasting month of Ramadan is expected to start around Feb. 17-18 this year
- Ramadan package offers subsidies on essentials such as wheat, sugar, oil and pulses
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities develop a beneficial Ramadan package to reach the maximum number of Pakistanis and instructed disbursement of financial assistance through digital wallets, Sharif’s office said on Friday.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by more than two billion Muslims worldwide, who abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset. It begins with the sighting of the crescent moon and is expected to start around Feb. 17 or 18 this year.
Most Pakistanis suffer from artificial hikes in food prices every year during Ramadan. Demand for essential food items surges during the month as people prepare traditional dishes to break the fast with the evening iftar meal.
Presiding over a review meeting on third-party validation of the Ramadan relief package, Sharif was briefed on the introduction of a social protection wallet system, under which mobile phone connections were being distributed among beneficiaries for disbursement of financial assistance.
“The prime minister specially directed all relevant institutions to formulate a more effective and beneficial package and recommendations for the upcoming Ramadan than last year,” the PM’s Office said in a statement on Friday.
“[He] issued special instructions that the disbursement of financial assistance under the Ramadan Package to poor citizens should be carried out exclusively through digital wallets so that their dignity and respect are not compromised.”
In 2024, the Sharif-led government had announced a “historic” Ramadan package with a subsidy of $26.8 million (Rs7.5 billion) to lower the prices of essential items for over 30,96,00,000 families.
The annual Ramadan relief package offers subsidies on essentials such as wheat, sugar, oil, and pulses. It was previously administered through utility stores but was discontinued last year after years of reported corruption and mismanagement, including complaints of substandard goods being sold to the open market.
The use of digital wallets for the provision of financial assistance with the State Bank of Pakistan’s assistance would promote a cashless economy, according to the prime minister.
“He [Sharif] directed that special measures should be taken to ensure transparency, inclusion of the poor, and administrative discipline in the disbursement of aid and the Ramadan Package,” Sharif’s office added.
Latest updates
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.