Nearly a century ago, Robert Marchand was told by a coach that he should give up cycling because he would never achieve anything on a bike.

He proved that prediction wrong again on Wednesday.

In a skin-tight yellow and violet jersey, the 105-year-old Frenchman set a world record in the 105-plus age category — created especially for the tireless veteran — by riding 22.547km in one hour.

Mr Marchand had ridden faster in the past on the boards of the Velodrome National. But he had warned before his latest attempt that his current form was not as good.

Three years ago at the same venue, Mr Marchand covered 26.927km in one hour to better his own world record in the over-100s category.

Mr Marchand already holds the record in the over-100 category —26.927km — set in 2012.

“I am not here to be champion. I am here to prove that at 105 years old you can still ride a bike.” Photo: AAP.

He said he “could have done better”, but missed the signal telling him there were 10 minutes to go.

“My legs didn’t hurt,” he told BFMTV. “My arms hurt but that’s because of rheumatism.”

“I’m not in such good shape as I was a couple of years back,” he told AFP news agency.

“I am not here to be champion. I am here to prove that at 105 years old you can still ride a bike,” he said.

Mr Marchand attributed his fitness to a good diet of fruit and vegetables, some meat and not too much coffee, as well as exercise on his home cycling trainer.