105-Year Old Cyclist Sets New World Record

If you're looking for a dose of inspiration to get your new year off to a good start, look no further than    Robert Marchand. Yesterday, the Frenchman rode a total of 14 miles in one hour, setting a new world's record in the process. Now, I know what you're thinking. 14 miles in an hour isn't particularly very far and that you could probably cover that same distance in less time. But, here's the real meat to this story: Robert is 105 years old.

Yep, that's right. At the age of 105, Marchand set a new mark for the longest distance ridden in an hour by someone in his age group. And, he says he could have gone faster had he not missed a sign telling him that he had 10 minutes left in his ride. While conserving his energy for the final push, he failed to see the notification, which meant the didn't give it his all when he was in the final stage of the event.

Robert says that he picked up cycling at the ripe-young age of 68, when he rode from Paris to Moscow back in 1992. He also leads a healthy lifestyle and doesn't smoke, rarely drinks, and recently gave up eating meat after learning about how unethically some animals are treated. He lives in a small apartment in Paris, where he rides a stationary bike every day.

If a man who is more than a century old can lead this kind of active and energetic life, why can't the rest of us? Think about that the next time you're climbing on your own bike or lacing up your running shoes.

Congratulations to Robert for setting this record. You're an inspiration to us all.

Video: Xavier De Le Rue Rides the 55º Mallory Couloir in Chamonix

Over the years, we've seen big mountain snowboarder Xavier De Le Rue ride some impressive lines in some incredibly remote locations. But for his latest video he stayed close to home in Chamonix, France where he took on the impossibly steep Mallory Couloir, on the North Face of the Aiguille du Midi, which features a 55º slope. As you can imagine, this run wasn't for the faint of heart, or those lacking in skills. Check it out in the video below, which first begins with some fun shredding in the Alps before making way to the main event.

Video: Mega From Behind - Finishing Last In An Intense Downhill Mountain Bike Race

The Megavalanche is an incredible mountain bike race down Alpe d'Huez in France during the middle of winter. The cyclists have to deal with snow, ice and slick conditions on their way to the bottom, which causes all kinds of issues, as I'm sure you can imagine. In the video below, filmmaker Ralf Schupp sets out to finish the Mega last. As you'll see, he is in no hurry to join the furious start and he makes his way down the mountain in cautious fashion. Along the way, he stops to talk to other racers to learn about their experiences and what has caused them to drop from the race. Its a fun video for a crazy event for sure.

Mega From Behind - Alpe d´Huez from Ralf Schupp - thesureshot.tv on Vimeo.

Video: A World Record for the Longest Slackline Ever!

Last month, slackliners Nathan Paulin and Danny Menšík traveled to Aiglun, France to attempt a new world record for the longest slackline ever. In this case, that means walking more than 1 km (.6 miles) over a massive canyon below. You can check out their attempt in the video below, which gives us a great look at this impressive feat.

Video: Welcome to the Birthplace of Extreme

This video takes us to the French town of Chamonix, which is widely regarded as one of the best outdoor playgrounds in the entire world. Renowned for its exceptional skiing and mountain biking, Chamonix is also the launching pad for trekking and climbing expeditions in the Alps, as well as the most popular BASE jumping and wingsuit flying destination on the planet. Here, we'll see a group of wingsuit pilots taking flight over the iconic village, while some work to overcome their fears. Chamonix is quite an impressive place to do just that.

Video: Stunning Wingsuit Flight Ends in Nasty Crash

Wingsuit pilots take their lives into their own hands every time they take flight. Case in point, in this video a flyer named Eric Dossantos starts off with a leap from the top of a mountain with stunningly beautiful views all around him. His descent down the slopes of the peak looks fantastic too, with snow covered ridges zipping by at warp speed below him. But once he soars low enough to encounter the treeline things start to go wrong with Eric ultimately crashing into the forest below. Fortunately, he survived the flight, although he did end up with fractured ribs, multiple bruises and lacerations, head trauma, and a lacerated kidney. Dossantos has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for his medical bills but it is going to be awhile before he's fully back on his feet.

The flight took place above Chamonix, France, which has recently banned wingsuit flying because of these types of dangers. This video underscores why they decided to make that decision, but thankfully Eric survived. Others haven't been quite so lucky.

How not to fly a wing suit unless you want to crash from Eric Dossantos on Vimeo.

Video: Free Skiing Through A Mountain Glacier

It takes a lot to get met o post a ski video, mostly because there are a ton of them out there, they often do very little to distinguish themselves from one another. But, this one is special, so it was definitely worth sharing. It features pro skier Sam Favret as he free skis through the legendary Mer de Glace in the Mont-Blanc region of France. At a bit over three minutes in length, it is pure ski porn, with amazing visuals and some of the best skiing I've seen in a clip in a long time. Really an amazing way to take advantage of the terrain and create something special.

Ice Call - Sam Favret / Backyards Project from PVS COMPANY on Vimeo.

Nat Geo Gives Us the World's Best Via Ferrata Hikes

We've all seen videos purporting to be of the "world's most dangerous hike." More often then not, those clips usually show us a terrifying via ferrata – or "iron way" – which has been built onto the side of a mountain somewhere, often in some state of disrepair. But most via ferratas are completely safe and offer unique experiences to hikers looking to visit some beautiful destinations. These paths usually find their way up climbing routes, where fixed ladders, cables, chains, suspension bridges, and other manmade structures offer access to a place that would otherwise be unreachable by all but the best rock climbers. They can be thrilling, exhilarating hikes to say the least, and aren't often for the faint of heart.

Now, National Geographic has compiled its own list of the 10 best via ferrata routes in the world, with locations such as the Italian Dolomites, the Canyon Des Étroits in France, and Catalonia, Spain all represented. Each is accompanied by an equally impressive photo and description of what makes these places so special as well.

Having done a few via ferratas in my travels, I can attest to how they are both scary and exhilarating. Of the few that I've done – none of which are on this list – they have all been more physically challenging that a traditional hike, but had amazing payoffs in the way of outstanding views and a sense of a rewarding accomplishment at the end. That makes them completely unique from any other more traditional hike I've ever done.

If you've always wanted to try a via ferrata for yourself, give this list a look. These are some of the very best in the entire world. I know I want to give several of these a go now.