95-Year-Old Cyclist Chases World Record on His Birthday

At 95 years old, most people might celebrate their birthday with cake and a quiet dinner. Piet Grandiek plans to spend his pedaling 95 laps around a velodrome to break a world record.

On Tuesday evening at 6pm, Grandiek will attempt to cycle farther than any 95 to 100-year-old has ever managed in one hour. He needs to beat 20 kilometers and 151 meters, and he's already hit 23 kilometers in training.

"I thought it sounded good, 95 years old and 95 laps on the velodrome," Grandiek told The Southland Tribune.

The remarkable part? Grandiek only started competitive cycling when he was in his 70s.

He switched from running with the local harriers club because it got too hard on his bones. After just six weeks on a bike, he cheekily entered the South Island Masters Championships in Christchurch in 2007, showing up in regular shorts while everyone else wore fancy lycra.

"They looked at me and said, 'When did you come out of the bush,'" Grandiek recalled. "I told them I had been biking for about six weeks, and afterwards they said they were not going to believe anything I told them anymore because I got a gold, silver, and bronze."

Nearly 20 years later, he's still pedaling strong.

Why This Inspires

Grandiek's story demolishes every excuse about age limiting what we can achieve. He started a new sport in his 70s and became competitive within weeks, proving that it's never too late to discover what your body can do.

His record attempt isn't just about personal glory. The event doubles as a fundraiser for Hospice South, turning his athletic achievement into support for others in his community.

The logistics alone show serious commitment. Officials must fly in from the North Island for mandatory drug testing if he breaks the record, and multiple local sponsors have backed the attempt.

Grandiek remains cheerfully realistic about the current record holder, who set the mark in 2019. "He died seven months after he set the record, so I hope it's not a bad omen," he joked.

Whatever happens on Tuesday night at the Invercargill Velodrome, Grandiek has already proven that the only real limitations are the ones we accept.