An 84-year-old Hither Green man will attempt to break a world record by cycling the greatest distance around an Olympic-sized velodrome track in one hour on Friday.

Sidney Schuman, a retired maths teacher at Lewisham College, has been cycling since the age of 11 and after attending a taster session at Lee Valley VeloPark in May never having tried track cycling before, he was instantly hooked.

The father-of-four who has broken his hip twice has been training ever since for a world record attempt.

He said: “I can’t contemplate a life without a bicycle, it’s the greatest invention known to man. There are a lot of guys my age, who are a lot fitter than me, and I think it’s a great way of letting people know, that just because you’re older doesn’t mean you can’t do things, that make you feel good.”

Mr Schuman, born 1930, was given his first bike from his cousin who decided cycling was not for him.

The record is officiated by international cycling governing body UCI and has never been attempted for this age category.