Chris Boardman facts for kids
Boardman at the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher Miles Boardman | ||
| Nickname | The Professor | ||
| Born | 26 August 1968 Hoylake, Merseyside, England |
||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lb; 11 st 0 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Discipline | Road and track | ||
| Rider type | Time trialist | ||
| Major wins | |||
|
|||
Christopher Miles Boardman, also known as Chris Boardman, (born 26 August 1968) is a famous English former racing cyclist. He was a specialist in time trial races, where cyclists race against the clock. Chris won the first-ever men's World Time Trial Championship in 1994. He also won a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics for the individual pursuit (a track cycling event). He broke the world hour record three times and won three stages at the Tour de France, wearing the famous yellow jersey.
Boardman used a special bike called the Lotus 108. It was designed by Mike Burrows and built by the sports car company Lotus. Later, he worked with Hotta, a UK company that makes carbon fibre bikes. Together, they created other special bike designs for time trials. Today, Chris Boardman helps create bikes for everyday use and for racing through his companies, Boardman Bikes and Boardman Elite.
Chris Boardman also works to encourage more people to walk and cycle in the UK. He became the walking and cycling commissioner for Greater Manchester in 2017. In 2021, he became Greater Manchester's Transport Commissioner. Most recently, he was named Commissioner of Active Travel England, a group that promotes active ways of traveling. In 1992, he received an MBE award for his contributions to cycling. In 2024, he was given a CBE award for his work in promoting active travel.
Contents
Early Cycling Days
Chris Boardman grew up in Wirral, England. He went to Hilbre High School. He started his first bike race when he was 13 years old. By the time he was 16, he was already part of the national cycling team.
Chris won his first national time trial title in 1984. He also won the junior 25-mile championship in 1986. He even broke the junior 25-mile national record that same year.
As an adult, he won many national championships. He won four hill climb championships in a row (1988-1991). He also won five 25-mile championships in a row (1989-1993). In 1991 and 1992, he won the 50-mile championship. He set a new record for 25 miles in 1992 and 1993, finishing in just 45 minutes and 57 seconds.
.jpg)
At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Chris rode his special Lotus 108 bike. He competed in the 4 km individual pursuit. The Lotus bike had many new features. In the final race, Chris caught up to Germany's Jens Lehmann, who was the 1991 World Champion. Chris won the gold medal!
Professional Cycling Career
After his amateur success, Chris Boardman became a professional cyclist with the GAN team. This team later changed its name to Crédit Agricole. His first professional race was the 1993 Grand Prix Eddy Merckx, a 66 km time trial, which he won. He also won several stages in other races like the Midi Libre.
In 1993, Chris set the fastest time for a bicycle around the 37.73-mile Snaefell Mountain Course on the Isle of Man. He rode a specially changed bike and finished in 1 hour, 23 minutes, and 54 seconds. This record stood for a very long time, until 2015.
Chris Boardman and another cyclist named Graeme Obree often competed for the hour record. This is a record for the longest distance cycled in one hour. They kept breaking each other's records! In just eight months in 1994, the record was broken four times.
Chris won the first stage (called the prologue) of the 1994 Tour de France. He set the fastest time ever recorded for that stage. This meant he got to wear the yellow jersey, which is given to the overall leader of the race. However, he lost the yellow jersey later in a team time trial. Many people thought he could win the Tour de France one day. But Chris later said that his body found it hard to recover from the tough stage races.
In the 1995 Tour de France, Chris crashed in the prologue and had to leave the race because of his injuries. He returned for the 1996 Tour de France and finished second in the prologue. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, he won a bronze medal in the 52 km road time trial.
Chris came back strong at the 1997 Tour de France, winning the prologue again. But a crash on stage 13 forced him to leave the race once more. In the 1998 Tour de France, which started in Dublin, Ireland, Chris won the prologue. But he crashed out of the race on stage 2.
In 1998, Chris was diagnosed with a medical condition that affected his bones. This condition made it very hard for him to recover from races. He wanted to take medicine to help, but it contained a substance that was banned in cycling. The cycling rules would not let him take it. Chris decided to keep cycling for two more years without the medicine, hoping to finish his career at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
In 2000, Chris tried to break the Hour Record again. The rules for the record had changed, so cyclists had to use bikes similar to those used in the 1970s. Chris rode 49.441 km, which was just 13 meters further than the record set by Eddy Merckx 28 years earlier.
Chris's preparation for the road time trial at the 2000 Olympics was difficult due to health issues. He finished eleventh in the time trial. Chris retired after the Olympics when he was 32 years old. He said the last two years of his career were the hardest because of his health.
Life After Racing
After retiring from professional cycling, Chris Boardman has done many different things. He has worked as a TV commentator, advised British cycling teams, and become a strong supporter of walking and cycling.
In 2004, Chris became a technical adviser for the British road and track cycling team. He was also the equipment and technical manager for the British Olympic cycling team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Chris Boardman has his own brand of bikes and cycling gear called Boardman Bikes. He also helps create special racing bikes through Boardman Elite.
Promoting Walking and Cycling
Chris Boardman has become a big supporter of walking and cycling. He started this work after his young daughter asked to ride her bike to the park. Chris felt it was too dangerous in their town. He realized it was wrong that he, an Olympic cyclist, couldn't keep his child safe on a short bike ride. So, he decided to make a change.
He believes that encouraging more people to cycle can help reduce health problems. He also thinks that in accidents involving vehicles and bikes, the driver of the larger vehicle should be seen as responsible. A very sad event involving his mother and a vehicle while she was cycling made him even more determined to make cycling safer for everyone.
In 2017, Chris was appointed the first Cycling and Walking Commissioner for Greater Manchester. He created a plan to build 1,800 miles of safe walking and cycling paths. In 2021, he became Greater Manchester’s first Transport Commissioner.
In 2022, Chris was appointed as the Commissioner for Active Travel England. This is a new government group that promotes cycling and walking. He left his role in Greater Manchester to take on this important national job.
TV Commentator
Chris Boardman has worked as a commentator for cycling shows on BBC and ITV. He has provided commentary for major events like the Olympic Games and the Tour de France.
Personal Life
Chris Boardman lives with his wife and six children in his home area of Wirral. In 1992, he was awarded an MBE for his contributions to cycling. In 2009, Chris ran the London Marathon, finishing in 3 hours, 19 minutes, and 27 seconds. He was also added to the British Cycling Hall of Fame. In 2024, he received a CBE for his work in promoting active travel.
Career Achievements
Chris Boardman achieved many great things in his cycling career. Here are some of his most important wins and records:
Major Wins and Records
- Olympic Gold Medal: 1992 Barcelona Olympics (Individual Pursuit)
- World Champion (Road Time Trial): 1994
- World Champion (Track Individual Pursuit): 1994, 1996
- Tour de France Stage Wins: 3 prologue stages (1994, 1997, 1998)
- Hour Record Holder: Broke the world record multiple times, including 49.441 km in 2000.
- Commonwealth Games Bronze Medals: 1986, 1990 (Team Pursuit), 1990 (Team Time Trial)
World Records
Chris Boardman set several world records during his career:
| Discipline | Record | Date | Event | Velodrome | Track |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 km individual pursuit | 4:27.357 | 27 July 1992 | Olympic Games | D'Horta (Barcelona) | Open air |
| 4:24.496 | 27 July 1992 | ||||
| Hour record | 52.270 km | 23 July 1993 | — | Bordeaux | Indoor |
| 4 km individual pursuit | 4:13.353 | 28 August 1996 | World Championships | Manchester | |
| 4:11.114 | 29 August 1996 | ||||
| Hour record | 56.375 km | 6 September 1996 | — | ||
| 49.441 km | 27 October 2000 | — |
Awards and Honours
- Bidlake Memorial Prize: 1992
- Sports Journalists' Association Pat Besford Award: 1992
- Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE): 1993
- British Cycling Hall of Fame: 2010
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE): 2024
See also
In Spanish: Chris Boardman para niños
- List of British cyclists
- List of British cyclists who have led the Tour de France general classification
- List of Olympic medalists in cycling (men)
- World record progression track cycling – Men's individual pursuit
