Boardman, Chris (1968– )

English cyclist. He first came to prominence in 1992 when he won the individual pursuit gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics.

Career highlights

World records amateur 5 km record – 5.47.70 min 1991; one-hour record – 52.270 km 1993; 4,000-metre pursuit 1994; time trial 1994; 4,000-metre pursuit 1996; one-hour record – 56.375 km 1996; one-hour record (traditional bike) – 49.442 km 2000

Olympic Games gold 4,000-metre pursuit 1992; bronze individual time trial 1996

World Championships gold 4,000-metre pursuit 1994, 1996; gold road time trial 1994

In July 1993 he set a new world one-hour record of 52.270 km, beating the previous record by 0.674 km. In 1994 he made his debut in the Tour de France and led the race for the first three days. Then at the World Cycling Championships he won both the individual pursuit and road time-trial titles. In 1996, just days after winning back the world pursuit title and twice breaking the world record, he regained the world one-hour record, extending the distance to 56.375 km. In September 2000, the International Cycling Union (UCI) ruled that the official hour record would only be recognized when using a traditional bike, rather than the technically advanced versions that Boardman and his rivals had been competing on, and decided the last person to do this had been Eddy Merckx in 1972. A month later, Boardman rode for the last time competitively and, on a traditional bike, narrowly beat Merckx's mark of 49.431 km, setting a new mark of 49.442 km.

He finished second to Gan team mate Stuart O'Grady of Australia in the 1998 inaugural PruTour, a revamped version of the Tour of Britain (known for many years as the Milk Race), last held in 1994. Boardman led the field for the first two days of the 900-mile eight-stage race and won the Prologue time-trial.