Chris Boardman

Christopher Miles Boardman, born on August 26, 1968, in Hoylake, Merseyside, England, is a former English racing cyclist. He began his cycling journey at 13, joining the national cycling team by 16. Boardman’s amateur career was marked by significant achievements, including national time trial titles. He secured his first national time trial title in the 1984 George Herbert Stancer schoolboy 10-mile championship and the 1986 junior 25-mile championship. He also broke the junior 25-mile national record in 1984. As a senior, he won four consecutive hill climb championships from 1988 to 1991, five consecutive 25-mile championships from 1989 to 1993, and the 50-mile championship in 1991 and 1992.

Boardman’s professional career saw him turn pro with the GAN team in 1993, later known as Crédit Agricole. His debut race was the 1993 Grand Prix Eddy Merckx, a 66 km time trial, which he won. Throughout his career, he achieved remarkable milestones, including winning the inaugural men’s World time trial championship in 1994, an individual pursuit gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics, and breaking the world hour record three times. He also won three prologue stages at the Tour de France, wearing the yellow jersey on each occasion. After retiring from professional cycling in 2000, Boardman transitioned into roles such as technical advisor for the British cycling team, equipment and technical manager for TeamGB at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and launching Boardman Bikes in 2007.

Since 2017, Boardman has been a prominent advocate for walking and cycling, inspired by a personal experience that highlighted the dangers of cycling for children. He was appointed Greater Manchester’s first Cycling and Walking Commissioner in July 2017, leading efforts to create 1,800 miles of protected routes. In May 2021, he became Greater Manchester’s first Transport Commissioner, and in January 2022, he was appointed Interim Commissioner for Active Travel England, becoming the permanent Commissioner in June 2022. Boardman also contributes as a cycling commentator for BBC and ITV, covering five Summer Olympic Games and four Commonwealth Games. For his services, he was awarded an MBE in 1992 and a CBE in 2024 for his work in active travel.