Chris Boardman (born August 26, 1968) is a former English racing cyclist who won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games. He is known as a specialist in the Individual time trial. August 26 is the 238th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (239th in leap years). ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... A cyclist is a person who engages in cycling whether as a sport or rides a bicycle for recreation or transportation. ... (Redirected from 1992 Olympic Games) There were two Olympic Games in the year 1992: 1992 Summer Olympics 1992 Winter Olympics This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... An Individual Time Trial (ITT) is a road-based bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: contre la montre - literally against the watch). There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes. ...

Chris Boardman's nickname is the Professor, for his meticulous attention to detail in preparation and training, and his technical know-how. He had an altitude tent built in his house to help him prepare for the Hour record attempt (see below), although in a recent interview claimed that all it did was just help him focus, and not give any physical advantage at all. An altitude tent an enclosed living space which simulates high altitude; the air contained is kept at lower oxygen concentration. ... The hour record for bicycles is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle. ...

Even though he was part of the GAN team which was regarded as a conservative French team at the time, Chris Boardman focused more on interval training which does not necessarily include long and hard rides most of the time. He was a keen user of power measuring devices.

For his winning ways in time trials and prologues of stage races, he was nicknamed Mr. Prologue. He has been criticized for being a time-trialist who can't climb for his lacklustre performance in the mountains of the Tour de France. He denied this in an interview with CycleSport, citing examples in the 1995 edition of the Dauphiné Libéré stage race where he performed very well in the mountain stages. He explained that his disappointing performances in Tour de France is due to his insufficient powers of recovery, which leaves him drained after a few days' worth of racing. The (Le) Tour de France (French for Tour of France), also simply known as Le Tour, is an epic long distance road bicycle racing competition for professionals held over three weeks in July in and around France. ... The Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré is an annual cycling road race, run over eight stages in the Dauphiné region in France during the first half of June. ...

Boardman was also famous for using a specially-designed carbon-fibre time trial bike designed by Mike Burrows and made by Lotus the sports car manufacturer. Mike Burrows is a world famous bicycle designer, well known for the design of the time trial bike manufactured by Lotus for Chris Boardman, though he also contributed to a bicycle for Graeme Obree. ... Nelumbo lutea, the American Lotus The term lotus may refer to: The Indian lotus of the genus Nelumbo (see Nymphaeaceae). ...

UK time trial exploits

Boardman won his first national time trial title in the 1984 "GHS" schoolboy 10-mile championship and subsequently won the 1986 junior 25-mile championship. As a senior, he then won four consecutive hill climb championships (from 1988 to 1991), five consecutive 25-mile championships (from 1989 to 1993), the 50-mile championship in 1991 and 1992, and - making a modest comeback - the men's British time trial championship on a 'sporting course' in 2000. He broke the competition record for 25-miles in 1992 and 1993; the record still stands today, 2005 (45 minutes 57 seconds). 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

Professional career and Tour de France

Having started his cycling career as a time trial specialist, he turned professional with the GAN team, which later was renamed the Credit Agricole team of manager Roger Legeay of France. His first race as a professional was the 1993 Grand Prix Eddy Merckx, a 66-km time trial which he won beating some of the best riders of the day. He further won several stages of the Midi Libré and Dauphiné Libéré stage races, including the final road stage. The Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré is an annual cycling road race, run over eight stages in the Dauphiné region in France during the first half of June. ...

He won instant fame by winning the prologue of the 1994 Tour de France with the fastest time ever recorded, but lost the Yellow jersey in a disastrous team time trial. He was immediately hailed as the UK's great hope as a future Tour de France winner, despite Boardman's own insistence that it was a long shot. After his retirement he said that he was not able to recover from the rigors of day-to-day stage racing due to a low hormone profile that has manifested itself in Boardman. "I've always had it, it's probably been that way since I was born, but because of the type of racing that I did in the past, it was not a problem." The (Le) Tour de France (French for Tour of France), also simply known as Le Tour, is an epic long distance road bicycle racing competition for professionals held over three weeks in July in and around France. ... Maillot jaune (French for yellow jersey) is the t-shirt worn by the current overall leader of many bicycles races, originally and most notably the Tour de France. ... A Team Time Trial (TTT) is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock (see individual time trial for a more detailed description of ITT events). ...

In the 1995 Tour de France, he crashed heavily at the prologue and was forced to quit. The 1996 Tour de France saw him make a timid return in the wet and rainy prologue where he was beaten by Alex Zulle into second place. However, he made a good comeback in the 1997 Tour de France by winning the prologue of the Tour again, although a crash forced him to quit in the 13th stage.

He again won the prologue in the 1998 Tour de France, but crashed in the following stage while wearing the yellow jersey. He retired in 1999. The 1998 Tour de France was marred by doping scandals throughout, starting with the arrest of Willy Voet a soigneur in the French Festina team. ... Maillot jaune (French for yellow jersey) is the t-shirt worn by the current overall leader of many bicycles races, originally and most notably the Tour de France. ...

The Hour Record

Boardman is also famous for his Hour record. The 1990s saw him compete with Graeme Obree using radically modified time-trial bikes, beating each others' previously established record. The Union Cycliste Internationale finally modified the regulations, making use of a traditional racing bicycle, similar to the one used by Eddy Merckx to establish the Hour Record in the 1970s, compulsory. Chris Boardman made his attempt at the Hour Record using this new ruling and succeeded in 2000. The hour record for bicycles is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle. ... Graeme Obree is a Scottish racing cyclist who, in July 1993, broke the world Hour record, previously held for nine years by Francesco Moser, with a distance of 51. ... Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is a professional cycling union that oversees cycling events in the international community. ... a racing bicycle A racing bicycle is a bicycle designed for racing on roads according to the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). ... Baron Eddy Merckx (born Edouard Louis Joseph Merckx on June 17, 1945 in Meensel-Kiezegem, Belgium) is considered by many to be the greatest cyclist of the 20th Century. ...

Olympics

At the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games games, Boardman rode a revolutionary new "super bike", in the 4km pursuit. This incorporated several new features. In the final, he uniquely caught his German opponent. 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Games of the XXV Olympiad were held in 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ... In track cycling, the individual pursuit is an event where two cyclists begin their race from a stationary position (held by gates) on opposite sides of the track. ...

He chose not to defend his title at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, but did win bronze in the Men's 52km time trial. The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. ...

Retirement

In an interview Boardman admitted that the last two years of his professional career were the most difficult, especially because of his debilitating condition and marital issues. He was criticized for not realizing his true potential, but in response he said that, "I never considered myself particularly gifted, but I managed to stretch and mould the ability that I have, and found a niche for myself."

External links

• fansite
• International Olympic Committee - history page with video
• Chris Boardman

Further Reading

• "The Fastest Man on Two Wheels - In Pursuit of Chris Boardman" by Phil Liggett published by Boxtree, London, 1994

• "Boardman - A Cycling Career in Pictures" by Phil O'Connor and Graham Watson, published by O'Connor and Watson, 2000