Chris Boardman, 52, with his dogs Sybil and Teddy, by the lake at his home on the Wirral 

My haven, Chris Boardman: The 1992 Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist, 52, with his dogs Sybil and Teddy, by the lake at his home on the Wirral

• Chris Boardman shares significant items by the lake at his home on the Wirral
• Treasures the tractor that distracted him following his mum’s horrific death
• Olympic cyclist, 52, cherishes a boat he spent a year renovating for £2,000

By Rosanna Greenstreet For Weekend Magazine

Published: 22:30 BST, 6 August 2021 | Updated: 22:30 BST, 6 August 2021

Chris Boardman, 52, (pictured) shares items of personal significance by the lake at his home on the Wirral

1. GET ON YOUR BIKE! 

Bikes started off as my first bit of freedom as a child, then became my sport, then my job and now my transport. With climate change, they are one of the most important tools we have and I’m determined everyone gets the chance to use them. 

In 2004 I was approached to start a bike company; we sold our first bike in 2007 when the Tour de France came to the UK. Halfords bought the company in 2014, but I’m still involved in the design work, and I love it.

2. DIVING DEEP 

From a young age I was fascinated by Jacques Cousteau and now I’m fanatical about scuba diving. 

I merged it with my passion for photography and have been to Egypt, Micronesia and Palau, and to the Maldives to photograph the effect of climate change on the coral. It is a wonderful escape because you can’t think about anything else while you’re doing it.

3. MASSIVE DISTRACTION 

I bought this tractor online in 2016 thinking it was a mini one. Then my mum was killed in a road accident. My dad and I didn’t know what to do with ourselves, and then my wife Sally said the tractor had been delivered. 

We opened the garage and there was this massive thing. Learning to use it was a distraction at a horrific time and I dealt with my grief by taking down trees and head-high brambles with it.

Chris revealed that he loves still being involved in the design work for the bike company he sold to Halfords

4. MY GREAT ESCAPE

I didn’t really read until I turned professional as a cyclist. It was a way to stop thinking about the pressure and I’d read right up to an Olympic performance or Tour de France stage. 

Later, audiobooks took over. I find going out in the wilds of Scotland with an audiobook a lovely combination. 

We love the Cairngorms and I think it’s where we’ll end up living. As well as thrillers by Ian Rankin and John le Carré, I like sci-fi. I’m listening to Isaac Asimov right now. 

5. ROARSOME MOMENTS 

Winning gold at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona was a pivotal moment. It was the first British gold for cycling in 72 years and the moment the UK realised we could win something and not just turn up and clap politely. 

The Lotus bike I was on was ahead of its time. The Tour de France lion is always given to a stage winner. I have three. 

My first Tour de France stage win in 1994 was as big for me professionally as that Olympic medal. I had two more stage wins in ’97 and ’98. 

6. WATER BABIES

The lake is an old Victorian fishing pond. I built the jetty, and found the boat in a bush and spent a year renovating it, teaching myself how to do it. 

The renovation cost £2,000 and it would have cost £300 to buy a new boat, but once I started it I became quite obsessive. 

During lockdown we were here with our six children, aged 16 to 32, and our grandchildren, Buddy, five, and Watson, two. Going out on the boat with the kids and looking at tadpoles was idyllic; with so many stressful things going on in the world, to have that escape was a privilege.

As told to Rosanna Greenstreet. Chris is commentating on the Olympics cycling events for the BBC. He was recently appointed Greater Manchester’s first Transport Commissioner.

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