Born to cycle: Boardman has enjoyed a hugely successful cycling career ©Howard Boylan/ALLSPORT

The Hour Record represents just the tip of Chris Boardman's cycling achievements.

Born in 1968 in Hoylake, UK, Boardman accumulated innumerable national titles before bursting onto the scene in 1992 when he won gold at the Barcelona Olympics in the 4000m pursuit. This achievement turned him into a household name almost overnight.

The following year he turned professional and won his first pro race, the GP Eddy Merckx. That year also saw his first attack on the Hour Record, one of cycling's most celebrated landmarks. He snatched the record from his great rival, Scotland's Graeme Obree, with a distance of 52.270km/32.48 miles in Bordeaux, less than a week after the Scot had set a record of 51.596km/32.06 miles.

 

	Eyes forward: Boardman gets on his bike ©Howard Boylan/ALLSPORT

In 1994, Boardman took on cycling's greatest challenge - the Tour de France. He won the Prologue time trial and held the yellow jersey for three days before he was let down by a weak team performance in the team time trials.

However, he fought back in impressive style by taking three titles at cycling's World Championships.

He returned to the Tour in 1995 but disaster struck at the very start of the race. Boardman crashed in the Prologue and suffered severe injuries, forcing him to retire from the event.

Arguably his most successful all-round year was 1996. He confounded his critics who said he didn't have the stamina to complete the Tour de France by finishing the event in 39th place. The very next month, at the Atlanta Olympics, he took bronze in the Individual Time Trial event.

That year also saw him win the prestigious Grand Prix de Nations event, become world 4000m individual pursuit champion, as well as regain the Hour Record in spectacular style at Manchester.

 

Up in lights: The 1996 Hour Record ©Gary M. Prior/ALLSPORT

Boardman's 1993 record had since been broken by cycling greats Miguel Indurain (Spain) and Tony Rominger (Switzerland), but Boardman's distance of 56.375km/35.031 miles reaffirmed him as the best in the world in that discipline.

In an emotional aftermath, former record holder and one of the most famous cyclists of all-time, Belgian Eddy Merckx, was among the first to congratulate Boardman on his achievement.

He won the Prologue of the Tour de France for the next two years, although another crash in 1998 forced him to retire early in the race.

In September 2000, Boardman was suddenly faced with an unexpected challenge. World cycling's governing body, the UCI, altered the rules surrounding the Hour Record. Boardman's 1996 record was termed the 'Best Hour Performance' and the UCI ordered the Hour Record (subsequently called the 'UCI Hour Record') must now be set on a conventional bicycle.

The UCI decided the benchmark for the UCI Hour Record would be Eddy Merckx's mark of 49.431km/30.716 miles, set in 1972. To qualify to break this record, the bicycle used must be similar to Merckx's.

Determined to reestablish himself as the undisputed world record holder, Boardman launched a challenge on Merckx's record at the 2000 World Championships in Manchester. He bettered the Belgian's mark by just 10m/32.81ft.

Boardman had achieved his goal. However, it was to be his last major cycling achievement as a debilitating injury akin to brittle bone disease forced him to retire from the sport.

- Ash Potterton