Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman is mourning the death of his mother, who was tragically killed in a cycling accident at the weekend. Carol Boardman, herself a former racing cyclist, died from injuries sustained in a collision with a pick-up truck while out riding her bike in north Wales.
Chris later wrote a touching tribute to his mother on Twitter, describing Carol as "the most positive, outgoing person you could ever hope to meet".
Chris Boardman has paid tribute to his mother Carol on Twitter
"A stealth combatant and full of energy; mum was one of those individuals who could quietly turn anything into a contest," he said.
"On the 10-minute walk to my nan's she would often force us to skip - it didn't feel as strange then as it sounds now - which inevitably turned into a dog-eat-dog contest, a woman and two children frantically speed-skipping along a suburban pavement with a blue garden gate as the winning post. God knows what it looked like to people driving past."
The 47-year-old - who won a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games - also honoured his mother's generosity of spirit, and her love of the outdoors.
Chris is one of Britain's most prolific cyclists
"She leaves behind Keith, her partner for more than half a century, Lisa and I, and a large, loving family," he concluded. "We cannot yet conceive of a world without her in it. We love you Carol, may the wind be ever at your back."
Father-of-six Chris is one of Britain's most prolific cyclists. In addition to winning the gold medal, he also broke the world record for the longest distance cycled in an hour, and won three stages on three separate occasions at the Tour de France. In 1992, he was awarded an MBE for services to his sport.
