Mother of Olympic hero Chris Boardman killed in collision while out cycling

Carol Boardman was taken to hospital with serious injuries following the collision in Connah's Quay, North Wales, on Saturday afternoon. She later died in hospital.

Boardman, 47, who won individual pursuit gold at the 1992 Barcelona Games, issued a heartfelt tribute on behalf of his family to Mrs Boardman, who was a keen cyclist.

He said she was "the most positive outgoing person you could ever hope to meet and her generosity of spirit inspired everyone she met".

Boardman, a British Cycling policy advisor who has campaigned for safer cycling, said: "In the early hours of Sunday morning, our mum, Carol Boardman, died from injuries sustained in collision with a car whilst out riding her bike in North Wales.

"A racing cyclist of some standing in her day, she gave up competitive riding when Lisa and I came along but she never lost her love of the bike or of competing. A stealth combatant and full of energy; mum was one of those individuals who could quietly turn anything into a contest.

"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.

"Our mum was the most positive outgoing person you could ever hope to meet and her generosity of spirit inspired everyone she met.

"Many of our childhood memories involve my mother and the outdoors, walking out over Hoylake sandbank, swimming in the deep gullies or hunting for fossils on Llandegla Moor in North Wales.

"Wanting to share her passion for cycling, even well into her 70s, she often took groups of young novices out on their first forays into North Wales.

"She leaves behind Keith, her partner for more than half a century, Lisa and I, and a large, loving family. We cannot yet conceive a world without her in it.

"We love you Carol, may the wind be ever at your back."

British Cycling president Bob Howden said: "This is truly awful news and my thoughts, and those of everyone at British Cycling, are with Carol's family."

Police said they were called to the scene at the roundabout in Mold Road with the junction of Ffordd Llanarth at 1.54pm.

The pick-up vehicle involved in the collision was a white Mitsubishi L200.

A spokeswoman for North Wales Police said: "Police are renewing their appeal for anybody who may have witnessed the collision to contact officers on 101, quoting reference number U104385."