An Olympic champion cyclist said he loved a Sussex football club so much he wants to become an owner. Chris Boardman, who won gold for Great Britain in the men’s individual pursuit cycling at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and was made a CBE, spoke to The Argus during his Pedal for Paris challenge. The Olympian is chairman of Sport England – a public body aiming to develop grassroots sport and encourage more people to get active in England.
He visited eco-friendly Lewes Football Club as part of a seven-day bike ride from Manchester to Paris to raise awareness about the effects of climate change. He spoke to The Argus before boarding the Newhaven Ferry to Dieppe. He said: "Lewes is an amazing set up and by the time I get off the ferry I will be one of the owners.
It is completely membership owned, owned by the fans and I quite fancy being in that number. They grow their own food, they have equal pay and they recycle their kit. It is great that they are serving 50 per cent vegan food and they have days where they only serve vegan food and the attendance goes up.
Eating plant-based food is the single biggest thing people can do about climate change. We wanted to put a spotlight not just on the problems but also the solutions." Mr Boardman urged Sussex councils to continue creating new cycle lanes.
Confident cyclists often use the roads but the Olympian said people who are new need more cycle lanes to build their confidence. He said: "Cycle lanes aren’t for cyclists they ar.