Chris Boardman plans to find new owner for Boardman Performance Centre

Chris Boardman hopes to find new ownership for the Boardman Performance Centre after Halfords announced its closure alongside bike shop chain Cycle Republic.

"Some of you might have heard the news today. So thought I’d put my thoughts down here," Boardman said in an Instagram post following the news.

"Whilst I’m obviously disappointed the Performance Centre isn’t going to form part of our strategy going forward, I do understand the immense pressure Halfords, along with other retailers, is under right now.

"Pioneering, world-first things like this takes courage to back and we need to remember Halfords showed leadership in enabling us to do something different and wonderful. This was a tough decision and I know it wasn’t taken lightly.

>>> Inside Boardman’s new wind tunnel: affordable aero testing

"It is my hope that we can find someone who is in a position to take the centre on as a going concern. It’s still an amazing place and most importantly, it has an amazing team. That’s what I will be striving for over the next few weeks."

The Boardman Performance Centre offers a broad spectrum of cycling testing and bike-fitting, including a wind-tunnel.

Halfords revealed on Monday morning (March 16) that it plans to close its high street cycle shops and the Boardman cycling facility in Evesham, in order to free up money and focus on the motoring aspects of its business.

There will be 226 employees affected by the move, which is being taken after Halfords carried out a "strategic review."

A Halfords statement to the London Stock Exchange said: “Our proposal links directly to our strategic update in November 2019.

At the time of the centre's opening in 2018, Boardman said: "I don’t get overexcited, I’m careful about using superlatives, but this will revolutionise cycling in Britain.

"You’ve heard the figure a lot, you know, 80 per cent of your energy’s pushing air out the way, but you test power to the watt, speed to the tenth of the km an hour. And then for aero you’ve got hearsay and articles in magazines. It’s absolutely crazy," Boardman continued, explaining how people haven’t had affordable access to the best aero advice.

"That’s because people have no choice. And now they will. At a price that’s at least accessible for an enthusiast. It may change how people spend their sporting money."