Chris Boardman's mother, Carol, died on Sunday night following a collision with a car while out riding her bike in North Wales.
The Olympic gold medallist posted a touching tribute on his Twitter page, calling his mother "the most positive, outgoing person you could ever hope to meet".
Carol was taken to hospital on Saturday after the collision with a pick-up truck in Connah's Quay, near Deeside.
In his statement, Boardman remembered her competitive spirit, her generosity, and her deep love for the sport of cycling.
"A stealth combatant and full of energy; mum was one of those individuals who could quietly turn anything into a contest," he wrote. "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."
Boardman revealed that his mother's passion for cycling led her to take novices out on rides in North Wales, even when she was "well into her seventies".
A passionate and outspoken campaigner for road safety, Boardman says he "cannot yet conceive of a world without [Carol] in it".
High-profile figures in the world of cycling, including fellow Olympian Joanna Rowsell Shand, broadcaster Ned Boulting and Bob Howden, president of British Cycling, added their sympathies on a tragic day for the cycling community.
North Wales Police have appealed for any witnesses to the collision at 13:54 BST at the roundabout on Mold Road, Connah's Quay with the Junction of Ffordd Llanarth.
The vehicle involved was a white Mitsubishi L200 pick up, police said.
Boardman said that his mother's "generosity of spirit touched everyone she met.
"We love you Carol," his statement concluded. "May the wind be ever at your back."
