Sir Chris, 42, reckons both sides need to better understand each other and be more considerate.
Cyclists complain of drivers winding down their windows to hurl abuse, while motorists make similar complaints.
He said: “Whether you go on foot, by bike, taxi, bus, we are people trying to get from A to B.
We are all someone’s son, daughter, mother, father, brother or sister.
“People’s lives are at risk and it’s time to stop having a ‘them versus us’.
“In reality, most cyclists drive and vice versa.”
"If you are cycling and thinking 'Well, they can sit behind me for half a mile on this single lane road' … it's not about saying you should get out of the way and let them through, it's about, when they do come past, just give them the thumbs-up and you can see the road's clear, give them a wave through, say thanks and that little bit of communication helps.
"Equally, when you are a motorist, to understand what it feels like to have a wing mirror buzz past your ear is utterly terrifying."
The six-golds winner — at Cheltenham Literature Festival to promote his book How to Ride a Bike — said 1982 film ET first inspired him to ride.
"I had never seen a BMX bike before," he said. "I was six years of age, saw this film and it was the way they used the bikes with jumps and going around corners, and I had never seen a bike ridden in that manner."
And Sir Chris admitted he recently fell off trying to pull a wheelie on an e-bike.
He said: “I hit my head and knocked the wind out of myself.”
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