In a move that is likely to prove controversial, possibly inspirational and certainly educational, British Cycling confirmed yesterday that it is employing the former professional, David Millar, in a temporary capacity as a mentor to the under-23 men’s academy following their relocation to Italy.
When he retired at the end of 2014, the Scot was one of the most successful British pros ever, winning stages in the Tour de France and a wearer of the leader’s jersey in all three major Tours during a 17-year career. But he also served a two-year ban from 2004-06 after confessing to the use of the blood-booster erythropoietin (EPO), after which he reinvented himself as a leading anti-doping campaigner within the sport. Millar then helped to found the ground-breaking Slipstream squad together with Jonathan Vaughters in 2008.
Millar explained to the Guardian his role is likely to remain an informal one, with what amounts to a probationary period for the first few months. His argument for taking up the role is that he is uniquely qualified to advise young riders because of having doped himself – damaging his career for a short time and throwing his entire life into turmoil – he can give genuine answers to the questions they will have.
“I have been there and done it all recently, good and bad,” he said. “It will make that world seem real to them. I’m still close to what they are dreaming of. They can ask me things and they will know they will get real-life experiences as an answer. It’s not just a matter of telling them what not to do, but why.
“I can tell them about the risks, how [doping] can damage you. It’s about qualifying them for the world they are going into. Cycling has cleaned up its act, it’s possible to get to the top clean, but you can see from what’s happening in athletics that there is a way to go.
“I’m in a strong position to educate those guys on what happens. If one of them has doubts about someone he is riding against, sees something he doesn’t understand, he can talk to me. He will know that I will do something about it, and that I will give him an idea of how to cope with it.”
The issue of doping among young riders in Britain has a certain immediacy to it following the revelation that an 18-year-old, Gabriel Evans, had used EPO before winning a national time trial title as a second-year junior in 2015.
“What that tells us is that we can’t get complacent,” said Millar. “It’s easy to forget what goes on at the bottom of the pyramid, the pressures on riders who are trying to make their way, the amount they put in. In a sense we’ve created a rod for our own back – the scale of British Cycling, the success across the board means we have massive figures and role models but there is a big gap between that and the grassroots. The whole culture needs educating, and I can offer a bridge between those two worlds.”
Employing Millar will clearly not be to the taste of many within the sport in Britain. One race organiser in south-west England resigned his British Cycling membership on Thursday on hearing the news. “I think it’s just wrong to have someone who was banned as a world champion for cheating, who cost British Cycling money and credibility,” Vin Cox told the website road.
“He was a damage to sport at the time, he should be saying ‘I was a damage to the sport at the time and I should be finding something else to do’. I don’t want any of my efforts or money to go towards his wages or to give him any credibility.”
Another voice from within the British sport, Stefan Wyman of the Drops women’s pro team, wrote on his Twitter feed: “If this was published on 1 April, I’d understand. Why. Just Why.”
The counter view came from the British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton in a statement confirming Millar’s appointment. “Nurturing an anti-doping culture is at the heart of everything we do at British Cycling and educating our young riders on the subject is a responsibility we take seriously. Having someone of David’s calibre on board to support us in this education process is invaluable; he is readily available to share his experiences as a professional cyclist to the young riders who aspire to succeed in their careers.”

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