Robert Millar
 Millar - Tour de France, 1993 |
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Charles Millar | ||
| Born | 13 September 1958 | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Climbing specialist | ||
| Amateur team(s) | |||
| Glenmarnock Wheelers Glasgow Wheelers ACBB |
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| Professional team(s) | |||
| 1980–1985 1986–1987 1988 1989–1991 1992–1994 1995 |
Peugeot Panasonic Fagor Z-Peugeot TVM Le Groupement |
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| Major wins | |||
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| Infobox last updated on 26 July 2007 |
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Robert Millar (born 13 September 1958) is a former Scottish professional cyclist who won the “King of the Mountains” competition in the 1984 Tour de France and finished fourth overall – sharing the highest Tour position for a British cyclist with Bradley Wiggins, and the first time a Briton had won a major Tour classification. He also achieved the highest finish by a Briton in the Giro d'Italia, finishing second in the 1987 event and winning the King of the Mountains classification too. He was a vegetarian. Millar remains the only rider from an English speaking country to have won the Tour de France King of the Mountains title and one of only two Britons to have won a Tour de France jersey competition. He is not related to fellow Scottish cyclist David Millar.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Raised in Glasgow and at one time destined for a career as a factory engineer, he attended Shawlands Academy in the south of the city. Willie Gibb, a Scottish National Road Champion, recalls what Millar was like growing up 'Even at school he had a total disregard for what people thought of him and he was very obstinate,' explains Gibb. "I mean, I knew him from when we were at primary school and at fifteen you would say he was a bit odd and that didn't change all the time I knew him. He was a loner and he put off a lot of people in Scotland with his attitude"[1] He initially began riding for Glenmarnock Wheelers cycling club and quickly established himself as a leading amateur road racing rider. He won the Scottish junior title in 1976 and was Scottish hill-climb champion the following year.
In 1978, Millar established himself on the British scene. He was 21st in the Milk Race, and won the British amateur road race championship. He moved to France in 1979 to join the ACBB (Athletic Club Boulogne-Billancourt), one of Europe's top amateur teams. Millar was as ever focused and quickly began winning races such the Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers. This success brought him the admiration of his ACBB manager Claude Escalon. However his single minded persona was also not going unnoticed. Whilst living in his Paris flat a young British rider by the name of Mark Bell arrives, a little lost, finds a bed and tries to find his feet. Lying in his room, staring at the ceiling, he hears a noise in the kitchen and goes to investigate. He finds Millar, who says next to nothing to him, makes his dinner as Bell looks on, takes it back to his room and shuts the door behind him. Thus it is little wonder Jamie McGahan, a fellow Glaswegian who raced with Millar describes him as being a great rider but never being a very warm character.[1]
In 1980, after retaining his British road title, taking fourth place in the world amateur road championship, claiming five wins in France and winning the French 'Best Amateur' Trophy, he turned professional for the Peugeot cycling team, and as a climbing specialist focused on single-day road races and stage races in hilly or mountainous terrain.
While other British riders often found living away from home a problem[citation needed], Millar was happy to travel abroad, and wasn't homesick. He married a French woman, and lived with her in France.
[edit] Professional career
His early professional career included high positions in the Tour of Vaucluse (3rd in 1980), Criterium du Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (7th in 1981 and second in 1983), Tour de Romandie (7th in 1981 and 1982) and Tour de l'Avenir (second in 1982).
In 1983, he rode the Tour de France for the first time, winning stage 10 Pau-Bagneres de Luchon and finishing 14th overall and third in the mountain classification. That year he also came second in the Dauphiné Libéré stage race.
1984 saw continued improvement. In the early season Paris–Nice stage "Race to the Sun" he held the lead for a while before finishing sixth, and in the Tour de Romandie he took fifth place overall, the mountains competition and a stage at Crans-Montana. It was preparation for the Tour de France – he finished fourth (surpassing Tom Simpson's sixth place in the 1960s) and won "King of the Mountains", aided by another mountain stage victory on stage 11 from Pau to Guzet-Neige.
In 1985, he won the Volta a Catalunya and came sixth in Paris–Nice. He looked set to win the Vuelta a España when leading overall with just two stages remaining. However a number of factors, including a collusion among the Spanish teams, combined on the penultimate stage to see the yellow jersey pass to Pedro Delgado. Millar finished second overall before going on to the Tour de France where he finished 11th. Riding for Panasonic team in 1986, Millar again finished second overall in the Vuelta a España after another spell in yellow and a stage win at Lagos de Covadonga. He also finished second overall in the Tour de Suisse. In 1987 Millar rode the Giro d'Italia, finishing second overall, taking a stage and the mountains competition. In the Tour de Romandie, he finished fourth; in the Tour de France 19th.
In 1988, Millar rode for the French Fagor team and managed his best position in a one-day 'Monument' Classic, third in Liège–Bastogne–Liège. In the Tour de France, he lost the opportunity of a repeat mountain stage win in Guzet-Neige when, sprinting uphill to the finish with Phillipe Bouvatier, both riders mistook a gendarme's signals, took a wrong turn and ceded the win to Massimo Ghirotto.
In 1989, racing for Z-Peugeot, he was close to victory in the Dauphiné Libéré, taking a stage en route to second place. In the Tour de France, he finished 10th and added stage 10 from Cauterets to Superbagnères. He also won the Tour of Britain.
Victory in the Dauphiné Libéré arrived in 1990, along with a fourth place in the Giro di Lombardia. In between, he also took second place in the 1990 Tour of Britain.
During the mid-1980s Millar appeared in television commercials for Kellogg's 'Start' cereal. A one-hour Granada Television documentary about Millar's 1985 racing season, entitled The High Life, which also included appearances by Allan Peiper and music by Steve Winwood, was screened in Britain on the eve of the 1986 Tour de France.
[edit] Later career
The final years of his career were less successful. Riding for the Dutch TVM Squad, he completed the Tour de France in 1991 (72nd), 1992 (18th) and 1993 (24th), and the Vuelta in 1992 (20th) and 1993 (15th), and achieved numerous top 10 finishes, but victories eluded him. His final major victory came in June 1995 when he won the British road race championship. However, soon afterwards, his French team, Le Groupement, went bust and Millar retired.
In 1997 he became British coach, and in 1998 managed the Scottish team in the PruTour, an eight-day round-Britain stage race.
Millar was also a cycling journalist, testing new products. He then cut his ties with the sport. In 2003 he was inducted to the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame but didn't attend the ceremony.
A 1985 TV documentary Robert Millar - The High Life was rediscovered and screened, simultaneously with the release of the book, at Edinburgh Bike Week Film Festival on 26 June 2007.[2] A DVD version of the documentary was released in 2008.[3]
Millar wrote an article for issue 13 of Rouleur Magazine.
In 2009, he was inducted into the British Cycling Hall of Fame.[4]
In 2011, Millar authored analytical opinions for Cyclingnews during the Tour de France.[5]
[edit] Palmares
- 1978 - 2 wins
- 23rd Commonwealth Games, Road race
- 6th Overall, Sealink International
British National championship (Amateur)- 1st Tour of the Peak
- 1979 - 2 wins
- 1st Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers
- British National championship (Amateur)
- 1980 - no wins
- 3rd Tour of Vaucluse.
- 8th Tour de Romandie.
- 5th National Championship.
- 1981 - no wins
- 7th, Tour de Romandie.
- 7th Dauphiné Libéré.
- 5th Tour de l'Aude.
- 5th GP Gippingen.
- 1982 - no wins
- 7th Tour de Romandie.
- 2nd Tour de l'Avenir.
- 1983 - 1 win
- Tour de France
- winner stage 10
- 14th place overall
- 3rd Dauphiné Libéré.
- 1984 - 3 wins
- Tour de France
King of the Mountains- Winner stage 11
- Tour de Romandie: Winner stage 2
- Midi Libre: Stage 11
- 2nd Nice-Alassio.
- 2nd Tour of Haut Var.
- 6th Paris–Nice.
- 5th Tour de Romandie.
- 4th Midi Libre.
- 4th Tour de France.
- 6th World Championship.
- 7th Volta a Catalunya.
- 1985 - 1 win
- Volta a Catalunya overall.
- 2nd Vuelta a España
- 7th Tour of Haut Var.
- 6th Paris–Nice.
- 6th Critérium International.
- 6th Tour Midi-Pyrenees.
- 2nd Tour of Spain.
- 9th Dauphiné Libéré.
- 4th GP Wallonia.
- 3rd Tour of Piedmont.
- 1986 - 1 win
- 2nd Vuelta a España
- Winner stage
- 2nd Tour de Suisse.
- 6th Tour of Aragon.
- 7th Montjuich hill-climb.
- 27th Tour of Ireland
- 1987 - 2 wins
- 2nd Giro d'Italia
King of the Mountains- Winner stage 21
- 4th Tour de Romandie.
- 5th Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
- 6th Tour of the Mediterranean.
- 7th Catalan Week.
- 1988 - no wins
- 2nd Bicicleta Vasca.
- 3rd Critérium International.
- 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
- 3rd Rut de Sud.
- 6th Tour of Spain.
- 8th Volta a Catalunya.
- 9th Paris–Nice.
- 1989 - 4 wins
- Tour de Romandie: stage 4
- Dauphiné Libéré: Stage 7
- Tour de France: stage 10
- Tour of Britain: overall
- 7th GP Besseges.
- 8th GP Cannes.
- 8th Paris–Camembert.
- 8th Tour of Vaucluse.
- 2nd Gp Wallonia.
- 3rd Tour de Romandie.
- 2nd Dauphiné Libéré.
- 6th National Championship.
- 9th GP of Americas.
- 1990 - 2 wins
- Winner Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- Winner Stage four, Tour de Romandie
- 2nd Tour de Suisse.
- 2nd Tour of Britain.
- 4th GP Ouest France.
- 4th Giro di Lombardia.
- 4th Tour of Andalucia.
- 7th GP Rennes.
- 9th Flèche Wallonne.
- 1991 - 1 win
- Winner stage five, Tour de Suisse.
- 2nd Tour de Romandie.
- 2nd Classique des Alpes.
- 4th Dauphiné Libéré.
- 4th Tour of Britain.
- 5th GP of Americas.
- 5th Tour de Suisse.
- 1992 - no wins
- 6th Tour of Lazio.
- 7th Tour of Piedmont.
- 9th Catalan Week.
- 24th Tour de France
- 9th Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
- 9th Tour of Britain.
- 1993 - no wins
- 2nd Tour of the Mining Valleys.
- 9th Classique des Alpes.
- 7th Tour of Asturias.
- 6th Midi Libre.
- 5th National championship.
- 1994 - no wins
- 9th Tour of Galicia.
- 4th Climber's Trophy.
- 6th Coppa Piacci.
- 7th Coppa Sabatini.
- 1995 - 1 win
- British National championship (run as the Manx Trophy).
- 9th Classique des Alpes.
[edit] Teams
- 1980-1981: Peugeot - Esso - Michelin (France)
- 1982-1985: Peugeot - Shell - Michelin (France)
- 1986: Panasonic (Netherlands)
- 1987: Panasonic - Isostar (Netherlands)
- 1988: Fagor - MBK (France)
- 1989: Z - Peugeot (France)
- 1990-1991: Z (France)
- 1992: TVM - Sanyo (Netherlands)
- 1993-1994: TVM - Bison Kit (Netherlands)
- 1995: Le Groupement (France)
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Robert Millar.net". http://www.robertmillar.net/. Retrieved April 2010.
- ^ Edinburgh Bike Week Film Festival programme PDF
- ^ Robert Millar - The High Life
- ^ "50 Cycling Heroes Named in British Cycling's Hall of Fame". British Cycling. 2009-12-17. http://new.britishcycling.org.uk/sport/article/bc20091216-Hall-of-fame-fifty.
- ^ http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/robert-millar/a-week-is-a-long-time-at-the-tour-de-france
[edit] Bibliography
- Richard Moore, In Search of Robert Millar: Unravelling the Mystery Surrounding Britain's Most Successful Tour De France Cyclist, London: HarperCollins, 2007, ISBN 9780007235018
[edit] External links
- "Robert Millar (cyclist) profile". http://www.cyclingarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=6053.at Cycling Archives
- "wielrennen.hour.be". http://wielrennen.hour.be/Renners_Detail.asp?NumRenner=2991.
- "CycleBase". http://www.cyclebase.nl/?lang=en&news=en&pc=normal&page=renner&id=10859.
