Former professional cyclist David Millar, famously a former doper and now anti-doping advocate, is to mentor the British Cycling men's endurance academy programme on a voluntary basis, it has been announced.
Millar, who was banned for doping in 2004 but subsequently became one of cycling's leading anti-doping campaigners, will be available to offer advice to the young riders on the academy programme based on his experience. His racing palmares include several stage victories at all three of the Grand Tours, 2010 Commonwealth time-trial champion and silver at the UCI Time Trial World Championships. He also captained Mark Cavendish' world championship victory in 2011, and prior to his retirement rode for and part-owned the Garmin Slipstream team, known for its anti-doping stance.
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Shane Sutton, technical director for the Great Britain cycling team, views Millar's involvement with the programme not only as an opportunity to help inform and reinforce British Cycling's staunchly anti-doping culture, but also to share his knowledge of tactics and training.
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“Having someone of David’s calibre on board to support us in this education process is invaluable; he is readily available to share his well-rounded experiences as a professional cyclist to the young riders who aspire to succeed in their careers," he said. “In addition to his mentor work, David brings with him a massive amount of training and tactical knowledge which will support the work of the coaches, and he’s become a well-respected figure in cycling which will help us to open doors when it comes to fielding young talent into professional road teams.
“David will work with the squad on a voluntary basis until the end of the month with a view to subsequently joining the team in a more official capacity,” he added.
Since retiring, Millar has gone on to release a clothing range with Castelli, named Chpt. III. The premium range of products has a distinctive understated style (though not price!), and Millar and Castelli have added to the range for 2016 with a cafe-style collection.
Related: Millar and Castelli show cycling some sartorial style
