Great Britain’s David Millar took his second silver medal in the World Time Trial Championship in Melbourne, Australia today, nine years after taking his first. That day in 2001, in Lisbon, Portugal, the then 24-year-old Millar was devastated as Germany’s Jan Ullrich recovered from being slower than the Briton at the final time check to beat him by 6 seconds.
Millar took gold in 2003, in Hamilton, Canada, but was stripped of his title after confessing to EPO use as part of the Cofidis doping scandal. Since his return to the sport though, Millar has become one of the most outspoken critics of the doping culture and sits on the athletes’ panel of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
In 2001 he had thought that he had won, as Ullrich was slower with just a few kilometres to go. The German controversially benefited from catching up with Hungarian rider Lazlo Bodrogi though and, although he didn’t actually use the other riders' slipstream, he benefited from his presence as he accelerated in an apparent effort to not be overtaken.
Millar was in tears back then but this time the 33-year-old feels entirely different.
"I'm over the moon,” he said during a press conference after the race. “I had a bit of an average Tour de France but it's ended up paying off for this because I was extra motivated for here and I felt good on the course, it's just a great feeling.”
Millar was one of the many riders injured on the rainy stage to Spa, Belgium, where most of the peloton came down on the oily descent of the Côte de Stockeu. He managed to struggle through the race though, then rested in August before riding the Vuelta a España, which he admits he largely used for training.
"Yeah, I mean I always knew the plan,” he said. “I went into the Vuelta with low fitness and I've been super motivated for here and the Commonwealth Games [in Delhi, India next week] so it's nice when the plan works out and comes together."
Millar will be one of an only three-man Great Britain team to start the World Championship road race on Sunday, along with Mark Cavendish and Jeremy Hunt. The team’s original plan has always been to deliver Cavendish, universally regarded as the World’s fastest sprinter, to the finish line; on seeing the course first hand though, the Manxman has expressed doubts in his ability to win.
Whether this makes Millar the team leader though, is still to be decided, as he is still confident in Cavendish’s ability to deliver.
"We'll see,” he said. “We're all for Mark and we believe infinitely in him and when he puts something in his head, it normally kind of pays off, so we'll see what happens.
“It's all business until Sunday night, so we're all on now for the road race, I'm going to be fit enough and strong enough to help Mark as much as I can."