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news
David Millar MSR 2012 © Simon MacMichael"Sick" David Millar unhappy at being cut from Garmin-Sharp's Tour de France line-up
David Millar has taken to Twitter to express his sadness and frustration at being left out of Garmin-Sharp’s team for the Tour de France despite the rider, who is in his swansong season, being told last week that he would be taking part in the race for the 13th and final time. Meanwhile, Alex Dowsett of Movistar is also out of the race as he struggles with his fitness.
Millar did not finish yesterday’s national championship road race and on Thursday had also failed to complete the time trial, and in the early hours of this morning the 37-year-old tweeted:
None of my team will answer the phone to me. I under-performed at the nationals. I'm now so scared about losing my Tour spot I can't sleep.
— David Millar (@millarmind) June 30, 2014
Today, Millar - a four-time stage winner and former wearer of the yellow jersey - broke the news to fans that he wouldn’t be in the race in a tweet that mentioned some of the other British riders who will be missing.
I was selected for TdF last week, then they pulled me last night. Wiggo, Dowsett, Pete, Swifty, fancy a city break? I hear York's nice.
— David Millar (@millarmind) June 30, 2014
For the record, I was going to be ready for the Tour, so sad my team didn't believe in me, after everything we've been through. Not cool.
— David Millar (@millarmind) June 30, 2014
Confirming the team today which will be led by Critérium du Dauphiné winner Andrew Talansky, Garmin-Sharp sports director Charly Wegelius said: “Had David Millar been healthy, he would have been a phenomenal team member. We would have loved to have him.
“Unfortunately, as seen over the weekend, David is sick, so we were forced to make a difficult and sad decision. That said, I am confident that we have put together an excellent group of riders that will be best equipped to ride a great race and support Andrew.
“It’s going to be an exciting Tour and as always, we will look to animate the race and bring excitement home to our fans.”
Millar was back on Twitter this evening:
For Sale. Been raced, not much. Battery fully charged (I think). Good condition. Reasonable offers please. pic.twitter.com/aFuGc5P5aB
— David Millar (@millarmind) June 30, 2014
Meanwhile, Dowsett had been due to ride the Tour, and Stage 3 passes through his native Essex, but has been struggling with breathing problems leading Movistar’s management to reluctantly leave him out of the team announced today.
Despite the emergence of Great Britain as a major power in world cycling since the Tour’s last visit to these shores in 2007, it looks as though the race will get under way on Saturday with just three British riders participating – defending champion Chris Froome and Sky team mate Geraint Thomas, plus Omega Pharma-Quick Step’s Mark Cavendish.
As William Fotheringham points out in the Guardian, that’s two fewer than the five who took to the start in London 2007, and in a year when the race returns to England, it seems certain that not a single rider born in the country will participate.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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58 comments
I don't know about getting them fired, I think you'd stand a pretty good chance of defending yourself in a tribunal if your boss, who you were publicly waiting for a decision from, was tweeting about his night out in New York instead.
Toys out of pram. Petulant tit.
People complain because the romance and sentimentality they attach to the sport seems to be slowly fading away. That's what is is to be a fan of a sport; a truck-loads of romance and sentimentality. We don't have any financial interests in it (betting aside) - we just want to see our favourites fight and grimace their way to the end.
...Which is completely at odds with the way team managers are supposed to view things, and I can't see the two alining without the cycling being reduced to a farcical two-wheeled pantomime. I'd rather the sport was clinically selective than Wrestlemania on wheels. But still, let the internet grieve. There's a been a fair amount to come to terms with.
I think the squad selections show how important it is for teams to be successful at the Tour. Usually a rider would be selected for his home tour. It's good for the rider's morale and creates extra publicity for the team sponsors in that country.
The Tour is all about success and securing sponsorship for the future with no room for sentiment.
This would have been Millars 9th TdF in a row. Some notable teams he's worked as part of in that time under the Vaugters-Millar partnership.
2008 - Vande Velde 5th
2009 - Wiggins 3rd (Team 2nd overall)
2010 - Hesjedal 6th
2011 - Danielson 8th (Team 1st overall)
2012 - Won Stage 12
2013 - Talansky 10th and 2nd in Young riders
No-one can say he wasn't a team player in all the time, he always worked for whoever was the leader at the time. Vaugters have turned around and shat all over him, just because Navardauskas and Langeveld have jersey's to show off....away tae fuck
Dave was due to ride the Tour but rode dreadfully at the nationals, just 6 days out.
No-one "shat on" him, the team have selected other riders because he is way off his best and - shock, horror! - there are other very talented (healthy) riders on the roster.
I feel for him but he's only fooling himself (and you) if he takes it personally. Please don't lower the tone to Sun-reading 'football fan' levels, Keith.
THIS. Plus: massive push on the CE in 2013. He would have been all over it this year for the final push, loads of TV time for the jersey.
Cav pulled out of nationals too. It's called erring on the side of caution.
No room for sentimentality in cycling? Such rubbish. Road cycling is nothing if not sentimental, dear god.
On a happier note for the Brits: Ned Boulting is saying Simon Yates has been selected for the OGE team, which is a lovely surprise.
It may be for you as a fan, and that's fine. However, these people's jobs rely on results, not grainy black & white images selling nostalgia to Mamils.
You only have to remember the last sentence in Wegelius' autobiography to see what price he (and probably Vaughters) place on sentimentality...
Yes its disappointing but as mere onlookers we know nothing and have no right to comment with our minimal expertise. Maybe if comments were limited to educated thoughts about disappointments rather than trying to tell the experts what to do the thread would have more value. In the long term what would have Millar guaranteed over 3 weeks. Nothing.
But the entire interweb is built on comments from people who know nothing and have minimal expertise!
Here's Vaughters' response
Twat.
Yes, I've really been looking forward to standing on a Yorkshire roadside so that I can cheer on Ramunas Navardauskas...
Doesnt he part own the team?
Comes to something when a co-owner gets dropped.
He feels he has been betrayed and whilst part of me thinks he should really know how things work i cant help thinking he has cause to be pissed off.
Leaves a bitter taste at the end of his career because its seems like he has had it with Vaughters and Wegelius - who he seemed to be bezzies with.
Maybe he should sell the garmin kit along with the bike. Doubt he will wear that again.
and another Jensie comment:
Sorry not to see David Millar in the Tour. Jens Voigt tweeted he was disappointed not to have Millar to keep him company.
Interesting to see what he gets up to in retirement and sense he could become quite influential in cycling 'politics'.
If it was just down to form at the nationals...Sky shouldn't have Thomas in the team and Froome didn't even bother with nationals, hasn't since 2010.
If I was Millar, I would totally let rip about this, I can understand being dropped if you were unfit or injured, but Millar has known for a couple of weeks he was in the team and he's been building up to it all season. Then overnight he gets dropped.
I think from his reaction on twitter, it could be no more races until the commonwealths and then retirement....I would not be surprised if he doesn't pull on a Garmin jersey again
Very sad for Millar, and he's going to be missed, but I've got to say, if I was his team director I wouldn't be over the moon about how readily he voices his dissatisfaction through social media.
He's retiring, and has just been dropped from his final chance at riding the Tour. I doubt he gives much of a f*ck what his DS thinks at the moment.
True!
Well David was making noises about a staff role with Garmin after he finished riding, but that may now be up in smoke as well.
Millar probably has more experience at the front of the peloton than any rider with a shot at the tour, Voigt has more starts, but not as much success, I would only leave him out this year if I thought he couldn't finish.
I don't understand trade teams leaving out big names like Wiggins and millar if they have a chance.
@glynr36: They do know much more than anyone here about picking a winning team - but winning isn't everything.
Sponsors are in it for visibility - whether that comes from winning is largely immaterial. Millar and Wiggins would have guaranteed massive visibility in the UK for the Garmin, Sharp and Sky brands over the coming three weeks - let's be honest, Froome isn't exactly scintillating post-stage interview material.
Yes, I'm sure that Vaughters et al know much more than any of us about the best chances of winning. That needn't stop me thinking this decision is bad entertainment and therefore bad business.
It's a bit of a shame that there aren't more Brits in the line up, but teams have to select the riders that they believe will win and not the ones who score political points with the locals.
I hope the Welshman does well, but my money is on Contador.
It's also a bit of a shame that Millar has taken to Twitter, he's a guy that I like but this is just a tad undignified.
Anyway, what size is the Cervélo?
Absolute pish, the man was already selected, how much form can he lose in a week.
I hope Garmin and Sky bomb in the tour, leaving out the riders everyone wants to see.
Just cause the tour goes through Yorkshire isn't reason to give someone a spot on the team.
You won't have a Yates in a grand tour yet, OGE said they wouldn't put them into them for a a few years.
Not just what he could have lost, but also what someone else could have gained.
I just hope this doesn't descend into the way the Wiggins thread went.
I'll settle all the arguments now, JV & the Garmin DS's know far far far more than anyone here on team selection.
I just said I felt sorry for him, not that he should've been picked (of course he shouldn't, he had a rough and presumably exhausting Giro).
Three Brits... specifically a Kenyan, a Welshman and a Manxman. Pretty poor, really, though it's not that there aren't good Brit riders. It seems a perfect storm of injuries, egos, fatigue and form have brought us here.
It's sad for Millar, but he did have a good farewell dig on the Champs Elysee last year. The rider I'm especially sorry for is Ben Swift, given that he's a bona fide Yorkshireman.
BTW have Orica announced their final squad yet? If not, we could add a Yates into the mix.
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