Archives
Millar dilemma
It was going to happen, I just didn't think David Millar would be back on top so soon. His victory in today's Vuelta time trial has added another interesting twist to the doping discussion.
I have never been a die-hard Millar fan but I have followed his pre and post ban career with interest and I reckon I'm not the only one caught in two minds about today's result.
Under current regulations he has as much right to be participating as anyone else and whether you agree with the current severity of penalties or not you have to accept that he has served his time. Those who are pushing for more severe penalty for dopers maybe disappointed with today's result and some people may feel uneasy about how quickly he has been welcomed back into the peloton. I was very sceptical about his return during the Tour de France and, without wishing him bad luck, didn't think it would have been right for him to win the prologue.
However, after today's win I found myself looking at the positive side of all this. Assuming that he is true to his word, and is racing on "bread and water", this is a great signal to be sending out. Clean riders can win. Ok, so there have been many other well known clean riders that have won stages and haven't made such a big deal out of it, but Millar is a high profile rider who has just returned from a doping ban in the middle of cycling's biggest scandal. If he can go on to more success and maintain his integrity he will be making a very positive impression just when it's needed and go a long way to redeeming himself in many people's minds. I am going to keep trying to look on the positive side and look forward to watching the Millar story continue.
The last vote ran for a much longer time than I had planned and the result was far from decisive. It asked 'Is it right to exclude riders from races if they are under investigation for doping offences?'. The result was Yes: 55% No: 45%.
In light of today's result I have posted a new vote 'Is David Millar's Vuelta victory a good thing for cycling?'.
BTTC
Although the Tour of Britain was finishing in London today I decided to head over to this years British Time Trial Championships in Hampshire, very near where I grew up.
Unfortunately "Olympic hero" Bradley Wiggins OBE was unable to participate due to commitments on the continent with his Cofidis team (he is starting the Tour of Poland tomorrow). But that didn't spoil an impressive show.
The course was a roughly 11 mile rolling, twisty circuit through the lanes and small stretch on a main road. The senior men rode 3 laps while everyone else rode 2. No one had it easy; the roads remained open throughout the event and were packed with Sunday traffic. They were brave riders indeed to be doing near 30mph on roads with traffic like today. It's suprising that a national competition doesn't warrant a greater degree of traffic control. The good news is that the race passed without incident.
Results and dicussion here