Millar defends his mentorship of young British riders

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Ah, I needed that: David Millar from Great Britain takes a well earned drink after his silver medal ride in Geelong.(Image credit: Shane Goss)

David Millar defended his counterintuitive inclusion in British Cycling as a mentor for young riders today, justifying the role as an anti-doping advocate in light of his own doping history by saying he has "been there and done it all" in an interview with The Guardian's William Fotheringham.

The announcement today by British Cycling sparked a mix of support and criticism. British race organiser Vin Cox resigned from the federation over the issue, and Millar's fellow admitted doper Jörg Jaksche tweeted a link to the announcement on Cyclingnews with "Ouch!" as the only comment. Matrix Pro Cycling women's team manager Stef Wyman similarly tweeted, "If this was published on 1 April, I'd understand. Why. Just Why."

British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton explained the decision, stating, "The more expertise we can bring, the better, Dave brings that in abundance. I think people will question why we've brought Dave in. We know Dave's past. I don't think there's anyone better to put the guys in the right direction on these anti-doping stance, given the way he's reformed himself. He's one of the leading lights in that particular area."

Millar emerged as one of the great hopes of British Cycling in the early 2000s, after he won the prologue in his first Tour de France and held the yellow jersey for three days, but he soon succumbed to the EPO use that was rampant in the peloton at the time. He was arrested for possession of the drug in 2004, admitted to using the drug and was banned for two years. When he came back in 2006, he styled himself as a repentant doper committed to eradicating drugs from the sport, and later helped to found the Slipstream team with that ethos. He closed out his career in 2014.