By Shane Stokes
Scottish rider David Millar is clearly coming into some good form, as evidenced by his cheeky last kilometre attack on stage three of the Vuelta. The Saunier Duval rider was caught inside the final kilometre but vowed to try again during the race.
"I felt good yesterday at the end," he told Cyclingnews this morning at the start in Almendralejo's Avenida de la Paz. "I had felt good the day before so I figured out that I may as well do something, but the bunch was going a bit quick [to stay away]. I almost crashed into that motorbike as well…that was a bit dangerous.
"The run in wasn't too bad, it was just those last two corners that were risky. It wouldn't have been too bad but the motorbike misjudged it and cut the apex, which made me go right out. I was already on the limit so I honestly thought I was going to crash.
"I was really pleased with Frank [Francisco José Ventoso - ed.], he did a good sprint. The team were awesome, they covered everything. I am feeling good so far. I just keep feeling better [as time passes]. I am very happy where I am. I am not deliberately chasing form right now, so it is a good sign that it is coming despite that."
Although the team has José Angel Gomez Marchante as a possible GC contender, it is not sure whether the team will concentrate on him or chase stages. "Marchante is our climber so we will see how he gets on. But I think we are more taking an opportunistic approach, going for stages and stuff. We ride well together - as you can see yesterday, the team effort on the whole was brilliant.
"Now Frank will be more respected as a sprinter, so that should make it easier for him to be up there when he is trying to get placed [before the sprint], not being knocked off wheels or anything."
Millar moved to the team after his ban ended this June and said that it is very different to his former setup at Cofidis. "I am used to a French team and obviously being on a Spanish team is really different. They are so laid back and relaxed, but when it comes to the actual race they are really disciplined, once you are out on the road. It is funny the way they switch…they are very relaxed and then boom, they are totally switched on and really professional. It is really good."
Now that he is racing again and fully motivated, he is planning on moving closer to the team [and the sun]. He is currently living in Manchester but that will change soon. "I am going to move to Girona at the end of the year," he said, "in November or December. It is time I got back over here, it is better for training. There are lots of guys to train with there. The team are based in Santander so I will be a lot closer to them there."
