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Millar: Team time trial a learning exercise

published 12 May 2009

Garmin-Slipstream went into the Giro's opening stage team time trial as the hot favourite.

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Garmin-Slipstream's David Millar (Image credit: JF Quenet)

Garmin-Slipstream went into the Giro's opening stage team time trial as the hot favourite. All the squad's TT specialists were selected - Bradley Wiggins, David Millar, David Zabriskie, Christian Vande Velde and Cameron Meyer. Therefore, finishing second to Team Columbia-Highroad wasn't overly satisfying.

"We were disappointed, obviously," said David Millar at the start of stage three in Grado. "But at least we know what went wrong. We over-strategised it. We took it a little bit too easy at the start and we designated three riders to do everything for 15 kilometres," he explained.

"It's been a learning exercise for the Tour de France. Had we won it by five seconds, we would have thought our strategy was right but now we'll re-calibrate it."

Millar is adamant that Garmin-Slipstream didn't only show up at the Giro to win the team time trial. "We're focused on helping Tyler [Farrar] in these early stages, I'm here as a team player," he added. The American sprinter moved up to second place on GC and is the best young rider for a day. He's doing his first Grand Tour and hopes to win a bunch sprint sooner or later.

Following his crash at Paris-Nice, Millar believes hiss form is at 80 percent of capacity. "I also want to use the Giro to regain form and I'll ride the Dauphiné as well," the Scot said. The plan is for Millar and co to be at 100 percent when they get another shot on July 7th for the Tour de France's team time trial.