Millar Announces Retirement

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David Millar has announced he intends to retire at the end of the 2014 season.

The Scot, 36, has won four individual stages at the Tour de France during his career and has also won stages at the Vuelta a Espana and the Giro d'Italia.

In 2004, he was suspended for two years for taking a banned substance but has since become an anti-drugs campaigner.

Millar told the Dutch cycling magazine Wieler Revue he had "suddenly" realised his career was coming to an end.

He added: "I think my body is actually getting stronger, it is just that I don't want it or need it as much as I once did.

"I can still be on top of the game - I know that - but it is a lot harder for me now and I want to be on top of my game next year. With the motivation of knowing it is my last year, I know I can get the best out of myself."

Millar was handed his ban after being found guilty of taking erythropoietin (EPO) - a drug that controls red blood cell production.

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Millar Calls Time on Verbruggen

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David Millar has called for the International Cycling Union's (UCI) honorary president Hein Verbruggen to resign in the wake of the Lance Armstrong doping revelations.

A report by the US anti-doping agency (USADA) has stated Armstrong was a serial drug-taker at the centre of a systematic and widespread programme of doping by members of his team US Postal during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Verbruggen was president of the UCI during that time and as recently as last year insisted seven-times Tour de France winner Armstrong had "never, never, never" used doping. The 71-year-old Dutchman is still honorary president and a member of the UCI's management committee.

Millar, who served a two-year ban after admitting to doping in 2004, is now a member of the athletes committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

He said it was obvious to everyone in the sport at the time of Armstrong's domination that drug-taking was rife among almost all of the top cyclists.

Millar told the Press Association: "The UCI have to accept they have to carry some responsibility for this because it was obvious what was going on.

"The UCI had all the blood data, the medical reports, it was part of the culture of the sport and in the big races the majority of riders were doing it on drugs.

"There was only a tiny minority getting good results without drugs and they really were the outsiders.

"The first step for the UCI is that Verbruggen has to be removed.

"There is no doubt about that - [current president] Pat McQuaid has to distance himself because it was under Verbruggen's presidency that it was at its worst and yet there were all these denials coming from the UCI.

"He was at the head of organisation with the biggest doping problem in history of sport.

"He's still there. He doesn't have to commit hari kari, he should just admit that mistakes were made and we have all made mistakes.

"But the UCI is not a commercial company so there is no one to answer to."

According to the USADA report, in May last year, responding to a claim by Armstrong's former team-mate Tyler Hamilton on US television show 60 Minutes that the UCI did not take action on a positive Armstrong test, Verbruggen reacted angrily saying: "That's impossible, because there is nothing. I repeat again: Lance Armstrong has never used doping. Never, never, never. And I say this not because I am a friend of his, because that is not true. I say it because I'm sure."

The UCI have said they will examine the USADA report and evidence within the next three weeks but will not delay a response "any longer than necessary".

Millar said the strength and depth of the USADA report - no fewer than 11 riders gave evidence against Armstrong - had been necessary to ensure there were no lingering doubts.

"That has always been the thing with Lance - you couldn't do it unless there was this level of depth and detail," he added. "There's no way there could be any doubts or holes left open.

"I am quite impressed this has actually happened. A lot of people thought he was going to get away with it but now we are dealing with it.

"We don't have a relationship any more - I just thought nothing would ever happen about it."

Millar said that cycling had "climbed out of the abyss" but he feared a whole new generation of riders would be tarnished by the past.

He said: "That's what so sad. A whole generation are now going to have clean careers and results that should never be doubted.

"Cycling went into an abyss but we have climbed out and changed the sport, yet there is still all this baggage we are carrying around.

"Hopefully this will remove that baggage and the sport can confront and be honest about the past and not deny it, and not have the confusion so that no one knew what to believe."

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Millar Questions UCI Cycling Stance

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David Millar has accused the International Cycling Union (UCI) of lacking leadership in their unwillingness to bear some blame for the sport's doping culture.

UCI boss Pat McQuaid told Millar at a news conference on Saturday it is "not responsible for the culture of doping".

And Millar later told BBC Radio 5 live: "The UCI don't seem to accept any responsibility for the last 15 years.

"Unfortunately we've still got these skeletons in the closet and in order for us to move forward we need to deal with them.

"I've tried to tell people my story so they can understand what the world of cycling was like then.

"There were a lot of good guys who did bad things and it's not as black and white as people think.

"In order to move forward and to have reconciliation we just need to tell the truth."

"We need them to show leadership and acceptance for us to move forward."

McQuaid was speaking a day after the UCI adopted a motion at their annual congress to focus on the anti-doping effort.

But the Irishman said they were not planning to set up a so-called 'Truth and Reconciliation Commission' for riders to confess their doping pasts to help clean up the sport for the future.

Millar, who served a two-year ban for doping in 2004, believes there needs to be a frank discussion about what has gone on in the past.

He asked McQuaid at Saturday's news conference: "Don't you think you're sending a wrong message when you said the UCI has nothing to be apologetic for?"

McQuaid responded: "How could we be apologetic? The UCI is not responsible for the culture of doping."

Millar, a four-time Tour de France stage winner and member of Great Britain's London 2012 cycling team, also believes the UCI should apologise for accepting a donation from Lance Armstrong for an anti-doping machine 10 years ago.

Armstrong faces losing his seven Tour de France titles following charges of doping from the US Anti-Doping Agency.

"It's another moment where the UCI refuses to back down from its position," said 35-year-old Scot Millar.

"I think they need a little bit of humility and acceptance and just saying 'we made a mistake', even if they accepted the donation with the best will in the world.

"But at least just please say sorry and let's move on."

McQuaid also reiterated that the UCI is unlikely to appeal Usada's decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), but insisted it would make a full judgement once it had seen the case file against Armstrong.

"UCI still assumes that the file will justify Usada's position on all of the issues," said Irishman McQuaid.

"We still need to be able to go through those documents before giving our comments."

Millar added: "I think the fact the UCI are acknowledging that they're going to accept the Usada decision, unless there's major discrepancies in the testimonies, is good.

"A lot of us were worried the UCI would drag it to Cas and it wouldn't get closure."

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Millar Named in Team GB for London

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David Millar has been named in Team GB's Olympic road cycling team for London 2012.

The 35-year-old Scot served a two-year ban in 2004 after he admitted taking performance-enhancing drug agent EPO.

Millar is eligible to take part after the British Olympic Association (BOA) rescinded its lifetime ban for athletes convicted of doping.

Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Ian Stannard complete Britain's five-man team for London.

Britain have not won a medal in men's road cycling at the Olympics since Atlanta 1996 - with bronzes for Max Sciandri in the road race and Chris Boardman in the time trial - and have never won Olympic road race gold.

Millar, the Malta-born Scot, was stripped of his 2003 World Elite Time Trial titlefollowing the discovery of two syringes containing traces of the blood-boosting drug in his home in Biarritz, France.

The BOA had previously ruled that no convicted drugs cheat could compete for Team GB at an Olympic Games.

Millar had insisted he would not seek to overturn the BOA's lifetime ban and even booked a holiday to coincide with the Olympics.

But the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) ruled against the stance in March and the BOA lifted its ban, clearing him to take part at London 2012.

Since returning from his ban in 2006, Millar became 2007 National Road Race champion as well as National Time Trial champion in the same year.

More recently he strategically captained Mark Cavendish to his 2011 world title at the UCI World Championships road race last September in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Millar joins Team GB sprinter Dwain Chambers and discus thrower Carl Myerscough as athletes previously banned by the BOA who will now compete at the Games.

He will race alongside Cavendish, Wiggins, Froome and Stannard in the men's road race, a 250km (156-mile) course, including nine circuits of Box Hill in Surrey. The event starts and ends on The Mall on 28 July. Spain's Samuel Sanchez is reigning Olympic champion.

Kenya-born Froome and three-time Olympian gold medallist Wiggins have been selected to ride the time trial on 1 August. The 44km (27-mile) circuit begins and ends at Hampton Court Palace.

British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford said: "The final selection for the men's road race was a tough choice as we had a really strong squad of riders to pick from.

"We have selected the five riders who we believe are on the best form and will give us the fastest team for the race."

Wiggins, who will be competing in his fourth Olympic Games after appearances at Sydney, Athens and Beijing over the past 12 years, added: "We've got a good chance to win the road race with Cav [Cavendish] and it's a London Olympics which makes it very special."

Millar Mind Made up for London

David Millar, the cyclist who had his lifetime Olympic drug ban lifted in April, has told Team GB selectors that he is "available" for selection and is now looking forward to London 2012.

Initially the Scot, banned in 2004 for two years after admitting taking banned performance-enhancers and for life at the Olympics by the British Olympic Association, was worried that he would be a pariah and hinted that he would not take part in the Games, if selected.

But now the 35 year-old two-time World Championship time trial silver medallist, has changed his tune and declared that it would be an honour to represent Team GB, following the Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision to deem the BOA's life ban bylaw unlawful.

It is now very likely Millar will be named in Team GB's cycling squad following his about-turn, as British Cycling will want the best possible chance of putting Mark Cavendish on top of the podium.

“I’m available,” Millar was quoted as saying (£) in The Times. “I spent a lot of time thinking about it, but I’ve concluded that if I can be of benefit to the team, I would be happy to help.

“The most rational thing is to leave it to the selectors to decide. If they think that including me might be in any way detrimental, even if, physically, I could be one of the strongest riders, I will respect any decision they make. But I think I can genuinely help in the road race, and that’s helping Mark.

“I have spent time fighting the idea of lifetime bans for a first offence and it gets confusing if I don’t make myself available."

Days before his ban was overturned, on April 29, Millar had dismissed ideas of racing at the Games and said: "I am quite happy looking forward to 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. That will be a much more joyful experience than me going to the Olympics as a black sheep.

"Even if it was to all go through now, and I was to go, I don't know if it would be a very joyful experience for me.

"Is it a stronger message if I don't go, is it a stronger message if I do go and perhaps try to change people's opinion that forgiveness should be offered?

"I've nailed myself to a few crosses and I'm not sure if I'm prepared to go for the final big one on this."

But now Millar has said that if British Cycling are willing to hand him the chance to ride he would give his all for Great Britain, and hopes to be on the start line on July 28 alongside Cavendish – as he was when the Manxman won the World Championships last year in Copenhagen, when Millar was captain.

British Cycling selectors are due to meet next week to decide on their road and track squad for the Games, and the provisionally team will be announced on June 11.

Millar, now a fervent anti-drugs campaigner, must prove his form if he wishes to be confirmed as one of five road racers, which will be rubber-stamped on July 8 – the date when the BOA must submitted their completed squad.

Millar, who suffered a broken collarbone in March while racing in Belgium, will race this weekend at the Critérium du Dauphiné, and he said: “I had a few weeks out but I’m just coming in to my stride.”

BOA Expects CAS Defeat

The British Olympic Association is reportedly expecting to be defeated in the court battle to keep their lifetime ban for drugs cheats.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will deliver a ruling next week after the BOA challenged the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) for declaring the ban "non-compliant".

The BOA has so far been given no indication from the court, but senior BOA officials are apparently prepared for the ruling to fall on the side of WADA.

If that decision does come to fruition, it would mean that the likes of sprinter Dwain Chambers and cyclist David Millar will be eligible for selection at London 2012.

However, BOA communications director Darryl Seibel has said that there had been no indication at all from CAS.

Seibel said: "We have not received the decision from CAS although we expect it will be next week, and neither have we received any indication from CAS as to what the decision might be."

British IOC member Sir Craig Reedie said in January that he believed it was likely that CAS would overturn the lifetime ban.

Reedie, who sits on the boards of both the BOA and WADA, was at the original meeting of the BOA in 1991 when the lifetime ban was passed and spent many years defending the ban while BOA chairman.

But he stated that as the IOC's similar ban known as Osaka rule had already been overturned, the CAS were unlikely to divert from that position.

Reedie said in January: "The BOA rule is different to the Osaka rule in that it has an appeal process but my feeling is that the same CAS panel as ruled on the IOC is unlikely to change its mind.

"If it is not accepted by CAS and it is regarded as a sanction, then the BOA rules could well be used in the future as a basis for writing a change to the WADA code.

"Morally, the BOA hold the high ground, and if you set the Olympics as a slightly special sporting event many people would agree with that."

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Millar Seeks Second Chance

Scottish cyclist David Millar, who has a lifetime Olympic ban after admitting doping, has said people make mistakes and should be given a second chance.

He was speaking to BBC Radio Scotland ahead of a decision due next month by the Court of Arbitration.

The British Olympic Association (BOA) is challenging a ruling by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) that the Olympic ban is unenforceable.

But, Mr Millar said if he did go to the Olympics he would be the "black-sheep".

The 35-year-old was interviewed by BBC Scotland presenter Edi Stark for a radio documentary called Cheats and Champions.

He is currently waiting to hear if he can compete at the London 2012 Games.

He was suspended from cycling for two years in 2004 after he admitted taking the blood-boosting drug EPO.

In the programme he talked openly about first succumbing to doping during a "disastrous" Tour de France in 2001.

He said an older rider on his team approached him when he was "mentally weak."

"I knew who he was and what he represented, and he represented doping. And that was it," he explained.

We don't believe that those who have knowingly cheated should be there”Colin MoynihanChairman, BOA

When asked what difference the drug-taking made to his performance, the cyclist said: "It was the difference between going to a race and hoping to win, and going to a race and guaranteeing to win."

He added: "The reason I did it was because you could get away with it."

A BOA by-law prevents any drug cheats from competing at the Olympics but this is being looked at by the Court of Arbitration after Wada said it was not compliant with its code.

The radio programme also heard from BOA chairman Lord Moynihan who strongly defended the association's tough stance on drugs cheats.

"In sport the one thing you do not do is cheat. You know that. You know the consequences. You know you'll never be selected again.

"We don't believe that those who have knowingly cheated should be there."

Cyclist Millar said he thinks people should be offered a second chance.

"People do make mistakes and I think they should be punished," he said.

"But they should be forgiven and given the opportunity for a second chance. We are human beings.

"Why should sports men and women get punished harsher than people in the normal world?"

However, despite the possibility that the Olympic ban may be lifted, Millar said the idea of competing at another games was something he had "signed off from a long time ago".

He added: "I am quite happy looking forward to 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

"That will be a much more joyful experience than me going to the Olympics as a black sheep.

"Even if it was to all go through now, and I was to go, I don't know if it would be a very joyful experience for me."

Millar said he has yet to decide if he would even go to the Olympics if the ban was lifted.

"Is it a stronger message if I don't go, is it a stronger message if I do go and perhaps try to change people's opinion that forgiveness should be offered?" he asked.

"I've nailed myself to a few crosses and I'm not sure if I'm prepared to go for the final big one on this."

A ruling from the Court of Arbitration is due next month.

Moses Believes in Second Chance

Double gold medallist and anti-drugs campaigner Edwin Moses believes drug cheats should be given a second chance to compete at the Olympics.

The former 400m hurdles record holder was in a group of athletes who pushed for tighter testing in the 1980s.

But he told BBC Scotland: "Once you serve your penalty, you serve your penalty and you go back to it.

"If you go out and drive drunk, you'll get your drivers' licence back eventually. That's much more critical."

Scottish cyclist David Millar and English sprinter Dwain Chambers are among those who have been given a lifetime ban by the British Olympic Association.

That policy is being considered by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with the BOA challenging a ruling by the World Anti-Doping Agency that the Olympic ban is unenforceable.

But, ahead of a decision expected next month, Moses backs countries like his own who allow those who have tested positive to return to the sport once they have served their ban.

"I know, in the United States, our Olympic committee supported LaShawn Merritt, who tested positive a couple of years ago, in his efforts to be eligible to compete in the Olympics," he said.

"That case was won. There's no doubt that there's going to be many athletes at the Games who have perhaps had positive drug tests.

"The United States anti-doping agency supported Merritt as there should be a redemptive value in sports.

"I would be more concerned about the people who are going to habitually drive under the influence of alcohol."

Moses, who won 122 consecutive races and set the world record in his event four times, believes that today's sport is much fairer than when he was competing.

"It was not just myself," he recalled of the campaign for improved drug testing.

"It was a group of seven or eight athletes, some of whom were tired of getting beat by people that they previously were in front of.

"And that was the real impetus to have a fair and level playing field.

"This was back in the late 80s. We knew that having drug control out of competition was the way to control that.

"More athletes have a chance of having a level playing field today than probably did when I was competing."

Millar Crash Fractures Collarbone

British cyclist David Millar has fractured his right collarbone in a crash while competing in Belgium.

The 35-year-old was taking part in the E3 Harelbeke race for his team Garmin-Barracuda.

Team doctor Kevin Sprouse said: "David has fractured his right clavicle. This is the same one he's broken before."

A team spokesman said it was not known how long he would be sidelined for.

Sprouse added: "His health is our top priority and we'll continue to evaluate him to determine the best next steps. David is doing well and in good spirits."

Millar is currently banned from competing at this summer's 2012 Olympics because of a British Olympic Association (BOA) by-law which prevents drug cheats from competing at the Games.

However, the by-law has been challenged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), who say it is not compliant with the Wada code and is therefore unenforceable.

A special hearing by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) began earlier this month, with a decision on the matter due in April.

Friday's 203km E3 Harelbeke, a one-day World Tour race, was won by Belgian Tom Boonen. The Omega Pharma-Quickstep rider edged out three-time world champion Oscar Freire in a sprint finish.