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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Wiggins Wins Tour of Britian

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Sir Bradley Wiggins added the Tour of Britain title to his collection after sealing an emphatic victory in London.

Wiggins, who won the Tour de France and Olympic time trial last year, had led since winning the third stage and began stage eight with a 26-second advantage.

British road race champion Mark Cavendish won the concluding stage, his third stage win in this year's race.

But Wiggins, 33, negotiated the 10-lap 88km course along the Thames to retain his place at the top of the standings.

Following a remarkable 2012 in which he was also knighted and voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year, the Briton has been blighted by fitness problems this year.

He had to pull out of the Giro d'Italiabecause of a chest infection and was unable to defend his Tour de France crownbecause of illness and injury.

Wiggins' victory is a second successive home win in the event after Jonathan Tiernan-Locke, who did not compete this year, won it in 2012.

"I said I wanted to win it. It is pressure for the whole week," said Wiggins, who finished safely in the bunch and now turns his attentions to Wednesday's Road World Championships time-trial in Italy.

"Until you cross the line you just don't know. It's all right to think it's a bit of a ceremony round London, but it certainly isn't.

"You cross the line, you're pumped up. It's relief that you've finished and fulfilled it for your team and your team-mates."

After a near-perfect leadout from Omega Pharma-QuickStep team-mate Alessandro Petacchi, Cavendish sprinted away from Sam Bennett and Elia Viviani in a flat-out dash to the finish at Whitehall and claimed the concluding stage in the Tour of Britain for a third successive year.

"This race is thriving. The amount [of spectators] is something I didn't think we'd see," said the 28-year-old, who now has a record 10 stage victories in the event.

And Simon Yates, the British Under-23 team rider who completed a successful day for the home nation by placing third overall, said: "The crowd was unreal. The noise all the way round was deafening."

Stage eight result:

1. Mark Cavendish (GB) Omega Pharma Quick Step - 1hr 47min 22sec

2. Sam Bennett (Ire) An Post-Chainreaction - same time

3. Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling - same time

4. Matteo Pelucchi (It) IAM Cycling - same time

5. Chris Opie (GB) Team UK Youth - same time

6. Evaldas Siskevicius (Lit) Sojasun - same time

7. Sacha Modolo (It) Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox - same time

8. Alessandro Petacchi (It) Omega Pharma Quick Step - same time

9. Enrique Sanz (Sp) Movistar Team - same time

10. Blaz Jarc (Slo) Team NetApp-Endura - same time

Final general classification:

1. Bradley Wiggins (GB) Team Sky - 29 hours 45 minutes 22 seconds

2. Martin Elmiger (Swi) - IAM Cycling - at 26 seconds

3. Simon Yates (GB) - Great Britain - at 1 min 3 seconds

4. David Lopez (Sp) - Team Sky - at 1 min 8 seconds

5. Jack Bauer (NZ) - Garmin - at 1 min 13 seconds

6. Sergio Pardilla (Sp) - Team MTN - at 1 min 16 seconds

7. Ian Stannard (GB) - Team Sky - at 1 min 34 seconds

8. Sebastien Reichenbach (Swi) - IAM Cycling - at 1 min 42 seconds

9. Michal Golas (Pol) - Omega Pharma Quick-Step - at 1 min 46 seconds

10. Marcel Wyss (COL) - IAM Cycling - at 1 min 57 seconds

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Cavendish Wins Stage Three

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Mark Cavendish sprinted to victory in an exciting end to the Tour of Britain's fourth stage.

Team Sky's British duo Bradley Wiggins and Ian Stannard remain first and second in the overall standings after finishing in the main bunch.

Cavendish surged past stage one victor Elia Viviani of Cannondale and Steele Von Hoff of Garmin Sharp for the win.

He said: "I am really happy about the super job of the guys in the team, who stayed with me the entire day."

A breakaway group of 11 riders was clear for much of the 190.9km stage from Stoke-on-Trent o Llanberis in the Snowdonia National Park.

With only 1km remaining, however, they were swallowed up by the chasing pack, setting up a thrilling finish.

Cavendish's Omega Pharma-Quickstep team helped work him into a promising position, sitting on the wheel of Alessandro Petacchi for the final leadout, and no-one could catch him once he surged ahead.

"Fortunately we had the entire day with Iljo (Keisse) in the break, so we didn't have to ride behind," added Manxman Cavendish, whose 25 stage wins in the Tour de France is bettered only by Eddy Merckx (34) and Bernard Hinaut (28).

"On the last climb, I have to say I was at the limit, but the guys stayed with me and brought me back. They showed a big commitment.

"That is why I did my best in the sprint. Even Petacchi, who was still suffering from the crash of a couple days ago, wanted to be there. He really led me out in the final. He put me in the best position for the sprint. Now we are looking forward to the next stages."

Wiggins defended his gold jersey with a 37-second advantage over Stannard.

He said: "It always looks easier than it is but it was tough out there. There was a lot of wind and cold weather but the boys did an incredible job.

"They rode all day to keep the gap at about three or four minutes, and then on the final climb, Ian took it up and did a really impressive job. The attacks started coming but I was always riding just a little bit within myself.

"I knew the run-in as well because [Team Sky boss] Sir Dave Brailsford lived in this town and it's another day ticked off because there are no easy days in the Tour of Britain."

Stage five, a 177.1km ride from Machylleth, Powys, to Caerphilly, takes place on Thursday.

Wiggins added: "I recce'd it last week and it's a tough one with two ascents of Caerphilly. Everyone knows it and it's become a bit of a legendary stage now on the Tour of Britain, but my legs are alright.

"It's surprising how much a 15km time trial can take out of you so I'm always glad to get the day after a time trial out of the way and get back on the road bike."

The eight-stage, 1,045.4km race finishes in London on Sunday.

Stage result:

1 Mark Cavendish (GB) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 4hrs 45mins 42secs,

2 Elia Viviani (Ita) Cannondale Pro Cycling at same time

3 Steele Von Hoff (Aus) Garmin-Sharp at same time

4 Matteo Pelucchi (Ita) IAM Cycling at same time

5 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team at same time

General classification:

1 Sir Bradley Wiggins (GB) Sky Procycling 16 hours, 11 minutes, 36 seconds

2 Ian Stannard (GB) Sky Procycling at 37 secs

3 Martin Elmiger (Swi) IAM Cycling at 47 secs

4 Jack Bauer (Nzl) Garmin-Sharp at 55 secs

5 Alex Dowsett (GB) Movistar Team at 57 secs

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Cavendish Wins Britain Stage 4

Mark Cavendish moved to the top of the overall standings at the Tour of Britain after winning a wet and wild fourth stage.

In a carbon copy of Tuesday’s stage, Team Sky were impressive once again and split the peloton on the approach to Blackpool before peeling off in turn and unleashing the world champion along the windswept sea-front to wrap up his second consecutive victory.

Time bonuses at the line saw Cavendish open up a six-second lead in the general classification and take control of the gold jersey.

The action had commenced under leaden skies in Carlisle, with King of the Mountains jersey holder Kristian House (Rapha-Condor) slipping away early once again and being joined by five further riders who built up a lead of almost seven minutes within the first 32km of racing.

That was when race leaders Orica-GreenEDGE began to monitor the situation back in the bunch, and when Team Sky and Endura leant a hand, the break’s advantage began to fall steadily.

Once the day’s three categorised climbs had been contested, House and Niklas Gustavsson (UK Youth) dropped out of the break, leaving Mathew Cronshaw (Node 4), David Le Lay (Saur–Sojasun), Dan Craven (Team IG) and Ronan McLaughlin (An Post-Sean Kelly) to battle on as a foursome.

Their days were numbered though when Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins began drilling it on the front, and the pace he helped set in the crosswinds cut the peloton to around 25 riders before they swept up the remnants of the break inside the last 8km.

It was then that Team Sky’s sprint train came into effect, and Bernhard Eisel produced a long turn before Wiggins and Luke Rowe led out the Manxman.

Cavendish had waited patiently on Leigh Howard’s wheel, but kicked past the Orica-GreenEdge man on the closing straight before celebrating another comfortable victory.

Steele Von Hoff (Garmin–Sharp) took second place on the day, with Australian compatriot Howard one spot behind him.

After the stage, Cavendish told TeamSky.com: “Brad lives not far from Blackpool and the route included a lot of the roads he uses for training. He told us it was very open, and very windy, and he knew the exact place we should go on the attack. It was the perfect call.

“It was a grim day but we ploughed through and waited until that moment 22km from home to split things apart, and although it was difficult to do that with a small team, the fact Endura were riding as well made it easier.

“On those last 5km along the front we just made it so fast that nobody else could get close to us.

“We’d expected a crosswind, but in the end it felt like a tailwind, and we were flying. Luke’s going for the overall so we tried to let him get a bit of a gap like the other day, but then Leigh Howard jumped so I had to go with him, and then it was quite straightforward for me in the sprint.

"I’m really happy to have gone into the lead, and although I can’t see myself keeping the jersey, we’d like to keep it in the team."

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