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news
Vin Cox (from Facebook group)Vin Cox resigns from British Cycling over David Millar role
Former round-the-world Guinness World Record holder and South West Cyclo-cross stalwart Vin Cox has resigned his membership of British Cycling after it emerged that former pro cyclist David Millar is working on a voluntary basis with its academy riders.
News that Millar was working with the youngsters at their new training base in Montechiara, Tuscany, was confirmed by the governing body this morning and given the two year ban for doping imposed on him in 2004 was always likely to prove controversial.
> British Cycling confirm David Millar mentoring GB academy riders
Cox, who circumnavigated the globe in 176 days in 2010, resigned from the organisation publicly in a message on Facebook to South West Cyclo-cross with which he has had a long association as a rider, administrator and race organiser.
He wrote: “With regret I have just resigned my membership of the corrupted British Cycling due to their appointment of renowned doper David Millar. Therefore I cannot serve on the South West Cyclo-cross Committee, or organise events next season. Good luck without me folks.”
He told road.cc:
On reading it [the news] I just thought no way am I wanting anything to do with it. They can employ who they like but they need to understand that some of their members may not agree to be part of an organisation if they choose to employ someone so controversial.
You can pick literally anyone who hadn’t been doping who would be a better ambassador. The argument for him is that he is a poacher turned gamekeeper and that he knows what it’s all about having been there but to go along with that to say it’s okay that he cheated and he had a career that his clean peers never had a chance because they never cheated.
I think it’s just wrong to have someone who was banned as a World Champion for cheating, who cost British Cycling money and credibility. He was a damage to sport at the time, he should be saying I was a damage to the sport at the time and I should be finding something else to do.
I don’t want any of my efforts or money to go towards his wages or to give him any credibility. I’m out of British Cycling, as long as he’s in.
I think cycling would be better rid of him than embracing him. He is a known cheat and I think that he shouldn’t be courted or given a role in cycling.
Nicole Cooke said he’s not an expert in doping, in any other sense than he knows how to do it. He had a big lapse of morals that other people seem to be able to keep hold of.
Some people think that because he says he came back clean he deserves another chance. I don’t see it that way.
While Millar’s role is voluntary at the moment, British Cycling has said that he may move into a formal role from the end of this month.
Great Britain Cycling Team technical director Shane Sutton said of Millar’s role: “Nurturing an anti-doping culture is at the heart of everything we do at British Cycling and educating our young riders on the subject is a responsibility we take seriously.
“Having someone of David’s calibre on board to support us in this education process is invaluable; he is readily available to share his well-rounded experiences as a professional cyclist to the young riders who aspire to succeed in their careers.”
Opinion among road.cc Facebook followers was split on the issue.
Ben Turp asked, “What? The guy who got caught doping? Yeah okay,” while Steven Edwards said, “Are you f****** kidding,” and Francis Longworth commented, “Lance unavailable.”
But James Asker wrote: “There will always be those who say why let an ex doper anywhere near our younger riders.
“That said having read about David and his rise and spectacular fall he is very well placed to advise younger riders on the risks to their health and careers.”
And Malc Wiggypig Hall said it was “Fantastic news, glad they are putting all that experience to good use. He can talk the talk and walk the walk. Unlike many keyboard experts here.”
Mick Chambers, meanwhile, noted: “Poacher turned gatekeeper, Why not, who knows more about the problems?”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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64 comments
I'm sure this chap has contributed a lot to the sport over the years, and although I don't agree with his stance on this, I can appreciate his position. But: "Good luck without me folks", really?
Needs to get over himself...
He was, I imagine, writing for a fairly small audience on a specialist site consisting mainly of people who know him, not for a mass market publication like road.cc who has picked up on it.
And if people think that long-standing regular grass roots race organisers don't matter to the sport or to BC as a membership-based organisation as much as, if not more than, an assistant coach for second-line national teams, then they need their heads examining.
It doesn't matter who he was writing to, even if it was just his wife, it still sounds like his head is wedged up his own arse.
I was trying to acknowledge that he has probably contributed a lot over the years and in no way tried to downplay the importance of that. However, I still don't think he should throw his dummy out of the pram just because somebody does something he doesn't agree with. It completely undermines his position, far better to stay within the organisation and try to influence others.
Either you take a zero tolerance stance to doping, or you don't.
From what I see all the cycling organizations don't.
Knee jerk reaction is that the appointment isn't great, however...
I guess, if Millar is doing the mentoring role for the right reasons (seems like he's fueled his PR machine 'a lot' over the past couple of years) and not just doing the role to blow even more smoke up his own incredibly smokey arse (that doesn't sound right), then it's a good role for him, in the same way ex-addicts go round schools teaching them from their own experience.
But it does irk that he's getting so much press coverage at the moment for his own commercial endevours that, this does smack of a temporary position to bolster his position, he was on radio four in rush hour the other day for about 15mins, that's not normal for cycling. Maybe it's the other way around, maybe BC is using Millar to fuel their own PR machine to raise cycling awareness - boost BC memberships?
Change your newspaper/retune your radio. You won't die.
All businesses rely on publicity, whether it's a PR piece in the local paper or magazine reviewers sucking up to bike manufacturers, his is just another brand. Look at bank adverts, what absolutely tosh - taking their pound of flesh while making you feel all luvvy-duvvy about horses. Or supermarkets pretending they exist solely for your benefit when in fact they're blatantly screwing every single supplier, employee and customer. Perfume and shampoo ads - pretending that you'll be more attractive if you bathe in petrochemicals and stink of synthetic odorants.
So because all businesses are out to sell us their products, Millar's particular brand of righteousness must be swallowed whole?
Say that's a pretty lofty strawman you got there: be a shame for, uh, anyting hot to get near it, capisce?
Ha ha, this is a wind-up, right?
No?
Nothing of Millar's need to be "swallowed" any more than anyone else's. But feel free to make up whatever you want since it seems you failed to (or chose not to) understand my post.
People sell stuff? Is that it? Or did you just want to rant about irrelevant ads you don't like?
Probably best not seek his advice on where best to hide your stash. He was crap at that.
It's widely accepted that one of the biggest contributary factors to the doping culture in cycling has always been the reluctance of anyone within the sport to talk about it, and Millar is one of the few who doesn't hide from it, can talk about it with some first hand knowledge of how people get sucked into it.
Like it or not cycling still needs to tackle doping, and some of these kids will be offered PEDs, and quite possibly be pressured into taking them to improve their results, and someone who has seen that from the inside is surely the only person who can directly relate to the situation.
I agree with the point raised above regarding having served his suspension too. If you don't like the level of punishment, don't take it up with the person receiving that punishment, he had no control over it, take it up with those dishing it out, but the point is that his punishment has been served, and since then Millar has been one of the most outspoken critics of doping, which is something cycling has traditionally been very short on.
I essence British Cycling can do what cycling has done for as long as anyone can remember, and pretend doping doesn't happen, or they can try and learn about it in a "know your enemy" kind of way, and the best way to do that as far as I (and by the looks of thing British Cycling) can see is to communicate with those who have first hand experience of those situations, and those people, by their very nature, have black marks on their record.
People also gave up their BC membership when Chain Reaction upped their 10% discount to orders over £100. Like Vin, they too were bell ends.
Classic and very funny!
Being open with kids about the highs and lows of drug-abuse (whether that's EPO or heroin) is better than simply not talking about it and pretending the problem doesn't exist. It's also much better having an authentic anti-drug messages coming from the likes of Millar than some Nancy Reagan like figure which is what happens all too often. Let him get on with doing some good - train the kids and keep pushing (?) the anti-dope message.
I remember Nancy at her peak in the 1947 50-mile British time trial championships. What a ride; she fair flew round the course, smelling of Chanel No5, her woollen shorts balooning in the wind and her hair gradually unwinding from the pink rollers. When she flatted in the last mile everyone thought she was a goner, but after injecting a little spittle into the valve as a sealant she inflated the tub with only the power of her lungs and sped to overall victory.
You couldn't make it up.
Yeah and that time she solved that mystery with the sheepdog and the Hardy Boys n'that, no dope there either!
He must think he's really important.
Ignorance is bliss!
Agreed, mainly based on "good luck without me folks" and the way he's gone about it, rather than the principle itself...
\Super Vin, man with honor.
Would you let a child abuser work in a school?
You really think they are anything at all like each other? Seriously? For real? Do you actually for real seriously think there is any similarity at all there?
What an utterly immaterial comparison.
So you equate someone who took some drugs and never physically harmed anyone with a person that sexually molests children? You are a truly stupid person who has no sense of perspective.
I'm with Vin. There are very many athletes better suited to the role of mentor to our youngsters.
Who else with experiance of racing at the very top level is in the queue to work with our youngsters?
Nicole Cooke comes to mind.
Still, I do get the "fight fire with fire" angle, other countries have top-level dopers training their athletes, why shouldn't BC? The sooner young riders are exposed to the fundamental truth the better: cycle sport is entertainment to most fans. It's all about the results and the stories you get to tell, not about how you got there. As long as you win and either don't get caught or have a compelling damascene conversion scene to sell (you know, after you're completely sure the lying and bullying didn't work), all will be forgiven. Moreover, the sponsors, publishers and journalists will keep calling. If you didn't win enought to play with the big boys, then you're worthless.
Go stand in the corner with Stephen Swart and Christophe Bassons and the nameless thousands of other losers.
I don't think Cook is queueing up for a job with British cycling. I'm not sure hearing about the chip on Cook's shoulder would be of great help to the yougsters. And I don't think Cook experianced anything quite like the mens world tour.
I know Miller can be annoying, but I believe his anti doping spiel is legit and he will be a good influence on the youngsters, that's what matters, not some grudge that people can't get over.
That's your prerogative. I'm not sold on it. I don't think it is about some long lasting grudge, but then again no one is above bias. I'm not saying he can't write and design clothes and sell them to whoever he likes. He's paid his legal dues (always has, if you remember how he threathened to sue Paul Kimmage from the ouset). And I attach no ethical standards to being a good writer. If you're good at it knock yourself out. I'm all for it. I'd just rather read about the guys that didn't cheat than about those who did. YMMV.
Yep, but the slimmed obese person is a former sumo champion worth millions. Don't do what I did, it really sucked eating all that nasty food. I mean know I'm slim and stylish and shilling for Maserati, but it was rough for a while, I really felt bad about myself for a couple of years. Meanwhile the guys who tried doing it while eating healthy are now in custodial services at Tesco, but never mind them, they never had it to begin with. When you like at my
selfpeers like Contador and Armstrong, diet wasn't really all that important formytheir success. They were just better. But doping is bad, kids, don't do it.When picking who to mentor kids, the ethical qualifications should far outweigh the sporting ones, IMHO. If you not only doped but the tried to lie and bully your way out of it when you were caught, then you're not my guy for that job. But, again, YMMV.
I would object equally to her, although it would be less likely to garner support. She has repeatedly said that she was invited to dope but refuses to name names. Her silence makes her equally guilty or perpetuating doping in the sport.
Wait, what? This is the most ludicroust thing I've read on the internets since Ahmadinejad's Columbia speech. I'm truly just as flabergasted as I was nine years ago. I mean...for christ's sakes...just...what the...everloving...what?
Let's apply this logic to our other usual debate topic at road.cc, traffic incidents. So anyone who has ever witnessed unsafe driving and not reported it is not only complicit in all road violence, but just as, I must repeat, just as guilty as the worst hit-and-run raged-out punishiment-doling hit-and-run-and -lie-about-it-afterwards no-license drunkard motorist?
Nicole Cooke may not always play nice, but I'll take one of her over 20 Millars.
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