David Millar mentoring British Cycling academy riders about anti-doping

David Millar has been mentoring British Cycling academy riders about the perils of doping, British Cycling confirmed on Thursday.

Millar, who won a stage and wore the leader's jersey in each Grand Tour at least once, has been working as a mentor in a volunteer role at British Cycling's men’s endurance academy programme's new base in Montichiari, Italy.

The Scot, who was given a two-year ban in 2004 for EPO use while at Cofidis, was an outspoken supporter of clean riding upon his return to the sport, becoming part-owner of Garmin Slipstream (now Cannondale Pro Cycling) who he rode for between 2008 and 2014.

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Shane Sutton, technical director for the Great Britain Cycling Team, said: “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.

“In addition to his mentor work, David brings with him a massive amount of training and tactical knowledge which will support the work of the coaches, and he’s become a well-respected figure in cycling which will help us to open doors when it comes to fielding young talent into professional road teams.

“David will work with the squad on a voluntary basis until the end of the month with a view to subsequently joining the team in a more official capacity.”

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Millar retired in 2014 after 17 years in the sport, in which he won four stages on the Tour de France, five on the Vuelta a Espana and one stage of the Giro d'Italia, also captaining Mark Cavendish's world championships win in 2011.

He has kept himself busy since the end of his professional career, launching a cycling clothing range and his own cycle tours in 2015, in addition to his work with British Cycling and punditry for ITV's cycling coverage.