Team Garmin Counting On David Millar For Yellow Jersey Bid
by Justin Davis
NANTES, France, July 7, 2008 (AFP) - Britain’s David Millar is quietly
building hopes of ending his eight-year wait to pull on the Tour de France
yellow jersey.
Millar last wore the coveted tunic in 2000 when he won the prologue at
Futuroscope, and on Tuesday’s 29.5km race against the clock the big Scot will
see whether recent efforts to train specifically for the Tour have paid off.
Giving his American team Garmin their first stage win on their race debut
would be a huge boost to both, although with world time trial champion Fabian
Cancellara of CSC starting as the big favorite, Millar knows it won’t be easy.
“For me, the big favorite is Cancellara,” said Millar.
“He’s beatable, but I’m going to have to have the performance of my life to
beat him.”
Millar’s team would cherish a stage win on their debut, but with the big
Scot among the many riders who are only seconds adrift of race leader
Alejandro Valverde of Spain, the yellow jersey is a bigger incentive.
One of the Scot’s team managers, former Australian pro Matthew White, feels
a top five place on the 29.5km course is well within reach.
“The course isn’t so technical, but it’s going to be really fast,” said
White.
“David is well capable of a top five place. Cancellara will be the man to
beat, but he’s beatable and David has shown he’s on great form.”
But for Garmin team manager Jonathan Vaughters, the man who effectively won
the team - formerly known as Slipstream - a place at the Tour on a strict
anti-doping pledge, a stage win comes second to the bigger prize on offer.
Before the end of Monday’s third stage, Millar was only 01sec behind
Valverde, and with a six-second advantage on Cancellara.
A top five place for Millar would be welcome for Vaughters, especially if
Cancellara finishes behind him.
“I believe David can easily finish in the top five,” he told AFP.
“The question really is whether he can beat Cancellara by six seconds, and
hold off Valverde. But the real question is whether David can take the yellow
jersey tomorrow or not.”
The time trial is the first real test for the yellow jersey contenders.
And while not a specialist, Valverde will be hoping to limit his losses in
the race against the clock to his main yellow jersey rival Evans, whom he beat
in the third stage time trial, over an undulating 31km, of the Dauphine Libere
in June.
Tuesday’s flatter course around Cholet is likely to be perfect for riders
like Millar and Cancellara.
CSC team manager Bjarne Riis has similar hopes for Cancellara: “I hope
(Cancellara) will go fast. If he wants to win and get the yellow jersey he
needs to go fast.”
Whatever the result, Vaughters is already happy with the positive changes,
albeit late, that Millar has made to his approach to the world’s biggest race.
“I’ve known David since 1997 and I haven’t seen him as motivated as this
for the Tour,” he added.
“It’s the first time he’s trained very methodically. In the past he’s
relied mostly on pure talent alone.
“But now he’s older, more mature and more focused and he’s trying to make
the most of the talent that he has.”
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