David Millar - Post-suspension

Post-suspension

Millar moved to Hayfield, on the edge of the Peak District of northern England to be close to the velodrome at Manchester where British cycling has its headquarters. He was quoted as saying:

He joined a Spanish team, Saunier Duval-Prodir. Its manager, Mauro Gianetti, had contacted him nine months into his suspension. He said:

"After what David has been through over the past 18 months and what he has learned, I can't believe that he would take a risk again. He has been through hard times and I think that he's emerged as a wiser person."

William Fotheringham wrote:

"His comeback will raise hackles. There will be outraged letters from cycling's moral majority, who feel that all drug-takers should face life bans. Yet Millar has built a support network, ranging from his former trainer Mike Taylor to British Cycling's performance director Dave Brailsford, who has always felt his case to be a complex one deserving of understanding rather than condemnation. Millar acknowledges that in one sense he is on a hiding to nothing. If he succeeds, there will be knowing nudges and winks. If he fails, ditto."

Millar's suspension ended a week before the 2006 Tour de France and he rode with Saunier Duval-Prodir. He finished 17th in the prologue and 11th on the penultimate, time-trial stage. He finished 59th of 139 finishers, more than 2 hours behind the winner, Óscar Pereiro. In the 2006 Vuelta a España, Millar won in stage 14, a time trial around the city of Cuenca. On 3 October, he won the British 4,000m individual pursuit championship in 4m 22.32s at Manchester.

He left Saunier Duval-Prodir to join an American team, Slipstream-Chipotle run by Jonathan Vaughters, a former rider. Vaughters stressed the team's stance against doping. In the 2007 season, Millar won both the British road and time trial championships and came second in the Eneco Tour, 11 seconds behind Jose Ivan Gutierrez. His other victory of the year came in the Paris-Nice, during which he won the prologue.