Robert Millar

ColinJ

gotheteeshirt2 wrote:

So for my 50th :oops: thank you thank you ...................I'll arrange for a bed-sheet poster to be put up on the Tesco roundabout proclaiming my predicament and then I can crawl quietly back into my shell .

If you really are RM, I'd just like to say thank you for lending me a wheel at the Graham Baxter training camp at Albir Gardens near Benidorm in 2001(?) . You were there with a load of top bikes and wheels to test.

I remember what you said at one evening discussion, or rather, how you said it. You said a lot in a few words...

I also remember you saying one year that the organisers of the Leeds Classic were "taking the p*ss" by seemingly sending you and the peloton over every hill they could find in West Yorkshire, and how bloody awful the road surfaces were. I ride them all the time so I know what you meant.

I rode behind you a few times while you and the faster lads were warming up on the way out to Calpe. I heard a few guys saying "Robert.." this and "Robert..." that as if they'd known you for years but I didn't get the impression that you were into that kind of thing so I didn't try to speak to you. I just enjoyed watching you for a while.

I don't suppose you want the big fuss about your birthday either so I'll just say one last thing - if the teeshirt that you've got is the Marilyn Manson one you wore at the training camp - I rather liked it!

dave_1

gotheteeshirt2 wrote:

Squaggles wrote:

Main problem as a procyclist .....not strong enough .
People skills as a coach ?............never did any actual coaching so make of that what you may.

All that knowledge gone to waste as you might or might not say .

In this year of the 50th ask yourself this if a similar talent came along now what would happen to them . :?: :?: :?:

well said Robert! It will be a long wait for someone to actually win the flaming thing'..a grand tour like the ones you got hell of a close to doing.. as we are unable to spot talent in Britain..e.g. Dan Martin left, e.g. you got messed around by the people who put the current track prog together..what we dont need is Chris Boardman...who made a hash of what could have been a good road career, being left to look for that talent.

Floodcp

I saw someone who was looked remarkably like Millar while in the Pyrenees in July. I was going down the Tourmalet and this person was going up.
The guy had the same type of riding style of Millar and looked like him.

Was it him? No idea but hope it was and that he is still enjoying cycling. He did seem to be going fairly fast as well.

It was the day or maybe two before the TDF went over the Tourmalet

Kléber

I don't feel worthy to post on here

Happy Birthday to Millar. I got into cycling after watching Robert on Channel 4, rampaging through the Pyrenees to the soundtrack of Phil Ligget's voice down a telephone line from France to the the studio in London, relayed into my home. Great stuff.

flattythehurdler

Happy birthday Robert.
I actually think that British Cycling in the long term did the right thing. Their performance on the track has been beyond the wildest dreams of pre Brailsford. He had a set budget, and to ensure it, he had to produce results. The best Arena for this was track cycling where 1. The playing field without using PED's is/was not quite as tilted as the road, 2. The application of scientific method could be most reliably applied to produce 3. Measurable results.
By and large, the funding bodies would have no idea of the achievement of being in a good break in a road race, or holding the polkadot, or a podium in a grand tour. A batch of world cup medals and hopefully olympic ones they can however understand. This has provided British Cycling with the credibility and security it needed to now start a campaign for a Road Team. I suspect that in 3 years time, things will be far far better for the roadie talent.
Who is to say that RM won't be asked then for his input. Timing is all.

pictit

I have absolutely no idea whether 'GOTHETEESHIRT2' is Robert Millar,or Robert Millar is 'GOTHETEESHIRT2'.
Be nice to think it was.Be nice also if RM were to decide to write a book on his career as,and journey to becoming, a pro cyclist.I too was an avid Channel4 viewer,and Millar fan, in the 80's and it really was exciting to be able to get some pro cycling on TV.
Anyway,to the real Robert Millar,thanks for the memories and hope you are contented with your 'lot',whatever that may be! .

CHRISNOIR

pictit wrote:

I have absolutely no idea whether 'GOTHETEESHIRT2' is Robert Millar, or Robert Millar is 'GOTHETEESHIRT2'.

Be nice to think it was....

I agree, the idea of the bloke who inspired me to get on a bike popping into Cake Stop now and again makes me laugh!

All the best Robert!

Of course if it's not really him I, er, knew all along, I'd guessed it... Ahem.

simon_e

gotheteeshirt2 wrote:

So for my 50th :oops: thank you thank you ...................I'll arrange for a bed-sheet poster to be put up on the Tesco roundabout proclaiming my predicament and then I can crawl quietly back into my shell .

But don't tell this forum which one or there will be a gaggle of us standing around with a cake (not that you'll get a slice), and a shirt or two for you to sign

eskimo Joe

Dave_1 wrote:

gotheteeshirt2 wrote:

Squaggles wrote:

Main problem as a procyclist .....not strong enough .
People skills as a coach ?............never did any actual coaching so make of that what you may.

All that knowledge gone to waste as you might or might not say .

In this year of the 50th ask yourself this if a similar talent came along now what would happen to them . :?: :?: :?:

well said Robert! It will be a long wait for someone to actually win the flaming thing'..a grand tour like the ones you got hell of a close to doing.. as we are unable to spot talent in Britain..e.g. Dan Martin left, e.g. you got messed around by the people who put the current track prog together..what we dont need is Chris Boardman...who made a hash of what could have been a good road career, being left to look for that talent.

Happy birthday Robert . he would have won the vuelta but spain needed a spanish winner that year , its hard to beat a country .
Pity you werent more famous , when I was kid I went into the barbers and asked for a haircut like Robert Millar , and got my usual short back and sides

jouxplanetam

I just struggled up the Joux Plane on sunday (37 degrees) and was passed by a guy wearing a Peugeot top and guess what my first thought was......... I hoped that it was "gotthe teeshirt2" !!!! The video footage is iconic and I still speak english the same way as gottheteeshire2 after a few weeks in France. As a Scot, I have an enormous pride in what he achieved and can only hope somewhere down the line, we will have someone who can achieve somethine similar. Happy birthday when it comes

gotheteeshirt2

flattythehurdler wrote:

I actually think that British Cycling in the long term did the right thing. Their performance on the track has been beyond the wildest dreams of pre Brailsford. He had a set budget, and to ensure it, he had to produce results. The best Arena for this was track cycling where 1. The playing field without using PED's is/was not quite as tilted as the road, 2. The application of scientific method could be most reliably applied to produce 3. Measurable results.

You're absolutely right , Peter Keen recognised that to get proper funding the sport needed medals which is all the Sports Council and ultimately the government who puts up that money want to see . It says to the public "look how good our sports programme is , aren't we the best thing for you ". I've sat in on the meetings where that very thought process has been worked through .
What that approach doesn't cover are the other facets of a sport like in cycling's case road racing and MTB . So they get left behind while resources are thrown at medal winning events .
I think your reasoning about PEDs doesn't hold up because in a global economy those PEDs are available to everyone who has the money , the pharmaceutical industry isn't limited to certain Western countries .
The rest about measurements and science is correct hence we see Rebecca Romero come from another sport entirely produce the numbers needed to do the time and with good coaching learn the skills needed ......that wouldn't have happened before .
BC probably has the biggest budget of any governing body available for track cycling so it would be natural to assume that the results will come sooner or later .

I'm not going to argue here who said what to who when I was told my post wasn't being renewed , I know what I heard ..........".there is no funding available for a road coach "

Nothing about being a crap person or it was track only or we are only doing events where we can win medals , just no money for the road .
Quite frankly what I did during my year as National Road Coach didn't deserve to be paid for because I didn't do anything . The budget was allocated when I arrived , the races chosen , the people covering those races chosen so I waited my six months to be told I wasn't needed by the new boss at our first meeting . :?

So since from 1998 to now what has happened to that generation of road riders :?:

gotheteeshirt2

[quote="ColinJ ...................If you really are RM, I'd just like to say thank you for lending me a wheel at the Graham Baxter training camp at Albir Gardens near Benidorm in 2001(?) . You were there with a load of top bikes and wheels to test.

Your welcome , it wasn't my wheel all I had to do was make sure nothing got nicked .oh and write about what everyone thought about each bike . I dont think that article ever got published ?????????? it may even have been the last thing I did for Procycling before they fired me

I rode behind you a few times while you and the faster lads were warming up on the way out to Calpe. I heard a few guys saying "Robert.." this and "Robert..." that as if they'd known you for years but I didn't get the impression that you were into that kind of thing so I didn't try to speak to you. I just enjoyed watching you for a while.

I've got lots of best friends of that kind :roll: Hmmm if only I could remember their names :?


Just to finish .......no I haven't been cycling in the Alps , Pyrennes or anywhere else with great big hills lately and I definetely don't go fast or give any impression of speed when I do venture out on a cycle nowadays .

mrushton

Would you do an interview with eg ProCycling now provided they gave you certain guarantees about anonimity (if that's what you wanted) and assurances that you would not be misquoted? I'm sure many of us would enjoy reading your views/reflections on the competition you had (although i'm sure you don't want to live down memory lane)and what could be done today. if offered, would you consider a post with eg Garmin-Chipotle or Team Columbia or a possible Team GB or setting up a business similar or indeed in partnership with Andy Hampsten for example. Once again,I'm sure many of us feel that that your abilities/experience must be of use somewhere in the sport.
Perhaps you were just ahead of your time because when Armstrong made his views known they were certainly listened to although one suspects that the support of Nike/$millions and a sharp team of lawyers helped

Happy 50th when it comes round.

The Mechanic

Big respect and happy birthday to you Robert. I have just finished the book "In Search of Robert Millar" It was facinating. How do you fancy giving a talk to our cycling club up here in Aberdeen.

mrushton

if anyone from Rapha or Prendas is reading, perhaps some tribute shirt might be brought to the market to honour Roberts achievements?

ynyswen24

Happy birthday Mr Millar. Ta very much, what you did in your career you did for yourself and for your own satisfaction but by crikey there were a lot of others who got a lot of satisfaction vicariously.
Penblwydd Hapus i chi.

dulldave

It was RM that got me into cycling when I was younger.

My parents would often ship me and my brother off to live with my gran in Aube in July. We would watch the tour because RM was there and then go out cycling. If it wasn't for him I'd have gone mad on that farm with nothing to do. There's only so much dubbed over Taggart a boy can watch.

We even invented our own KOM competition that ran for the entire holiday. You got a point for getting to the top of a climb first. I never won, being the youngest. But it didn't stop me trying.

I remember trying to explain to my gran in my limited French that RM was Scottish. She was convinced he was French because he was in the local papers. They had adopted him as a Champagnois because he lived in the area.

Captain Fagor

Shouldn't there be four t's in got the tee shirt? That was the spelling used in Robert Moore's book, anyway.

PS - Yes, I'm a cynical bastard.

Echappee

I'm another one for whom Robert Millar was a big influence in me getting interested in Cycling.

Those late 80's summer evenings...channel 4....Fagor....Millar....Delgado...Lemond/Fignon...etc

ah - nostalgia.

Best wishes for your 50th and I think it would be brilliant for you to still give your input in some way - perhaps a magazine / website column?

I get the impression that perhaps it just doesn't interest you much but as you're GB cycling royalty, it'll be a shame to lose all that knowledge, experince and, most tantalisingly - all those anecdotes you must have and we'd like to hear.

cheers!

gotheteeshirt2

Captain Fagor wrote:

Shouldn't there be four t's in got the tee shirt? That was the spelling used in Robert Moore's book, anyway.

PS - Yes, I'm a cynical bastard

Yes I know ......it's a typo :oops:

You may well be obsessive/compulsive but I dont know your parents to make any further comment

gotheteeshirt2

[quote="Echappee

Best wishes for your 50th and I think it would be brilliant for you to still give your input in some way - perhaps a magazine / website column?

I get the impression that perhaps it just doesn't interest you much but as you're GB cycling royalty, it'll be a shame to lose all that knowledge, experince and, most tantalisingly - all those anecdotes you must have and we'd like to hear.

No one has asked .

What doesn't interest me cycling or writing about it :?:

I do have other interests which challenge me and quite rightly that lets me learn new things . Sometimes I even get to use some of the stuff I already know but obviously in a different context .

dulldave

Fagor. It was Richard Moore not Robert. Easy done isn't it?

johny c

righto then, gotheteeshirt2

I'm just a bit sensitive about being taken for the mug I'm afraid I sometimes am. Robert Millar has had me in tears of pride, the win against Pedro, the break on the big ring on the tumble, etc. so I couldn't take it if my hopes were dashed by someone masquerading as Robert.

If you is: happy birthday, if you ain't: geritupye.

a wee test for you, who are these guys and where are they? no helping him now

Yorkman

A right click on the photo will give you the answer :oops:

johny c

ok, part of the answer

andyp

mrushton wrote:

if anyone from Rapha or Prendas is reading, perhaps some tribute shirt might be brought to the market to honour Roberts achievements?

Great minds think alike.

Rapha did the Hampsten one so you'd have thought something similar commemorating Britain's greatest ever Tour de France achievement would sell.

Like many on here, Channel 4's coverage of Robert's exploits in the mid-80s is what cemented my love of cycling. Happy 50th Robert.

THEBLACKRABBIT

Ok Just new here, so will introduce myself I am the guy who put this on youtube..kind of set a precident to " Millar interest"...(well like to think so anyway!)

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=v1YTbufRhlg

Apparently it is being hailed in some cycling mags as a top video clip? No 6 best or something?

Captain Fagor

dulldave wrote:

Fagor. It was Richard Moore not Robert. Easy done isn't it?

Hmmm. Indeed.

johny c wrote:

righto then, gotheteeshirt2

I'm just a bit sensitive about being taken for the mug I'm afraid I sometimes am. Robert Millar has had me in tears of pride, the win against Pedro, the break on the big ring on the tumble, etc. so I couldn't take it if my hopes were dashed by someone masquerading as Robert.

If you is: happy birthday, if you ain't: geritupye.

I like your style johny c, and echo your sentiment. The day Millar beat Delgado, I went out on my bike and powered up Polnoon St in Eaglesham at 14mph. I don’t think I ever managed again at that speed. I was carried by wings of pride that night. Tread carefully gotheteeshirt2, because you tread on my dreams.

gotheteeshirt2

I'm not here to tread on anyone's dreams so don't worry I'll probably crawl back off to the hole that I alledgedly disappeared into . :?
Just now and again I'll get really annoyed by someone making ill-informed comments about something they cant possibily know anything about because they weren't there .
Like the BCF coaching stuff .

flattythehurdler

Now might be your time GTT2, DB seems to be confident of getting decent funding for a dedicated rosd team at last. I don't know him but i suspect he will only start if he can do it properly.