What really happened to Robert Millar?

2

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  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,108
    I presume the majority of us knew Robert as was is now Pippa and has been for a number of years - certainly a mate met her at a race some years ago through Matt Stevens so it's been an open secret and good that she feels happy to work under her current name now.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • Bo Duke
    Bo Duke Posts: 1,058
    By the way, Phillipa is not unique, Mike Duff, former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who in 1965 won the 250cc Finnish Grand Prix and finished the year runner up in the world championship to the great Phil Read became Michelle Duff.

    I wanted a riding photo. She got into leathers, and onto the bike with some grief from that bad hip. We rode back out to the nearest asphalt road, and she told me where to stand. Exactly. Then she came past for a few camera passes. She was still fast as shit, and rode the same line—I mean, to the inch—each time. It was, like, meeting some grandmother who could kick my ass.
    .....
    Michelle and I met again on the Isle of Man. That was the year I raced there. She mentioned that she’d seen me come through in two different sessions, watching me once at Brandywell and once at the 32nd Milestone (since renamed ‘Dukes’).

    She said, “You didn’t look too good at Brandywell, but the next session you looked a lot better at 32nd Milestone.” The thing was, she was dead right. I never felt that I ‘got’ Brandywell, but I loved the 32nd.
    ....
    After that Assen appearance, Michelle rode in a few more “laps of honor”, always at near-race pace. But she stopped riding after a hard fall at Spa in 2008. She recently told me that she’s still got the FZR; can’t bear to sell it and maintains the fantasy that someday, she’ll ride it again.
    'Performance analysis and Froome not being clean was a media driven story. I haven’t heard one guy in the peloton say a negative thing about Froome, and I haven’t heard a single person in the peloton suggest Froome isn’t clean.' TSP
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    Bo Duke wrote:
    By the way, Phillipa is not unique, Mike Duff, former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who in 1965 won the 250cc Finnish Grand Prix and finished the year runner up in the world championship to the great Phil Read became Michelle Duff.
    I think people forget (or never knew in the first place) that arguably the world's most high profile transgendered woman - Caitlyn Jenner - was the 1976 Olympic Decathlon champion
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • imatfaal
    imatfaal Posts: 2,716
    https://chpt3.com/blogs/journal/dear-millar
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,127
    Mr Goo wrote:
    My client said he had heard that he lived locally and is now called Roberta!!!

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  • kleinstroker
    kleinstroker Posts: 2,133
    Ok colour me shocked. I didn't know any of this until it popped up on BBC this morning.
  • adr82
    adr82 Posts: 4,002
    Great to hear that she's happy and feeling comfortable enough to go public, and as others have said it's nice to know that there have been people who have known for a long time but were respectful enough to keep it to themselves.

    Really looking forward to hearing her on ITV4 now, always looked forward to the all-too-infrequent CN blogs!
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    adr82 wrote:
    Really looking forward to hearing her on ITV4 now, always looked forward to the all-too-infrequent CN blogs!
    She's doing ITV for three days from next Thursday
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • wallace_and_gromit
    wallace_and_gromit Posts: 3,696
    RichN95 wrote:
    I think people forget (or never knew in the first place) that arguably the world's most high profile transgendered woman - Caitlyn Jenner - was the 1976 Olympic Decathlon champion

    My kids are followers of Caitlyn Jenner due to her family connection to some social media hotshots - the Kardashians, who I always thought were just Star Trek characters, but apparently not - but depressingly seem completely unimpressed that she was an Olympic champ in the past.

    Anyway, good luck to Philippa. Her former cycling self was never particularly upbeat as I recall, so it might all get a bit depressing when she teams up with Mr-Glass-Is-Half-Empty Millar!
  • evil_breakfast
    evil_breakfast Posts: 474
    Actually been re-reading this over the coupla days & reacquainting myself with the horror show that was the '85 Vuelta.

    51vo4QTeFXL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
    If there's anyone out there, who hasn't read it, highly recommended.

    Fair play to Phillipa.
    No more questions
    You're the light wiping out my batteries; You're the cream in my airport coffee's.
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,486
    RichN95 wrote:
    adr82 wrote:
    Really looking forward to hearing her on ITV4 now, always looked forward to the all-too-infrequent CN blogs!
    She's doing ITV for three days from next Thursday
    Cool! Should post here as well! :D

    It's really brave to commit to it fully and publicly. Hope she replaces the likes of Bruce Jenner as a role model for younger kids!
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 12,043
    amrushton wrote:
    is Kirkby not a Eurosport commentator?

    Yep, sorry, was not clear, am on holiday, and on that 1 day was unable to get Itv player to work, so had to resort to Eurosport player.
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  • mamil314
    mamil314 Posts: 1,103
    The fellow is trying to get into Ride London sportive. Can't blame the guy.
  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    Un-called for
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    Pippa though? I wouldn't have had her down as a Pippa.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • cal_stewart
    cal_stewart Posts: 1,840
    I just don't like David shame it's not a millar swap!
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  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    yeah good insights and ticks diversity promotion targets
  • crescent
    crescent Posts: 1,201
    evil_breakfast wrote:
    Actually been re-reading this over the coupla days & reacquainting myself with the horror show that was the '85 Vuelta.

    51vo4QTeFXL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
    If there's anyone out there, who hasn't read it, highly recommended.

    One of the best cycling books I have read.
    Bianchi ImpulsoBMC Teammachine SLR02 01Trek Domane AL3“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. “ ~H.G. Wells Edit - "Unless it's a BMX"
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,692
    Vino'sGhost wrote:
    yeah good insights and ticks diversity promotion targets

    First three words correct and hit the right tone.
    Rest of the sentence leaves a lot to be desired. There's cynicism, there's jaded cynicism, and there's being a twunt.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • Booyah
    Booyah Posts: 1
    Been lurking on this forum for what must be best part of a decade...feel obliged to post off the back of this news...

    How lucky are we to have been part of an incredible sport with a deep heritage in a generation that has seen cycling in UK become so fantastically huge...

    and yet all the while have this awesome mythical figure of Robert Millar somehow not to have taken his place within this new era...

    And now having had just glimpses of insights, we now get Pip Yorke bringing all that experience and perspective to our screens...

    At last...

    So stoked...

    Our sport is sensational.

    Shurely ITV4 should be putting this commentary line-up behind a paywall. Flippin' incredible!

    Booyah!
  • little ring needed
    little ring needed Posts: 33
    Great to hear this news and good that so many here respect her views. I admired this recent piece Philippa did.
    35001795214_b7820a78e8_h.jpg
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    Great piece ^^^^
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • prawny
    prawny Posts: 5,440
    It's a great article, editing is poor though. Would expect better from a premium magazine.

    Anyway that's not the point, go Phillipa! Looking forward to the insight tomorrow onwards, hopefully it makes the highlights package - I'm sure it will.
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  • Rigga
    Rigga Posts: 939
    How come ive not seen her on itv4? its always David Millar,Boulting,Boardman? Whilst David Millar is very insightful and knowledgeable, his dreary monotone voice sends me to sleep.
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,340
    Rigga wrote:
    How come ive not seen her on itv4? its always David Millar,Boulting,Boardman? Whilst David Millar is very insightful and knowledgeable, his dreary monotone voice sends me to sleep.

    Pippa has been doing the early part of the day's stage from (presumably) a booth in London, in the slot that they've filled with a variety of interviewees whilst Boulting and Millar have a break (lunch?).
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  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    She sounds so much more confident as a person now. When she was Millar she hardly said a word when brought into the commentator expert role.

    the level of chattiness is really noticeable. Just getting Millar trying to talk on TV was like trying to get blood out of a stone.
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Really enjoying her stories on ITV. Welcome back !
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,647
    She's been great. Really enjoying it. A real star!
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,599
    mididoctors wrote:
    She sounds so much more confident as a person now. When she was Millar she hardly said a word when brought into the commentator expert role.

    the level of chattiness is really noticeable. Just getting Millar trying to talk on TV was like trying to get blood out of a stone.

    I was trying to work out if her voice had changed and realised I can't remember ever hearing Miller talk.

    Whoever it is talking with her (Mike Smith?) seems to keep calling her 'him' or saying things like 'his experiences'.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    Pross wrote:
    mididoctors wrote:
    She sounds so much more confident as a person now. When she was Millar she hardly said a word when brought into the commentator expert role.

    the level of chattiness is really noticeable. Just getting Millar trying to talk on TV was like trying to get blood out of a stone.

    I was trying to work out if her voice had changed and realised I can't remember ever hearing Miller talk.

    Whoever it is talking with her (Mike Smith?) seems to keep calling her 'him' or saying things like 'his experiences'.

    it is an awkward situation somewhat

    getting a handle on it is unusual.... that said... that human being strikes me as more content and at peace/ a happier individual than the former one was.

    She always wrote better than spoke. Now we can get it first hand so to speak.
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm

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