David Millar has expressed concerns regarding the extent to which some parents push their children, reports The Times. The ex-pro and commentator believes that there should be no rush for children to take up competitive cycling early and suggests that those with “the endurance gene” can have success even if they start relatively late.
Speaking at the Edinburgh Book Festival, Millar said that you “can’t turn donkeys into racehorses,” and expressed his belief that much of what makes a professional cyclist is genetic.
A father of two sons, Millar said he was wary of becoming a “psycho father” himself but hoped his experience would mean he is quickly able to tell whether either has any promise.
“I get a little bit worried about the modern generation of parents pushing their kids so much. We have seen the amazing success [in cycling] . . . but that has come from hard work and serendipity. You can’t turn donkeys into racehorses. It is an endurance gene: that is the thing that you must have.”
Millar sees no reason for children to prioritise a particular sport and advocates trying all sorts of different activities to ensure a broader experience. “You can start at 15. Look at Chris Froome; he was nearly getting killed by rhinos aged 14. If you have energy to put into your kids, put it into learning lots of different sports.”
Earlier in the year, Millar took on a role mentoring riders on British Cycling’s men’s academy programme following its relocation to Italy. His past ban for doping has led some to argue that he is unsuitable for the position, but he believes his history will help.
“I have been there and done it all recently, good and bad. It will make that world seem real to them. I’m still close to what they are dreaming of. They can ask me things and they will know they will get real-life experiences as an answer. It’s not just a matter of telling them what not to do, but why.”
Speaking to The Telegraph about working with young riders last month, he said:
“I didn’t get my first road bike until I was 15. I had never ridden over 100 miles until I went over to France when I was 18. I hate the thought of 15-16-year-olds going out on five-hour rides. Twelve-year-olds in full Lycra on road bikes.
“I would like to get to the point where we are producing Peter Sagans; guys who are into mountain biking and BMX, so when they get to road bikes at 15 or 16 it’s all new. And then go on a track. And then get to the GB Academy and try to follow in footsteps of G [Geraint Thomas] or [Mark] Cavendish or [Peter] Kennaugh. It’s all set up for them here.”
40 thoughts on “Great pro cyclists “born not made” says David Millar as he takes aim at pushy parents”
Don’t disagree with the
Don’t disagree with the thrust of what he’s saying, but “[you] can’t turn donkeys into racehorses” seems like a particularly clumsy line coming from him.
He takes himself a bit
He takes himself a bit seriously sometimes but does offer interesting views when ned boulting lets him speak. Unfortunately for him, he’ll never be allowed to forget past misdemeanours.
Cupov wrote:
Why should he be allowed to forget doping, lying and getting caught?
Unfortunately for everyone else we have to put up with him being the commentator of choice of ITV
me wrote:
Why should he be allowed to forget doping, lying and getting caught?
Unfortunately for everyone else we have to put up with him being the commentator of choice of ITV— Cupov
We’re all flawed human beings. Get off your high horse. I can’t imagine anything duller than a world where we all followed the rules and never did anything wrong.
BeatPoet wrote:
spot on mate, no such thing as utopia 😉
me wrote:
Unfortunately for everyone else we have to put up with him being the commentator of choice of ITV— me
Not ‘everyone else’. Many people can enjoy his commentary in and of itself, and still others see that period of cycling differently, and how riders were pressured to act.
me wrote:
Why should he be allowed to forget doping, lying and getting caught?
Unfortunately for everyone else we have to put up with him being the commentator of choice of ITV— Cupov
To be fair, so far as I am aware, Millar has never asked anyone to forget. In fact unlike some others he has been quite open about the mistakes he made, and is now trying to avoid having others do the same.
Zebra wrote:
+1
I like him. I had my own
I like him. I had my own misspent youth* and don’t believe I should be forever judged by it. Having spent 10 years coaching youth sports I’ve seen “competitive dad” syndrome backfire as well.
*No performances were enhanced.
I think he is spot on with
I think he is spot on with what he says. Anyone who is upset by the ‘donkey’ statement should apply rule 5.
Ok he’s been caught doping and did his ban, he didn’t try to ruin lives like a Mr LA did. We’ve all made mistakes when younger, some we paid for and some we got away with. Let him try and advise the young un’s and see how they turn out.
mikecassie wrote:
Rule 5?
Lexy91 wrote:
http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/#5
Mr. Sheep wrote:
Oh God, not this sh*t again…
He doped (like almost
He doped (like almost everyone else) got caught and has been making amends. I have to say it seems a little bizarre that people taking drugs are tolerated in other walks of life but not pro cyclists.
I’m also tired of hearing “moralists” permanently taking Millar to task for something he clearly regrets doing. Or is it perhaps that they’re jealous of what he’s achieved before and after the doping scandal?
I also know a few French parents of the type he’s describing and one 13-year-old, a BMX regional champion is permanently getting injured but still pushed to keep on.
Have to admit, I do like him
Have to admit, I do like him commentating. He’ll just have to live with being caught out. I think the reason he still holds his head high in cycling circles is because a lot of industry insiders can’t talk shit to him – because he knows and they know that doping is commonplace and he was just unlucky to get caught.
Agree with what he’s saying here but yes, he’s opening himself up to criticism. Fair enough. He was a talent though for sure, with or without the drugs.
I think that David Millar is
I think that David Millar is a great guy, he is passionate about the sport and is an excellent commentator. The past is the past.
Thumbs up for a real professional. I love his commentaries. Nothing wrong with Ned either.
I loved Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin they were really good too, back in the day 😉
Eurosports Shaun Kelly is very good apart from his accent. Carlton Kirby is a very good commentator as he can fill in with interesting comment when the race gets boring.
I like Millar. I think he’s
I like Millar. I think he’s genuine, and I think he’s making good on his second chance that everyone deserves.
The science is largely behind him, with one proviso. In athletics (and I think cycling) there has not been any athletes who have medalled at a world championships in over 30 years who did not attend a junior world championships, and all world champions have medalled at junior world championships (a few in a different discipline) (Stannard et al 2007), So, unfortunately, starting young is important to future success. However when it comes to development of the individual, greatest success comes to those who have had a good breadth in their development across the board. So those kids that have chopped and changed between codes in thier formative and even later years (Sagan, Stybar etc) are most likely to have success beyond their teens.
I think he simplifies it too far with reference to ‘an endurance gene’ because the truth is that it’s a mixture of genes and background.
The 3 primary early indicators of success later in sports are: (Massey University Study, 2009)
There’s always outliers of course, that don’t fit the pattern. I didn’t play any sport until I started cycling as a sport when I was 19, but attended commonwealth games trials 18 months later.
I think Millar does forget that there’s an awful lot of cycling and competition, and personal achievement, satisfaction and development to be done at below pro level. So just because a kid won’t make it pro doesn’t meant they ‘shouldn’t’ strive to be the best they can. This also might be their stepping stone to greatness in another, unrelated, sport. Just where parental support to this endeavour crosses into pushy parenting is probably a bit grey though.
David Millar does seem to be
David Millar does seem to be the “marmite” of the professional cycling world. Which, to put that in context, would make Lance Armstrong the surströmming (fermented Baltic herring, which similarly divides people into two camps: those who vomit after a single bite, and those who do so as soon as the can is opened.)
I don’t think anyone should
I don’t think anyone should comment on Millar’s integrity, unless they have read both Racing Through the Dark and The Racer. Then form a view as to whether he is fundamentally honest or a great fictionalist.
Okay, may you can’t turn a
Okay, may you can’t turn a donkey into a racehorse. But you can get some damn fast donkeys trying, and you’ll find whole lot more racehorses at the same time.
He’s right. We seem to now
He’s right. We seem to now live in a world where ‘snowflakes’ believe that anyone can do anything.
But you can’t.
I’ll never do massive bench presses, carry any decent muscle mass and look like a brick shithouse. Likewise, those people will never catch me up a 12% hill.
As for parenting, I was a bit disappointed when my lad didn’t want to martial arts any more. I had ideas I raise the next Bruce Lee but he doesn’t want to do it and that’s that. I’m not going to force the matter. I guess the better they are at something the more you, as parents, probably over rate their potential. The hard line of it is that ‘elite’ level has that X-factor and those in charge can spot it better than parents.
I don’t think he’s being fair
I don’t think he’s being fair at all: those donkeys on the beach at Weston can really move when they see their tea waiting for them…
brooksby wrote:
Argh! My arse can still feel it even though it was 50 years ago. Bouncing up and down on the saddle up and down the beach. Thanks a bunch brooksby 😉
Sorry David but your
Sorry David but your statement about what kids should and shouldn’t be doing at what age is total shit.
My 9 year old rides road bikes mostly, and yes he wears lycra kit. Why? Because we go mountain bike riding, cyclocross, vdelodrome etc. and by far he prefers riding his road bike (I think it’s a speed thing). He wears his lycra kit because it’s his (youth) club, and he likes ‘feeling’ like (or ‘pretending’ if you like) a pro which, in case you missed it, is quite a major part of being a kid. Maybe David thinks only the chosen ones should ride a road bike because it might make him look bad or something.
Is he interested in other sports? He loves football, he has no interest in playing it. He loves F1, and I’d love to give him a shot at karting, but if you aren’t a ‘motor’ type person who can maintain a kart yourself it’s too expensive for Joe Schmo. He did tri last year but it doesn’t seem to be his thing.
The high attendance of the youth club he attends of all abilities from 8 to 16 is a great sight to behold. Plenty of them showing up at the local track league every week too, having fun regardless of the results.
So whether he thinks it’s right or not, I’m afraid plenty of kids will be ignoring that ‘advice’, and I’m glad of it.
LarryDavidJr wrote:
You#’ve missed his point by a mile – he’s not saying anything about the kids, he’s saying about the pushy parents.
And he’s got a point, you see it at every youth sport; parents standing on the sidleine screaming abuse, “advice”, encouragement at their little darlings as they vicariously live their own failed sports careers & dreams through their children.
crazy-legs wrote:
+1. Millar is right.
The pushy parents’ kids invariably get burnt out, fed up or both and abandon the sport.
Showing promise at a very young age is not a good predictor of future performance as kids mature at hugely different rates. There are a significant number of top level riders who didn’t really take the sport seriously until late teens or adulthood. If someone has the genes they can ascend through the ranks quickly and the talent is obvious, they don’t need to be winning everything at 8 years old.
crazy-legs wrote:
“I didn’t get my first road bike until I was 15. I had never ridden over 100 miles until I went over to France when I was 18. I hate the thought of 15-16-year-olds going out on five-hour rides. Twelve-year-olds in full Lycra on road bikes.”
This is the part to which I’m referring.
EDIT: Sorry I’ll try to be clearer. What I’m saying is, his choice of words indicate that when he see’s these kids, he can’t possibly believe that they are in fact doing it by choice, when in fact they are probably (maybe not always) doing it because THIS is the sport they have chosen. Not football, or rugby, or bmx, or MTB’ing, THIS. Why would you *hate* seeing kids in kit ffs? How many of these people has he interviewed to see what other sports they do? Probably roundabout zero I would guess.
Ergo: talking shit.
My 8 and 10 year olds wear
My 8 and 10 year olds wear lycra kit too (indeed club kit, as they are proud to be part of their club). But I think the general point David Millar makes is well made. In our local cyclocross league we have parents who drive their kids all over Yorkshire to compete in each round, even when they themselves don’t (i.e. it isn’t just a family day out) and people worrying about gridding in the under 8s and the like. Since we live near the border of two leagues then you see some kids who are racing both league events on a Saturday and then the Sunday and yet are only 10.
You also see some kids smash the under 8s, not race the next year in the under 10s (when they are at a disadvantage as they are still only 8) but then reappear magically the next year when they expect to win in the under 10s again, so you get the impression that they only enjoy winning and not taking part. The problem is that it gets increasingly difficult to win as they go up the age groups and then they start to get disillusioned.
If you read the profiles of lots of pros then they only started racing bikes in their teens. Cycling isn’t that technical a sport so it doesn’t take years of practice to perfect how to ride a bike. Cycling is mostly about fitness.
I think part of the ‘problem’ is that a lot of parents are inactive and so they are living out their fantasies through their kids and cycling is just racing to them. But cycling is also a lovely family pastime where you can have a day out with the kids, going to cafe and whatnot. Mind you, my wife is worried that she will have to up her game a bit as our 8 year old can drop her on the hills!
DM I think is right but the
DM I think is right but the other factor is parents being able to afford a decent bike and kit for their child. Even Chris Froome was amazed when he got his first bike. With regard to comments about DM I think it’s right that people should be critical about him taking drugs but most if us have done stupid things that we later regret surely. For me DM some how seems to aloof and I can remember when he had a be site itsmillertime when you had to pay to join it. Hope I get to meet him some time and find my opinion is wrong.
As a dad of 2 teenagers who
As a dad of 2 teenagers who both ride bikes for fun and smash opponents at rugby I don’t need to push them and DM is right you should let them decide what they want to do. Too much pressure on them puts them off a sport and makes it a chore rather than a passion imho.
Firstly, you can turn donkeys
Firstly, you can turn donkeys into derby winners – EPO does that, as he would well know.
Why anyone is giving this oxygen thief publicity is beyond me. He’s a dirty unrepentant cheat who is still making money off his cheating.
Please David Millar, go away and find something else to do. And take your ridiculous costumes and opinions with you.
Roddders wrote:
Abuse is not reasoned argument, grow up and learn a little more about cycling
I don’t think he really knows
I don’t think he really knows what he’s talking about here but the donkeys/racehorses comment is a good (although meaningless) soundbite. Not sure the science completely backs up his claims and madcarew nails it in his/her contribution.
I don’t think Millar has read
I don’t think Millar has read the information from his employer on rider pathways!
It is true that you can come into cycling late, or from other disciplines outside of cycling, and be succesful. But that is really the minority. Indeed British Cycling made a big point at how many of their top cyclists came through the go-ride system of youth cycling clubs.
As a volunteer BC coach at a youth cycling club, and a parent of children who race I’m very concious of over-training, pushing too hard etc. I’ve seen plenty of that at races I have taken my children to, and you can spot it a mile off. However BC don’t make this easier to manage by contradicting themselves when it comes to youth riding, IF the child want to progress in the sport. No matter how much they say don’t train when young just focus on bike skills, there are always those that do train and they get the attention/results.
BC publish very clear guidance on rider pathways for youth riders https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/riderroute and depending on discipline, a rider needs to be showing promise as a first year U14 to get on that pathway. Sure, they can join the pathway late, but that happens a lot less than you would think. To get in to RSRs you need to be showing results and potential at U14, which means you need to be stepping it up as a second year U12 (age 11-12). By that I mean starting to do a little more than one go-ride session a week, otherwise the jump to U14 will be scary. Sure, participating in other sports will benefit fitness, but you also need to be showing good bike skills and that requires time on the bike. To become an apprentice, the first real step on the lader, requires a lot of commitment to cycling at approx 14.
For some disciplines being on the pathway is key, particularly track. There is very little money in track racing in the UK outside of the GB team. Whereas in road you can make your own way without being part of the BC system.
All this can, and should, be done in a gradual progressive way, keeping it fun for the child, and not them being flogged. But there are plenty of pushy parents out there putting their children on the turbo and giving them protein shakes aged 8 and 9.
othello wrote:
Note the complete absence of cyclocross on the rideroute diagram. It was the same with the handout at the last Go Ride coaches conference, and yet (at least in Yorkshire) a typical cross race attracts around 200 under 16s and an average closed circuit race about 30.
I think one of the reasons why so many riders have come through the Go Ride programme is that BC makes it pretty complicated to take part in many events (gear restrictions, race licence requirements and the like), and so advice from Go Ride clubs is needed to compete in the first place. Cyclocross is much simpler by comparison.
Go Ride is more about the FUNdamentals and learning to train stages of coaching anyway. If a child is only doing Go Ride skills sessions then they are going to struggle badly when racing. Like I said before, cycling is mostly fitness. I wouldn’t consider myself pushy, but our kids recently covered 200 miles in a fortnight in Holland, including chunks of the Amstel Gold Race circuit (Cauberg, Keutenberg etc.). They have also done trail centre routes (on their cross bikes) – after watching the Olympics they are now dead keen on trying the track. I think all that is much more enjoyable than driving for an hour for them to do 2 or 3 laps of a tarmac circuit and then driving home again.
The success of Katy Marchant and Rebecca Romero show that (at least on the track) a good engine, rather than years of skills training, is critical. Philip Hindes only started at 15 too.
Chris James wrote:
There is no CX (or MTB DH and 4X) because it isn’t an Olympic sport, and BC’s funding is tied to that. If CX were accepted into the Winter Olympics then watch that pathway get updated in double quick time 🙂
CX is certainly the most accessible way for kids to race, learn bike skills and have fun on a bike.
I would say its a combination of skills and fitness. That also builds a life long love of cycling, which is really what we all hope kids who cycle will carry into adulthood.
Yes, certain disciplines can be dominated by a good engine. But bike handling is also a vital part. I think it was Chris Boardman who said Laura Trott is the most gifted natural bike handler he had ever seen, and many people wouldn’t think that was an important part of her success.
othello wrote:
To be fair, I agree with that, my comment was really to distinguish cyling from golf and tennis, where future champions seem to have to start at about age 4!
The skills aspect definitely helps more in some discplines than others, especially the off road events, and obviously tactical awareness can be important too.
Admittedly he’s not the best
Okay kiddies – he’s not the best man to ask where’s the best place to hide your stash.
I was born in 1936. Got my
I was born in 1936. Got my first bike at 11 (11+ reward) and a lightweight at 16. Toured the UK on both. In common with most of my generation did not start racing until I was 21 and after National Service. My parents, relatives and friends were always supportive but not pushy. Most were of a generation who had been brought up with little cash or time for leisure pursuits and knew nothing of cycle racing.
Later as an organiser of road races I experienced, as most organisers did, the problems of judging junior races in pre photo finish days to satisfy parents claims that their offspring had crossed the line in a much higher place than given in the official result.
PS I have done a lot of things in my life which I have lived to regret. None of us are saints. Sadly, we do not live in a perfect world.
I was born in 1936. Got my
I was born in 1936. Got my first bike at 11 (11+ reward) and a lightweight at 16. Toured the UK on both. In common with most of my generation did not start racing until I was 21 and after National Service. My parents, relatives and friends were always supportive but not pushy. Most were of a generation who had been brought up with little cash or time for leisure pursuits and knew nothing of cycle racing.
Later as an organiser of road races I experienced, as most organisers did, the problems of judging junior races in pre photo finish days to satisfy parents claims that their offspring had crossed the line in a much higher place than given in the official result.
PS I have done a lot of things in my life which I have lived to regret. None of us are saints. Sadly, we do not live in a perfect world.