David Millar to end career with Bec Hill Climb next month

David Millar, currently riding the Vuelta a Espana, will bring the curtain down on his career next month back where he began – on the British club scene, as he takes part in the Bec Hill Climb in Surrey on 12 October.

The 750-yard course near Limpsfield has a gradient of 1 in 6, reaching 1 in 4 towards the top, and the event attracts a boisterous crowd as well as some of the country’s top riders as well as club cyclists wanting to pit themselves against the hill.

This video from the 2012 event shows what the Garmin-Sharp rider, who began his career riding club time trials in the Home Counties with High Wycombe CC, and the other competitors can expect.

Organiser Garry Beckett, a soigneur with Garmin-Sharp, said: “Obviously, its great kudos, for a small club like ours to be chosen by Dave to host his final race, and after discussing it with him, and offering the Bec event as his final stage as a Pro rider, myself and my Bec CC Clubmates are really excited about promoting this year’s event.

“We are pretty confident he’ll be overwhelmed by the amount of people coming to wish him farewell, as well as to see him race.”

Millar, who during his 18-year career wore the leader’s jersey at all three Grand Tours, said: “I’m not just going to ride uphill and wave goodbye.

“I’m going to have a crack at setting a new ‘White Lane’ record in what will be my first ever Hill Climb TT, as well as my last race.

“It’ll be like going full circle on my cycling career. Most Brits start in a Cycling Club as I did, so it’s fitting to end my career at a British Clubs event

“I’m really looking forward to it, although ‘Gazza’ my friend, soigneur and organiser of the event, tells me Hill Climbs are not always that easy and it takes a certain knack to hit the Hill just right.

“He also tells me they bloody hurt, even though it’s only a sub-two minute ride. Maybe I’ll enjoy it and not retire after all and just ride Hill Climbs,” he added.

More details of the event can be found on the club website.

www.beccyclingclub.co.uk