What kind of rider is Millar?

[Tetedelacourse]

Not sure how I'd classify him. Not a sprinter (although 8th on the CE was a great effort!) not a pure climber. A TT specialist? Maybe if fading a little. Is he a plain old domestique? Is he a breakaway specialist?

What do you reckon?

ps I just found this smiley:

 

[Steve Austin]

Super domestique!

 

[Tetedelacourse]

Super domestique!

 

[Steve Austin]

Its a bit strange when you hear of riders like menchov and pereiro and Millar referred to as super domestiques when in reality they are amazing all-round cyclists.

I've always wondered what kind of rider Millar would be if he hadn't had two years out of the sport. I guess we'll never know

 

[chris42]

Millar is the best we have at the moment!

 

[Keith Oates]

Millar seems to have lost the edge a bit on the TT scene but is definitely better on the less hilly stages than before. He's just finished another 3 week stage so perhaps he will be another super domestique that can win some stages as well!!

 

[chris42]

It shows he has been working on his climbing.
He will loose some TT edge but he still class.

 

[andy_wrx]

But to be a super-domestique, don't you have to be a very good domestique, i.e. the emphasis being on shepherding your leader around, without any attempts for personal glory ?

So spending half the tour trying to get into a breakaway isn't what a super-domestique would do ?

 

[Tetedelacourse]

Yip, and I don't think his climbing is good enough to be classed as a super. If we're talking about the likes of Hincapie, Boogerd, Karpets etc then Millar should be finishing in the teens or twenties. He's not that good.

I think he's more of a good all-rounder.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I think he's more of a good all-rounder.

I agree. That's always how I've thought of him. He has the potential to win almost anywhere except the most extreme mountains, however he is still unable to control his temper and this affects him too much...

 

[Chuffy]

he is still unable to control his temper and this affects him too much...

Makes him more honest and human (bit of a kindred spirit to be honest). My estimation of him went up after I found out what he did on the Vuelta some years ago.

 

[chris42]

did anyone else get the impression he was trying to see how many swear words he could get away with on TV interviews?

 

[Keith Oates]

I didn't see any of the TV interviews so can't comment on the swear words but he has matured from the time he deliberately sat at the Paris Airport bar to wait for his name to be called because he was delaying the flight. There again I suppose we all grow up at sometime or other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chris42]

I didn't see any of the TV interviews so can't comment on the swear words but he has matured from the time he deliberately sat at the Paris Airport bar to wait for his name to be called because he was delaying the flight. There again I suppose we all grow up at sometime or other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grow up?!?
couldn't imagine having to do that.

 

[andy_wrx]

he is still unable to control his temper

Did you see the interview where they were talking to him after the 2nd ITT where he'd had two tyres explode in the first 500m and whilst clearly still not impressed (he mentioned Mavic with heavy emphasis) he'd had time to get a bit philosophical about it.

But the next interviewer had a foreign accent and said something like 'David, you seemed angry when you had your punctures'
'Oh did I ?' he said with more than a touch of sarcasm at being asked such a ludicrous question