David Millar is one of the great names of the last two decades of cycling. Born in Scotland, he lived in six different countries before landing in the province of Girona. He was looking for a place with good weather, ideal terrain for training and close to airports. His first choices were the South of France and Tuscany, but once he discovered the Costa Brava he not only decided to make it his base but also settled there permanently. He now lives in a village close to Banyoles, his children go to school here, and he is taking on new professional challenges, such as creating a clothing brand, from this land to which he has adapted perfectly. As a professional cyclist between 1997 and 2014, David Millar won two silver medals at the world time trial championships in 2001 and 2010, plus various stages of the Tour de France, of the Giro d´Italia and of the Vuelta of Spain. He is one of the greatest, in every sense.
Last year you decided to retire after nearly two decades as a professional. How does this feel?
More than anything I feel ready. Two years ago I thought I would go on until I was 40; then life caught up with me. Becoming a father was the biggest factor, I realised I was travelling so much I was missing out on a period of my sons lives that I could never get back. I’m old enough to know my best years are behind me, I’m not as egotistical as I was when I was younger, my family is the most important thing now, I’ve been lucky enough to fulfil many of my dreams and even luckier to recognise it’s time to let that part of my life go. It’s time to re-enter the real world.
Will you still be linked to the world of cycling?
Yes, although not in the professional racing scene. I’d like to take what I’ve experienced and learnt into the commercial arena.
I need new challenges, and I’m looking forward to working with new people.
What do you miss about the “every day” life of a professional cyclist?
Clearly defined objectives. Paradoxically this is also what I look forward to leaving behind. EVERYTHING is quantifiable when you’re a professional cyclist in the modern era – we’re smothered in data these days, enough to have led to the creation of algorithms that allow for our coaches/teams, to know more about us than we do. This is good up to a point. I passed that point.
What is the “David Millar Project”?
It’s a feature length documentary I’ve been working on for years now with a Scottish director, Finlay Pretsell. We finally began filming last year. We hope when it’s finished it will be the definitive film about professional road cycling. We’re not even close to finishing! We hope to make a beautiful film about a sport we love.
I have heard you are launching a clothing brand.
I have, that’s my next big challenge, I think there is a big gap in the market for men when it comes to fashion. We’ll start with cycling clothing as that is what I know, the brand will reflect something bigger than that though, it’s more of an idea. All will become clear over time.
What kind of clothes are you designing?
We’ll grow organically, this means starting in cycling, our roots are cycling after all. I want to be able to sit in a café as a cyclist and not look like an idiot. That’s our first step. We’ll progressively move out from cycling, I don’t really see there being anything we can’t do.
Which moment you would choose along your professional career?
I’m often asked this question. In truth there are so many that I find it incredibly difficult to choose any one in particular. If I’m honest, and it’s a bit boring, I already look back at my whole career as a professional cyclist as a moment. A very big moment. Already it seems like a dream, occasionally a nightmare…
How does, a professional cyclist like you, come from Great Britain to Girona?
I needed a training base that offered me good weather, ideal terrain, and airports nearby, and preferably other professional cyclists with whom I could train with. I’d spent almost a decade in the South of France, and wanted a change, I thought Tuscany was the winner. My wife, Nicole, didn’t like Tuscany. She loved Girona, simple as that really.
Did you know Costa Brava or Girona before arriving here?
Oddly, no. I’d spent a lot of time working (training/racing) in Spain yet somehow never in Catalunya. So when my wife and I came to Girona to check it out it was the first time for both of us here.
Which impression was the first that you had from our territory?
Surprise. We found Girona and the surrounding area so beautiful. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t know more about it. It felt like a hidden treasure, Tuscany was no longer an option for us, the Costa Brava had our name written all over it.
I have heard you are launching a clothing brand.
I have, that’s my next big challenge, I think there is a big gap in the market for men when it comes to fashion. We’ll start with cycling clothing as that is what I know, the brand will reflect something bigger than that though, it’s more of an idea. All will become clear over time.
What kind of clothes are you designing?
We’ll grow organically, this means starting in cycling, our roots are cycling after all. I want to be able to sit in a café as a cyclist and not look like an idiot. That’s our first step. We’ll progressively move out from cycling, I don’t really see there being anything we can’t do.
Which moment you would choose along your professional career?
I’m often asked this question. In truth there are so many that I find it incredibly difficult to choose any one in particular. If I’m honest, and it’s a bit boring, I already look back at my whole career as a professional cyclist as a moment. A very big moment. Already it seems like a dream, occasionally a nightmare…
How does, a professional cyclist like you, come from Great Britain to Girona?
I needed a training base that offered me good weather, ideal terrain, and airports nearby, and preferably other professional cyclists with whom I could train with. I’d spent almost a decade in the South of France, and wanted a change, I thought Tuscany was the winner. My wife, Nicole, didn’t like Tuscany. She loved Girona, simple as that really.
Did you know Costa Brava or Girona before arriving here?
Oddly, no. I’d spent a lot of time working (training/racing) in Spain yet somehow never in Catalunya. So when my wife and I came to Girona to check it out it was the first time for both of us here.
Which impression was the first that you had from our territory?
Surprise. We found Girona and the surrounding area so beautiful. We couldn’t understand why we didn’t know more about it. It felt like a hidden treasure, Tuscany was no longer an option for us, the Costa Brava had our name written all over it.
Has your perspective changed over the years?
No, it has only secured our initial impression. We now live in the country near Banyoles and are proud to have our boys go to the local schools in Cornella del Terri. It was the geography that brought us here, it’s the people that make us stay.
Why did you decide to live here definitely?
We couldn’t think of anywhere we’d rather be. My wife and I are both born and bred expats. I’ve lived in six different countries, my wife in four. So we have a fair appreciation of how lucky we are to live here.
Which is your favourite place in Costa Brava?
We like where we are, Pla d’Estany. It’s why we’re here.
Do you like our gastronomy? What is your favourite dish?
Any lunch I have at Can Boix. It’s my favourite restaurant, I don’t care what they serve me. I’ll always be happy there. It’s home away from home.
Which is the reason that pushes professional cyclists to come to Costa Brava and Girona?
The origins were climate/geography/terrain/airports/roads. A Danish rider called Johnny Weltz was the first to come here, he told Lance Armstrong/George HIncapie et al to come here in the late 1990’s. Others followed. The tipping point was reached about four years ago, now pro cyclists come here simply because it’s where pro cyclists come, the origins are somewhat lost.
