The compelling story of Britain's best-ever cyclist -- one of the most enigmatic,
complex and contradictory athletes in any sport -- and the unravelling of the puzzle
surrounding his sudden and dramatic disappearance. Cyclist Robert Millar came from
one of Europe's most industrialised cities, Glasgow, to excel in the most unlikely
terrain -- over the high mountain passes of the Pyrenees and the Alps. He was crowned
King of the Mountains during the 1984 Tour de France and remains the only ever Briton
to finish on the podium of the world's toughest race. In attitude and appearance he
was unconventional -- the malnourished-looking young Scot with the tiny stud in his
ear who could be prickly, irascible and unapproachable -- but to many followers he
was the epitome of cool. Flying the flag for British cycling, this one-off original
became a cult hero. In Search of Robert Millar will follow the career of this other-
worldly character, from his tough childhood on the streets of Glasgow in the 1960s
to his move to France and success in the world's most brutal and unforgiving races,
including the controversy surrounding his positive drugs test and his enforced
retirement from the sport at the age of 36. It examines what set Millar apart from
all other British cyclists who tried, and failed, to make an impact in this most
European of sports, describing his single-mindedness, his eccentricity and the
humour and intelligence that emerged only towards the end of his career. It also
proffers explanations for his subsequent disappearance, which repeated a familiar
pattern: he vanished from Glasgow and never returned; he left his wife and son and
his adopted country, France. Now, it appears, he has turned his back on cycling
(amid rumours that he had undergone a sex-change operation). Through interviews
with Millar's friends, acquaintances, cycling colleagues and ex-classmates, author
Richard Moore helps to unravel the mystery of this maverick Scotsman, arguably one
of the greatest enigmas in a sport full of remarkable characters.
From the Publisher
The National Sporting Club, Annual British Sports Book Awards 2008 - Winner: Best Biography
About the Author
Richard Moore is a freelance journalist who has written on sport, art and literature,
contributing to the Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, Herald, Guardian and Sunday Times.
He was a member of the Scotland team in the Prutour, the nine-day cycling tour of Britain,
and represented Scotland in the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
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