As the nights draw in and we move to the end of the summer road racing season it seems appropriate to reflect on the twilight of two of the peloton’s big personalities. Both David Millar and Jens Voigt have been possessed of mercurial talent at times, have had the mental strength to push their bodies to incredible levels of torture in the name of glory, but are also both characters about whom everyone around the world of cycling has an opinion.
Those of us who have younger siblings inevitably look at them and (at least) think that life has been a breeze for them compared to us: all of the parental battles had been fought before their arrival; they are left to enjoy the fruits of our labours. Millar could arguably look at the rest of the current British pro-cycling riders and feel the same – the current support structure, in terms of finance, training and facilities, was not in place when he was beginning to display his talents. David Brailsford called Millar the “last of the pioneers”: of the generation who had to leave these shores to follow their calling and work from the grass-roots. For Millar, as an eighteen year old that meant packing his bike into the back of a run-down Ford Cortina and setting off on the perilous four day crossing to France*, before joining an amateur club in Picardy. Millar’s grit and commitment showed immediately, as he triumphed in several races and receiving offers from several pro teams, before joining their ranks with Cofidis.
Voigt’s route into the sport was something of a contrast to that of Millar. Being brought up in (East) Germany, a country known for its centralised nurturing of sporting talent, he was spotted as a future champion early and attended a national sports academy, where he focused on cycling and athletics. After several years in the German Army (admittedly in their elite sporting unit) he turned professional in the same year as Millar, 1997, with the Giant-AIS team.
By 2001, both riders had established themselves with their teams as riders with talent and iron determination, and both had won a stage of the TdF. Millar used his talent in the time trial to follow Chris Boardman’s steps in the Maillot Jaune, by winning the first stage in 2000, holding on to the jersey for several days. A year later, Voigt finished off a typical breakaway to win stage 16, having previously enjoyed a day in yellow in the same race.
By 2004, Voigt had joined Team CSC, using his power on the flat to support captain Ivan Basso. He was frequently used to cover breakaways – it was here he displayed both his immense commitment as a rider and also his single minded pragmatism. Voigt was in a breakaway when his countryman Ulrich (3rd) attacked and dropped Basso and Armstrong (2nd and 1st). Armstrong’s entire team could not pull Ulrich back, and Voigt was ordered back to defend his captain. Watching Ulrich ride past as he waited for Basso, Voigt then proceeded to single-handedly pace his captain back to the leader.** This represented a superhuman achievement, but one which was not appreciated by the German media – he was labelled a “Judas” for ruining his countryman’s attack. Despite its vitriol, Voigt wasn’t cowed by the criticism, replying that Team CSC paid his salary not Germany. By this time, however, Millar’s challenges put this spat in the shade…
Millar’s period in the wilderness has been well discussed and documented, not least in his own autobiography, but the picture painted is a stark one. A man who was to some extent trapped by his own single mindedness, with few outlets beyond the sport upon which he was determined to leave his mark. The period was a dark one for cycling, but Millar’s confession and return following a difficult suspension are a still a striking story: would he be able to scale the same heights as a clean athlete? Millar became the first Britain to have worn the leader’s jersey and won stages in each of the Grand Tours, became the National road race and time trial champion in 2007 and at Garmin Sharp (2008 onwards) was a hero in many team rides. Were it not for the subsequent successes of Wiggins and Froome, there would be many would argue Millar our best grand tour rider, and there are few in any country who can match his story.
Voigt’s position in the German cycling pantheon is somewhat similar. Not the top of the tree (in the nation of Ullrich, Zabel and Greipel that is hard!), but 
his talent cannot be questioned, and were it not for his size working against him in the mountains, he might be higher. He has won stages and always attacked and provided entertainment – in his own words: “I am a man who acts rather than reacts… I like to make things happen.” Voigt is also known for his somewhat hyperbolic bon mots (“I am confident that when I am really old the human lifespan will be extended!”, “You’re all beaten.. I am just laughing at you!”), but the humour and positivity with which Voigt conducts himself ensured that most of the cycling world was delighted to see him cap a fine career by taking the hour record last month.
Both Millar and Voigt will be missed from the peloton next season. Chapeau Gentlemen – marvellous effort!
*Admittedly there has been a bit of artistic licence applied here!
** See my blog entry on teamwork in cycling here.
