David Millar

The recently retired British pro talks to Cyclist about pottering in the garden, his style idols and his blueprint for better cycling

Cyclist: What have you been up to since retiring last year?

David Millar: We finally moved into the house we had been renovating for a couple of years, so that took up the first two to three months. It’s about 15km out of Girona. We live in a farmhouse in the country on our own so it’s idyllic. I had my hand operated on in November after my Vuelta crash last year because it had been locked up for two months and I couldn’t do anything. It was a bit of a buzzkill because when you retire you think you can do other sports like running, but it all got screwed up. I have lots of little things going on, which has been nice. I’ve started writing a new book, and that’s given me a routine. I’ve also been working on a clothing range, which is launching around May.

Cyc: Is it true you have also turned your hand to gardening?

DM: My garden has become my passion. I’ve been out there checking my lovely lawn and my trees. It’s quite sad but great, though.

Cyc: Was it a culture shock when you retired?

DM: It is a shock. Not at first, because it’s the off-season and you just think it’s a break. Then all of a sudden riders are racing and going off to training camps and you don’t have to. That’s weird. But I will tell you what is really weird: how quickly the season has gone. When we got to Paris-nice, as a rider that always felt like an epic and horribly long week, but it just flew by this year. But I was ready to stop. I am not one of those guys who will keep going to races on the circuit. I want to do new stuff.

Cyc: You have worn all the different coloured Tour de France jerseys and the leader’s jersey in all three Grand Tours. Do you have a favourite memory?