Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Tour de France star: I’m living as a woman now RACE KING
Legend on ‘difficult’ gender change
A BRITISH former Tour de France cyclist and TV commentator has spoken about her transition to becoming a woman.
Robert Millar was best known for winning the King of the Mountains title in the 1984 edition of the gruelling three-week French race.
The 58-year-old Scot, now known as Philippa York, decided to go public with the gender change because she says there is now “a much better acceptance and understanding”.
Philippa, who has been going through the transition since 2000, said: “The outcome of that journey has meant that, for a considerable time now, I have lived as Philippa.
“The steps taken over a prolonged period under the watchful eye of the medical profession to complete the transition from one gender to another can be difficult and are only taken after much soul searching and anguish.”
Philippa is part of ITV4’S commentary team for the Tour alongside expro Chris Boardman. She added: “As much as I’ve guarded my privacy over the years, there are a few… reasons to why I haven’t had a public ‘image’ since I transitioned. Gratifyingly, times have moved on from 10 years ago when my family, friends and I were subjected to the archaic views and prejudice that some people and certain sections of the tabloid media held.”
In 1984, Millar was the first Briton to win a Tour stage and his fourth-place overall finish was a record for a British rider. He also came second in the 1985 and 1986 Tours of Spain, as well as runner-up in the 1987 Giro d’italia. An expert climber, he won three mountain stages in the Tour. Millar retired in 1995 and then became the British road coach. Philippa said “unwelcome and unasked-for intrusions” into the transition had been “damaging not only to myself but to those I love”. But she added: “Thankfully, the people in my family who I cherish have since matured and grown into strong and independent individuals, therefore the need to protect them has lessened.
“This, combined with their support and encouragement and the shift in modern society’s attitudes, means that this will be a step forward for everyone.”