Robert Millar - The Stolen Vuelta

[DeathDwarf79]

I loved watching Robert race, I personally think he was our best rider so far.

From what I can gather though, he always did things his own way - much like the way he could just ride away on the cols.

If he'd been more of a 'team player' if you like, I don't think he'd be Robert - but he might've had enough support to win this race.

[DeathDwarf79]

As to who should take the blame - underhand tactics, deals, etc have been part of cycling forever, apparently. Its part of what makes cycling intriguing sometimes.

But if the organisers were involved for nationalistic reasons, then that would be rather shameful in my book. The Peugeot boss also looked a bit shifty, hesitant about giving answers as to whether he did enough.

[DeathDwarf79]

There's a heavily biased spanish account of this race on the modern vuelta website itself, which tells its own story really. It annoys me because its not as if anyone who thinks Millar was a great rider who was robbed of a major tour win at the peak of his form is somehow saying Delgado wasn't a great rider too!

Surely they can't believe that a rider like Delgado could have made up 6 plus mins in a two-man breakaway without help somewhere along the way.

[dan32113]

Bradley Wiggins won Dauphine today, 21yrs after Millar won it! Best climbers jersey in Tour de France & Giro. runner up twice in Vuelta, & runner up in Giro. LEGEND...

[amk68sco]

millar is a class act,delgado and co did the absolute dirty on him,shame on them.disgusting sportsmanship.

[gazzo45]

Robert Millar = Total Legend

[terencej72]

sabueso - You are incorrect. NO TEAM CAR is allowed beyond it's position in the procession, let alone up to the Director car at the front of the race.

They rely on the motorcycles with the time gap which as mentioned by another poster "mysteriously disapeared" all because the spaniards had elluded Millar after a puncture. Berland is at fault because he waited till the LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT to try to buy support from other teams and in Millar's biography Stephen Roche says as much.

[terencej72]

sabueso - You are incorrect. NO TEAM CAR is allowed beyond it's position in the procession, let alone up to the Director car at the front of the race.

They rely on the motorcycles with the time gap which as mentioned by another poster "mysteriously disapeared" all because the spaniards had elluded Millar after a puncture. Berland is at fault because he waited till the LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT to try to buy support from other teams and in Millar's biography Stephen Roche says as much.

[MEECHIO]

Millar was in my opinion the best rider in the race but circumstances went against him in the end and Delgado mugged him. Delgado in his pomp was a terrific bike rider and for Millar to have him almost beaten with 2 stages to go was still a hell of an achievement. A really talented rider who I think should of won this race as well as a Giro. Maybe the fact that he never had a particularly strong team to work for him when he was leader was the main factor he never won one of the Grand Tours....

[RepoDemo]

...7 spaniards all determined to help Delgado. They continuously threatened attacks and changed the tempo, which, seeing as how Cabestany was in there could also have caused trouble. And according to Pensec, he and another Peugeot rider were stopped at a level crossing despite no train coming, losing 2 minutes. So, eh, those who say he didnt 'pedal' hard enough are clueless and deluded about what happened. Robbed if you ask me.

[RepoDemo]

Well generally you shouldnt attack the yellow when the jersey holder is having mechanical diffiulty, which the spaniards did. Secondly Millar was not receiving any time checks from the motorcycle which mysteriously vanished so had no idea about Delgado. From accounts there was extreme fog and rain which caused chaos among riders and cars, and many had their numbers covered by jackets, thus making communication between Rob and Berland impossible. To make matters worse, he was in a group of.....

[slickedmachine]

Interviewer Samual Abt (sometime after the Vuelta affair): "Robert, don't you find it difficult holding a grudge against so many people?"

Millar: "No"

[PerignonPop]

@slickedmachine You'd empathise with that I suppose, seeing as you're on a fair few Millar pages having a sly dig at the guy, no? Takes one tae ken one.

[slickedmachine]

@PerignonPop I thought people as thick and as patriotic as you stuck to football? How in your shambolic tenement mentality is my sharing the unique and black wit of Mr Millar with a few other in any way having a dig?

By your crude vernacular at the end of the post I presume you pretend to be a Scot, yet the humour of your fellow Scot (Millar) goes way over your head.

Still I'm sure your one of the most intelligent burger makers at Macdonalds in East Kilbride ...

[sabueso32]

how can you label this as "stolen"when the director himself says they arranged everything so millar could win? he bought other teams paying them. terrible, and he complains for being betrayed. what you expect from teams that sell their souls for money from another team? come on. its like trying to buy a real rolex in the black market and get a fake. up to you to take the risk.

[sabueso32]

nothing prevented millar's director to check out thr gap between him and delgado. why did he let delgado go so far? on the other side nothing stopped millar from trying to catch delgado.

did the spanish teams coluted? of course, but peugeot hosuld have done the same with the foreign teams.

poor strategy from peugeot. at the end cycling is pedaling and millar didnt pedal hard enough that day. why? ask his director

[wanmaker]

wankers.fuck spain

[licenciadetransporte]

"cowboybilly666" no tienes ni puta idea.....

[asturBoy78]

Is competition..his team was sleeping, Robert deserved win that Vuelta, but in competition all the days are important, that's all.

The association Recio-Delgado is normal, and typical in cycling: for you the stage and for me the yellow jersey.

[arnoldinerith]

Terrible, terrible team organisation meant that Millar lost the race. They needed to make a "deal" with the other non-Spanish teams (as is usual) to help but left it too too late. This wouldn't happen now days with all the radio contact they have.

Why shouldn't the Spanish pair work together, they wanted to win.....Peugeot too weak, no support for Robert, end of!

[ermigue]

...and, the best of all, before use words like "stolen" see the way that the two guys rode in bycicle with all their hearts (tags: dalealplay perico vuelta 85). They even won time to a group of 9 riders. And you can see that nobody prevent Millar from move the pedals. But, ok, it was a 5 mountains stage. But, please, "stolen"?. He deserved it: brave downhill and strong in the end.

[ermigue]

...wanted the stage. Delgado and Recio climbed the last pass with -3:12.

4-Perurena, a clever director, was near the group with Cabestany, better clasified than Delgado. Bernard even didn´t tried to know the gap.

5-30 km away from the finish Bernard knows that the gap is 4:45, a good moment to go for them, don´t you think? Millar was the better time-trialist in the group and the leader...But no, Bernard loosed time trying to forge an alliance and Millar waited for instructions...

[ermigue]

"Everything was arranged so that Robert could win". Poor Millar, what stupid and incompetent director he had. No news about anyone, no plans, only complaining...

The whole story is here: (tags: maxciclismo, gesta, perico)

1-the group waited for Millar when he punctured.

2-After that, they captured Pacho Rodríguez (Col)

3-Delgado went then in a suicide downhill from Navacerrada pass. Millar didn´t follow him. Delgado was too far in the classificatin (6:13) and Millar´s coach thought he only...

[robincurrie]

The video isn't totally accurate. Delgado didn't attack when Millar punctured. It was Rodriguez and Cabestany and besides, Millar caught these two and was able to keep an eye on them for the rest of the stage so the flat tyre had no overall importance. Delgado indeed attacked a while later along with Recio and whipped out Millar's lead, that much is true.

[cowboybilly666]

Yes it was stolen for 100% !! If you doubt that you're a fool !!! That fucking Delgado stool that tour he was cheating as hell. The smae he did in the TDF 1988 when he won with dope in his body !! Thats Delgado 2 times cheating and he got away with it. Sham those spaniards. Liars, cheaters

[ermigue]

It´s obvious you´re a gentleman and that you knows what you´re talking about.

[sabueso32]

Stolen? Cycling is about going faster than your rivals. Millar didnt pay attention and neither his boss, who is supposed to be in charge of keeping track of the guys ahead telling him the difference. He didnt do that properly, and Millar didnt push the pedals hard enough. he lost it. end of the story.

[MickHaines]

Really? Well, this is what Perurena (Delgado's team director) shamelessly told the Spanish radioreporters at the end of that stage: "I'd like to thank all the Spanish team directors for their collaboration and especially the people from Zor..."

Delgado is a champion and the Peugeot team management was terrible, but during that Vuelta the Spaniards DID gang up on Millar.

[naas70]

It was the worst case of cheating in cycling. The whole Spanish nation should be ashamed.

Millar was the winner of that Vuelta.

[wanmaker]

wankers i hate the dirty spanish,

[licenciadetransporte]

The stolen vuelta?? jajajajaja,. Nadie le robó nada a Millar, perdió la Vuelta a España el solito, bueno, con la ayuda de su director deportivo jajajaja.

[HollowPin]

Al igual que lo hizo mierda! Si esos bastardos Spannish no había amañado un Spannish la victoria entre ellos la televisión no han mostrado en la vuelta 86. Que es un hecho. Pregúntele a José Recio

[licenciadetransporte]

que idioma hablas?? español?? jajajajaj Vamos a ver, por supuesto que José Recio ayudó a Delgado, y que pasa?? eso es hacer trampa?? no. Millar perdió la Vuelta por culpa de su director deportivo que no le dió referencias adecuadas respecto a Delgado y que no supo organizar la persecución. Lo que pasa es que fué tan patético como perdió la Vuelta el solito que os inventais eso de que fue un robo.

[WELLBRAN]

1984 BBC sports personality off the year, He got no mention at all...a disgrace.

[FIFTY2WEEKS]

Is that true? appalling. Millar was a legend.They still don't appreciate Tour cyclists in The U.K.. The sprinter from the Isle of Man is a legend abroad but doesn't gey the rcognition he deserves

[johnjoe3358]

As a bike fan I would to thank Robert for giving so much.All cyclists are heroes,but some you like more than others.If I could meet my heroes,he would be among them.I dont care about his private life,that his business.I hope he's happy and at peace with himself and I hope he's proud of his achievements.Its still great to watch him on the mountains just like Pantani,and we all know his story but still love to watch him.Some have that magic[climbers especially]that stands out.Thanks Robert.

[tommyjob]

You can't steal a tour. I agree, it's not the best example of good sportsmanship but in cycling it's a dog eay dog world. Miller learned a valuable lesson that day, nevertheless I feel sorry for him.

[111PEDRO111]

fantastic a deserved Delgado's win. That's all.

[jazzzig49]

Still damn painful. Imagine how Robert must have felt. Thanks for posting this it just shows how much goes on behind the scene to put a stick between someones spokes.

[euanatkinson]

quite simply, pure class.

[chickasmith]

Is this from "The High Life"?.

Have read the book "In search of Robert Millar" by Richard Moore which goes into his career and disapperance and what made him what he was. Good read.

And thanks for the upload

[keef71]

f**kin typical!

the greatest scottish tdf rider EVER and people are more interested if scurrilous rumours are true!

and started by the sunday mail, a scottish paper!

why was no-one done for this travesty? went against all cycling etiquette - bernard must also hang his head in shame!

[punkey68]

It was a malicious rumour which was escalated by the tabloid press. Robert Millar never responded to the claims so the rumour never died. He now keeps himself to himself and good luck to him.

[imelvillei]

quite right pal,cos millar never gave press much help they held a grudge,good luck robert a true scottish hero

[strummerino]

Cest vrai?  Il est une femme?

[soundstationrav]

Non! Il est Robert Millar!

[strummerino]

Interesting, but complex guy. Is he now a woman?