Cav the big draw as Millar is left holding the baby

THE arrival of Archibald Ignasi Millar on Friday has deprived the Tour of Britain of its Scottish contingent. David Millar had been due in Peebles today for stage one of the national tour, but that was always contingent on the birth of his son: and on Friday morning young Archie duly appeared.

Millar is therefore out, with Gabriel Rasch of Norway replacing him in a strong Garmin-Cervélo line-up, led by the world champion, Thor Hushovd. In Millar’s absence, the main draw is a rider aspiring to claim Hushovd’s title in Copenhagen in two weeks and using the Tour of Britain as his final piece of preparation: Mark Cavendish.

Cavendish’s last appearance in this race was back in 2007, when he was a promising, if slightly pudgy, 22-year-old in his second year as a professional. He won the first two stages, then lost ten minutes, and his rag, on the hilly third stage, though he arrived in Glasgow three days later as the overall points winner.

Nobody would have predicted that, by the time of his next appearance, he’d have notched up 20 stage wins in the Tour de France. But as Cavendish’s star ascended to such giddy heights it counted against his particpation in his home Tour: his sponsors wanted him in bigger races, or races more suited to sponsors’ interests. He wasn’t supposed to be here this year, either. But a tough start to the Tour of Spain saw Cavendish withdraw on day four, complaining of exhaustion. He retreated to Millar’s home in Girona, spending a week training on the Catalan roads with the rider who has become something of a mentor, as well as good friend.

But with Millar’s paternal instincts now diverted to baby Archibald, Cavendish will hone his world championship form over the eight stages of the Tour, with today’s the only one in Scotland, starting in Peebles and finishing in Dumfries after 170 undulating kilometres. The three named climbs – Megget Hill, Devil’s Beef Tub and Banks Hill – are rated category three, and shouldn’t trouble Cavendish too much. It hardly needs saying that, if the bunch is together as they approach Dumfries, he will be the outstanding favourite to claim the first stage.

In the absence of Millar, home interest today will be restricted to the Scottish team, Endura Racing, though neither of the squad’s two Scots – Evan Oliphant and Callum Wilkinson – have made the cut for the Tour of Britain. Instead, the outfit will be led by a New Zealander, Jack Bauer, with a Spaniard, an Estonian, a German, a Swede and an Englishman completing the six-man team.

They will have tartan running through their veins, however. Named after the Livingston cycling clothing brand, Endura has grown exponentially in the last couple of seasons, in tandem with the company’s line of clothing, which now sells throughout Europe and the US. The budget increased by 50 per cent for this season, with team owner Jim McFarlane explaining: “It’s not quite £1m but it’s perilously close.”

That has allowed them to tackle a full international programme, with eight wins so far, including a stage victory by Bauer in the recent Tour of Utah. McFarlane’s sights are set even higher, though. “The Tour de France isn’t something we can realistically aim at,” he says, “but if we keep growing then eventually the Vuelta [a España] or Giro [d’Italia] would be realistic, as well as the classics. I’d be disappointed if we didn’t reach that level in the next two or three years.”

Another aim is to develop Scottish talent. “We’ve got the Endura-Pedal Power development squad to nurture Scottish talent, and create a pathway,” says McFarlane. “We have an international line-up, but we don’t want to lose sight of being a Scottish-based, British team.”