Millar is king for a day

From the depths of a two-year ban for doping, David Millar scrambled his way back to the front of the cycling world yesterday. He may not have been the first man to finish stage one of the 2007 Tour de France, but for an hour through the Medway towns of Kent, the Scot repaid a debt of thanks to a public who have never given up on him.

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Victorious: David Millar

Touched so much by the affection which was showered on him prior to Saturday's prologue in Central London that he lost all control of his emotions, Millar devised a plan for the 127-mile trek through Kent devoid of cunning but immersed in gratitude.

The plan was simple and direct — not the usual adjectives that are applied to a three-week haul that separates men from their minds as exhaustion sets in. Go off fast and stay out in front for as long as you can.

Unsurprisingly, when the rest of the 189-strong field was concerned with easing themselves gently into the task which lies ahead, Millar's ruse worked to perfection.

When he was caught by a chasing pack of four riders, he possessed the determination to hurl himself up the gentle slopes that the men of Kent call hills and collect enough points from the race over three summits to claim the jersey awarded to Le Tour's King of the Mountains.

Millar's crossing: Tour de France cyclists make their way across a spectator-lined Tower Bridge before Stage One of the race in London yesterday

The stage was won by Australia's Robbie McEwen, 35, who produced a stunning sprint finish after looking out of contention. He had to stop for repairs after crashing as he approached Canterbury but the Predictor-Lotto team rider worked his way through the peloton expertly and produced a blistering sprint to take the spoils from Norway's Thor Hushovd and Tom Boonen, of Belgium, while Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara retained the race leader's yellow jersey.

But the crowd in Canterbury were right behind Millar, who deservedly won a place on the podium and an ovation. The polka dot jersey will have to be handed over sooner rather than later — certainly by the time the Alps are reached next weekend — but the memories of a weekend like no other will stay with the 30-year-old forever.

Millar said: "On Saturday I underestimated how overwhelmed I would be. Seeing all the people in London stressed me out. I was only happy when I was on the bike. I can't handle all that other stuff. You want to stop and say hello to everyone. I don't know how the Beckhams deal with that.

"I came 13th in the prologue. I woke up in a dark, angry mood this morning and I felt that I wanted to do something.

"I remember watching the Tour as a kid when it came to Britain in 1994 in Brighton and it made my day seeing Chris Boardman attack off the front. So I thought: "You know what, I'm going to go on a suicide mission," and it ended up being productive, which was a real bonus. It was not a case of trying to win the stage, it was just a suicide mission. But I'll win a stage before the end of the race, I'm pretty sure about that.

"It's nice to be called the King of the Mountains — until we hit the big hills, that is. But I have no illusions over how difficult some of those mountain stages will be.

"I just want to thank everyone for coming to watch. It's been amazing to see the flags and people shouting my name in English instead of French. David instead of Davide."

Riding away with it: McEwan wsa the overall winner

In the winners' and losers' world of sport, Millar's elation could not have contrasted more starkly with the crushing disappointment which befell Mark Cavendish. The 22-yearold was regarded as a potential winner of the mass sprint through Canterbury but ended up trailing in two minutes 45 seconds behind the peloton in 186th place in a combination of tears and fury.

Seeking to pick his way through the peloton with around 15 miles to go, Cavendish collided with a group of spectators on the tightly-lined lanes and was thrown off and his bike's handlebars mangled.

He swapped to a second machine, only to find its handling all wrong. A change back to the original with handlebars restored left him in an uncontrollable panic. This may be the only time in his career the Tour de France comes to Britain and his chance of a stage win was in tatters.

A wise head and words of comfort were required. They came from T-Mobile team boss Bob Stapleton, whose calming influence at least ensured Cavendish, riding in his first Tour, did not burn all his mental reserves in one afternoon.

The young Briton articulated his despair afterwards and then retreated to the T-Mobile team bus to contemplate the sprint stages to come when Le Tour returns to France for today's second stage.

Cavendish said: "There was a big group of spectators at the side of the road. The next thing I know I'm on the floor. I don't know if I hit one of them or what. I was just down quick as a flash. The bike was trashed.

"I haven't broken anything, just the normal cut elbows, cut knee. It's all right. I'll live to ride again but the bike was really damaged, all twisted. With the motivation for today, I was floating along. I was in a good position at the time and I was confident coming to the finish. It's obviously frustrating."

In the end McEwen's experience of 11 stage wins in the Tour allowed him to recover patiently and then strike to win the sprint finish. He will endure, while Cavendish will revive. For Millar, meanwhile, you sense the Tour is already a triumph.