British stalwart David Millar has announced he will call time on a long professional cycling career at the end of the 2014 season.
Speaking to Dutch media outlet Wieler Revue, the 36-year-old, who will mark his 17th year as a professional in 2014, said the decision was not difficult.
"It's been quite organic really," he said. "It's been one of those things where you always think it's going to be a definitive moment, but it hasn't. It's kind of crept up and I'm suddenly realising that it's time."
Millar won his career fourth individual Tour stage last season and is confident he can still be "on top of the game" in his final year as a professional cyclist in which he could compete on UK soil more than once. The Giro d'Italia starts in Belfast, the Tour de France begins in Yorkshire and then there's the possibility, as reigning time-trial champion, to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games on home turf in Glasgow.
"I can still be on top of the game, I know that, but it's a lot harder for me now," he said. "I know I can get that out of me with the motivation knowing it's my last year."
David Millar: Major career victories
2012
Tour de France, stage 12
2011
Giro d'Italia; stage 21 ITT
2010
Criterium International; stage three ITT
Three Days of De Panne; stage three b ITT
Three Days of De Panne; overall
Commonwealth Games time trial
Chrono des Nations time trial
2009
Edinburgh Nocturne
Tour of Spain; stage 20
2008
Giro d'Italia; stage one, TTT
2007
Paris-Nice; prologue
British national road race champion
British national time trial champion
2006
Tour of Spain; stage 14
British national individual pursuit champion
2003
Tour of Spain; stage 17
Tour de France; stage 19 ITT
Three Days of West Flanders; stage, one
Tour of Burgos; stage four
Tour de Picardie
2002
Tour de France; stage 13
2001
Tour of Spain; stage one
Tour of Spain; stage six
Circuit de la Sarthe; overall
Circuit de la Sarthe; stage four
Circuit de la Sarthe; stage five
Tour of Denmark; overall
Tour of Denmark; stage five
2000
Tour de France; stage one
Route du Sud; stage one (b)
1999
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana; mountains classification
1998
Three Days of de Panne; stage three
Tour de l'Avenir; prologue
Tour de l'Avenir; stage six
1997
Tour de l'Avenir; prologue
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