David Millar maintained that cycling is cleaning up its act, despite yesterday?s news that Liquigas rider Manuel Beltran had tested positive for EPO.
The Garmin-Chipotle rider told Cycling Weekly that his attitude to the race had not been changed by Beltran?s positive.
?It hasn?t affected me at all. It shows that the controls are working,? he said.
But Millar implicitly criticised the media storm that has blown up since news of Beltran?s positive was announced.
?It makes me pissed off when people are surprised that this happens. We?ve spent a decade getting to this point, and if everybody is naïve and foolish enough to think that we are never going to have a positive control again, then you may as well go home and not cover this race.?
?The media have a responsibility to understand that this is no way the last doping positive we are going to have. It?s going to go on for years.?
?What we have to do is handle it, carry on and do the right thing,? he continued.
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Millar insisted that the majority of riders in the Tour were clean, and defended the right of the remaining Liquigas riders to stay in the race.
?If Liquigas believe that they have good riders doing it in the right way then they have every right to stay in the race. It?s up to them to handle this correctly and convince everybody that the other riders are doing it the right way.?
?There are always going to be guys doing it the wrong way, but it?s up to us to do it the right way. What we are doing with our team is the future of the sport. Same with CSC and Columbia. And many other teams are going in the right direction. We are already the majority.?
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TOUR DE FRANCE 2008: STAGE REPORTS
Stage six: Ricco storms to win
Stage five: Cavendish takes first Tour win
Stage four: Schumacher wins TT and takes race lead
Stage three: Dumoulin wins stage from break
Stage two: Hushovd wins chaotic sprint
Stage one: Valverde wins
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TOUR DE FRANCE 2008: NEWS
Comment: How the Tour rediscovered its spirit
Doping back in Tour de France headlines
Millar: close but no cigar in Super-Besse [stage six]
Super-Besse shows form of main contenders [stage six]
Millar to go for yellow [stage six]
Team Columbia's reaction to Cavendish's win [stage five]
Cavendish talks about his Tour stage win
Tour comment: Why Evans should be happy [stage four]
Millar: Still aiming for Tour yellow jersey [stage 4]
Who is Romain Feillu?
Cavendish disappointed with stage two result
Millar too close to Tour yellow jersey
Stage 2 preview: A sprint finish for Cavendish?
Millar happy after gains precious seconds in Plumelec
Valverde delighted with opening Tour stage win
Comment: Is Valverde's win a good thing for the Tour?
Edward Pickering is a writer and journalist, editor of Pro Cycling and previous deputy editor of Cycle Sport. As well as contributing to Cycling Weekly, he has also written for the likes of the New York Times. His book, The Race Against Time, saw him shortlisted for Best New Writer at the British Sports Book Awards. A self-confessed 'fair weather cyclist', Pickering also enjoys running.
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