London, Jul 4: David Millar was selected for the British Olympic cycling team on Wednesday, joining sprinter Dwain Chambers and shot putter Carl Myerscough as former doping offenders who had life Olympic bans overturned to compete in their home games.
The 35-year-old Millar was one of five British men named for the 250-kilometer (155-mile) road race at the London Games. Mark Cavendish, Chris Foome, Ian Stannard and three-time Olympic gold medalist Bradley Wiggins were the others.
However, Millar wasn't included for the 44-kilometer (27-mile) time trial, where Wiggins and Foome would ride for Britain.
Like Chambers and Myerscough, who were named in the athletics team on Tuesday, Millar served an international suspension for a doping offense but had his lifetime ban by the British Olympic Association overturned at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in April.
Millar will be competing in his first Olympics having previously served a two-year ban from 2004-06 for using the blood-boosting drug EPO.
Under BOA rules he was banned for life from competing at the games, but the bylaw was revoked this year after being rejected by sport's top court, giving him his chance to go to the games.
Millar had to overcome illness to be ready for the start of the Tour de France, Team GB said, but it still included him for the Olympics where he'll try to help Cavendish to the gold medal in the road race on July 28.
Wiggins is aiming to be the first British winner of the yellow jersey at the ongoing Tour before returning home for the London Games. He'll also support Cavendish in the road race before trying for a fourth gold medal at his fourth games.
The 32-year-old Wiggins has switched to road cycling after a successful Olympic track career, where he won successive golds in the individual pursuit in 2004 and 2008. He also was a gold medalist in the team pursuit in Beijing four years ago.
“We've got a good chance to win the road race with Cav (Cavendish) and it's a London Olympics which makes it very special,” Wiggins said in a statement as he continued his Tour campaign in France. “I've also got a chance to go for my fourth gold medal in the time trial.”
Steve Cummings, Ben Swift and Jeremy Hunt didn't make the final selection after they were in an initial eight-man training squad. Cummings, who rides for Tour de France champion Cadel Evans' BMC Racing team, had been tipped for a spot.
“The final selection for the men's road race was a tough choice as we had a really strong squad of riders to pick from,” British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford said. “We have selected the five riders who we believe are on the best form and will give us the fastest team for the race.”
