LONDON 2012: Grown up disagreements key to British Cycling's success

Posted: Thursday 5th January 2012 | 23:21

MARK Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins’s opposing views on whether David Millar should be allowed to ride at the Olympics shows British Cycling is streets ahead of other governing bodies in terms of the respect it extends to its athletes when dealing with the press.

BEST OF BRITISH: Mark Cavendish, pictured with Bradley Wiggins, will join Team Sky with three HTC-Highroad team-mates while Richie Porte, a former holder of the Giro d'Italia pink jersey, is another new arrival (Jeff Moore)

In two interviews published in the last seven days, Cavendish has said ‘yes’ and Wiggins ‘no’ over whether Millar should ride with Wiggins adding: 'morally he should never be allowed to compete at the Olympics again.'

Radically opposing views from the same camp are a modern-day rarity in sport and considering the difference Millar might make to the Great British team’s charge for gold medals in London, it is refreshing to hear.

After all cycling has been through, he (Millar) should never do the Olympics again"

Bradley Wiggins

"He's redeemed himself. I would love him to be at London 2012. Dave cheated but he has realised what he did and learned a lot."

Mark Cavendish

It’s a long way away from the mindless, across-the-board, support given by the Liverpool football team to their team-mate, Luis Suarez, when under recent accusations of racism.

And can you imagine Sir Alex Ferguson agreeing with the referee over a contentious dismissal and then suggesting to the FA they prolong his player’s ban?

It’s unlikely to happen.

But Dave Brailsford, British Cycling performance director, seems happy to keep his charges on a loose, media reign and if cyclists have opinions, they are allowed to express them.

It would probably be an impossible task anyway to gag characters like Wiggins and Cavendish because if something’s wrong or if they’re raging about someone, they’ll let you know.

Although both riders did stress how much they would like Millar to ride in the road race on July 28, their lack of unity over if he should is the sign of a healthy sport and a united team - just one with of room for differences.