Millar believes cycling is cleaner than it's ever been

REFORMED drugs cheat David Millar insists international cycling has become the torch-bearer for drug-free sport.

TORCH-BEARER: Reformed drugs cheat David Millar insists cycling is leading the fight for drug-free sport (Getty Images)

The sport has been plagued with doping scandals in the past decade and the 32-year old Scot was banned for two years in 2004 after admitting his use of blood booster EPO.

But, having campaigned against doping since his suspension, Millar has seen his Commonwealth Games ban overturned and is set to represent Scotland in New Delhi in October.

And the Malta-born Scot is adamant professional cycling has cleaned up its act in the past 24 months to become cleaner than it's ever been.

"We've gone from being one of the dirtiest professional sports to the sport that is at the vanguard of anti-doping," he told the BBC.

"The sport is very different now to what it used to be. It was quite a dirty, dark place for a few years but I honestly believe it's cleaner that it's ever been."

"I got very much wrapped up in that for a short period of time and it was almost my compete downfall."

Millar was just one of a number of famous names to test positive for doping since the famous 1998 Tour de France which became known as the Tour de Dopage after habitual doping within teams was exposed for the first time on a large scale.

And Millar insists drug-taking was so common-place at the time, it was almost impossible to avoid.

"When I turned professional at 19 years old, I was confronted with room-mates injecting themselves," said Millar.

"I know I'm responsible for my actions and I know it was preventable and I believe a younger version of me wouldn't have done it in a different sport.

"But when your management team has semi-endorsed it, you eventually give in."