MILLAR READY FOR ROAD RACE DRAMA
David Millar likened the excitement around his first Glasgow 2014 experience to a Tour de France stage after finishing eighth in the time trial.
The Scot goes into Sunday's road race with greater expectations for himself but the atmosphere on roads in Glasgow, North Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire exceeded his wildest dreams.
The 37-year-old came into the Games looking for a special experience to help bring the curtain down on his career and the welcome did not disappoint.
Millar said: "It was like a Tour de France stage out there, it really was.
"The amount of people out there with Scottish flags and my name being cheered, I have never experienced anything like it. I think it's going to be more of the same on Sunday.
"There were moments out there when it was just deep with people, and the noise was incredible. It really was like a Tour de France stage.
"I was very proud and everyone else can be. It was blurs of Saltires, it was pretty impressive. It was quite strange seeing so many Scottish flags out there."
Millar had not held out much hope of retaining the title he won in Delhi four years ago and he was never in contention, eventually finishing two minutes and 14 seconds behind English winner Alex Dowsett and almost two minutes behind Welsh bronze medallist Geraint Thomas.
"I had pretty low expectations and I fulfilled those," he said.
"I just wanted to get through it. I was super-realistic about today, I know where my forte lies now and it's not so much in time trials these days at my old age. So I'm looking forward to the road race."
Millar believes home support can be much more of a weapon on Sunday. The Maltese-born Scot finished third in the same course around the city centre and the west end of Glasgow in the National Championships last summer, and led coming into Glasgow Green before being overtaken in the home straight by sprint specialist Mark Cavendish, who misses these Games through injury.
"The road race is a lot different," he said. "You have time to soak it up and you have to go pretty deep and tap into all your resources. So I think having the home crowd on Sunday is going to make a big difference.
"I know what to expect, which is good, but I also know how hard it is. And it doesn't matter what the course is, every race is different.
"I think we have a real quality field there and it's going to be really aggressive from the gun.
"It's not going to be a boring race, that's for sure."
