Video: Millar "shocked and incredibly disappointed" at leaked index

David Millar (Garmin-Cervélo) described himself as "shocked and incredibly disappointed" at the leaking of the UCI's "index of suspicion" of the 198 riders who competed in the 2010 Tour de France. The list, which detailed the level of priority for riders to be target tested at the Tour, was published in L'Équipe on Friday.

Speaking in a video interview with Cyclingnews in Sapri ahead of stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia, Millar articulated his dismay at the manner in which the sensitive information had entered the public domain, and he was critical of both the UCI and L'Équipe's handling of the matter.

"We put a lot of belief into the biological passport," Millar said. "I think it's a tool that we cannot lose within the sport. It's helping us massively. But then to see the UCI letting us down massively and to see L'Equipe being so irresponsible in their journalism."

Millar was given an index of four in the list and wondered if he was continuing to pay a price for his confession to EPO use seven years ago. However, it is understood that the index was based wholly on the blood values from the riders' biological passports.

"As far as I know, my data before the Tour was the same as it is before most of my objectives, when I've had a tapering period beforehand and my blood levels get a little bit higher," Millar said. "That's just what athletes do. They rest before their objectives and their levels go up slightly. That should be seen in the passport profile, so it's very strange."

Millar reiterated the support of riders for the biological passport, but suggested that the UCI use it better and called on the governing body to apologise for allowing the index to be leaked.

"I think they need to man up and apologise and say they've made a mistake, and L'Équipe similarly, because if L'Équipe thinks it is helping our sport, then it is very wrong," Milllar said.