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Locally owned bike shop Billy Bilsland Cycles has acquired the bicycle ridden by Scotsman Robert Millar to his King of the Mountains victory in the 1984 Tour De France.
The bicycle, a unique Vitus Peugeot built specifically for Millar, has not been seen in public for nearly 30 years after Millar sold it to a private collector.
The bicycle will now sit alongside the King of the Mountains Polka Dot jersey worn to victory by Millar. The jersey was gifted to his good friend, and former Peugeot and Raleigh cycling professional, Billy Bilsland and is proudly displayed in Bilslands 176 Saltmarket premises.
Speaking of the acquisition owner Neil Bilsland said: “It’s fantastic to have the actual bike that Millar rode to victory here in the shop beside the famous and unique jersey of 84. This is a significant piece of cycling history that we are delighted to share, not just in terms of its importance to cycling but also the friendship my father and Robert established in their early cycling careers.”
Glasgow-raised Millar won ‘King of the Mountains’ in the 1984 Tour de France and finished fourth overall. Millar remains the only rider from a native English speaking country to have won the Mountains classification in the Tour de France. This success was the first time a British rider won a major Tour classification, and was unsurpassed as the highest Tour finish for a Briton until Bradley Wiggins was retrospectively placed third in the 2009 Tour de France. He is one of only four Britons to have won a Tour de France jersey competition along with Wiggins, Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish. He rode the Tour de France eleven times completing the race eight times.
Billy Bilsland Cycles was established in 1982 by Scottish former professional road racing cyclist William “Billy” Bilsland. The company is now owned and managed by Billy’s son, Neil Bilsland. The shop is mentioned in Richard Moore’s book “In search of Robert Millar” as the home of Millar’s 1984 Tour de France King of the Mountains classification winners Polka Dot jersey. Every year hundred of cycling fans make the pilgrimage to see Millar’s Jersey from as far away as New Zealand and America.
The business told BikeBiz it invests heavily in supporting future youth cycling talent with sponsorship of Glasgow Riderz and the Glasgow Cycle Team.
