A four-time individual Tour de France stage winner, veteran Scot David Millar was supposed to be enjoying a swansong at this year’s race as he prepares to bid farewell to the professional peloton. Indeed, last week he accidentally leaked his selection on Twitter.

A cough, which hampered his performance at the national championships and prevented him from finishing those races, has denied him the opportunity, however. Millar insists he would have been ready to take the Leeds start line but Garmin-Sharp have been ruthless as they build a team around Andrew Talansky.

Millar, instead, will now turn his attentions to the Commonwealth Games where he defends his time trial gold medal in his home country and will compete in the road race as part of a squad including fellow Tour absentee Andy Fenn (Omega Pharma-Quickstep).

Fenn was not expected to be at the Tour but Millar most certainly was, raising doubts as to how and where his career will now draw to a close. A five-time Vuelta a Espana stage winner, there is still opportunity for one final Grand Tour as part of a team also likely to include Dan Martin and, possibly, Ryder Hesjedal though.

Love him for his past achievements, or loathe him for his misdemeanours, it would be a great shame if there was not one more big moment for the 37-year-old.