Last year I was fortunate enough to be in Paris for the last stage of the Tour de France.

It was an opportunity not to be missed as I made my way to Champs Elysees to watch the final stage of arguably the most popular cycling race on the planet.

As I made my way out of the metro, an amazing sight awaited me. I knew that the Tour de France was something big but I never imagined that thousands of spectators would be lining up the boulevard to try and catch a glimpse of the riders as they sprinted down the final straight after gruelling days of sweating to conquer the steep gradients of the mountain stages.

Some even took the bother of carrying a step-ladder to enjoy an unobstructed view as the younger and bolder enthusiasts put their tree-climbing skills to the test and secured their balance on sturdy branches that provided a much welcome shade from the scorching afternoon sun.

Lance Armstrong won his fifth Tour de France in 2003 and repeated the feat last Sunday to claim an unprecedented sixth victory. The American, given a 50% chance of surviving cancer some years back, managed the unthinkable. Following painful chemotherapy sessions, he fought his way back to the circuit and became the undisputed champion of the French roads.

Missing from this year's Tour was Malta-born David Millar.

The Cofidis rider, known as Boy Dave, admitted to using illicit drug EPO and was subsequently banned from the race and sacked by his team. He withdrew from the British team at the Olympic Games where he had set his sights on a possible two gold medals, a feat which has never been achieved by any British rider before.

Millar admitted using EPO in 2001 and 2003. Interestingly, he competed for Malta at the San Marino GSSE in May 2001. He easily clinched gold in the individual time trial, winning the first ever medal for Malta in cycling. In San Marino, Millar was quite a celebrity as some journalists actually travelled to the small republic to watch him compete at these Games.

I remember Millar well as he flew in to Bologna and was greeted at the airport by the then Director of Sport Pippo Psaila. The cycling team, led by John Miles, happened to be located in the same hotel where I was staying.

On the eve of the opening ceremony, Millar had a quiet word with the rest of the team and told them that their focus should be on the time trial the following morning.

As a result, Millar asked Miles to seek my consent whether it would be possible for the whole team to skip the ceremony and focus on the race.

A short conversation with Psaila ensued and permission was granted to the cycling team to stay at the hotel rather than risk attending an endless ceremony which finished close to midnight.

True professional

Through his short stay in San Marino, Millar struck me as a professional through and through. As expected, he stormed to victory the next day with Jack Schiavone just missing out on the bronze medal as he placed fourth behind two professionals from Luxembourg.

The situation now makes an interesting story. It is not clear whether Millar has abused of banned substances during the San Marino GSSE. In all probability, his first contact with illicit substances came during the Tour de France some weeks later when he was facing a very hard time after falling in the first stage and struggling to keep up with the demands of his team.

The Malta Olympic Committee is reported to be currently monitoring the situation although a letter has been sent to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) seeking assistance on how they should deal with this case.

Given that Millar has admitted to the offence, I would have expected the MOC to issue a statement disassociating itself with 'Boy Dave'.

There is no place for doping in sport and the message should be clear to all. Plans were underway to include Millar in the Malta contingent for the 2005 GSSE in Andorra. His presence would all but guarantee another medal in the time trial.

Now the Malta Cycling Federation and the MOC will have to set their sights on our upcoming talent for the Andorra Games.

It remains to be seen whether the International Executive of the GSSE will strip Millar of his title in San Marino. In such a case, then the hard-working Schiavone would be the winner of the bronze medal, a just reward for his brilliant showing.

Schiavone was also very unlucky during the road race as the car driving the delegation from Liechtenstein made contact with his bike with the result that he was sent crashing down on the tarmac.

Bruised, bleeding and losing valuable time as he was attended to by paramedics, Schiavone mounted his bike and attempted a bold comeback which was just short of helping the Maltese team challenge for a podium finish.

The GSSE International Executive, with Psaila still as our representative, will probably seek legal advice on the matter.

Millar has now made the headlines for the wrong reasons.

In a recent interview with William Fotheringham of The Guardian, he admitted his guilt and that he had been living a highly paid prestigious lie which prevented him from sleeping well for the past three years.

Now he is hoping that the sentence issued on Wednesday will not spell a definite end to his career.

The glamour of the two-wheeled kingdom is now at best hazy and uncertain. Meanwhile, Malta awaits the outcome as to whether an unsung hero will be awarded a bronze medal, three years after competing in San Marino.

Schiavone, now approaching his mid-30s, is still one of the island's leading cyclists and came agonisingly close to winning this year's Tour of Malta.

Yet, the ambitious rider is hoping to bid farewell to his competitive endeavours with a good performance in Andorra next year.