Philippa York is a Scottish journalist and former professional road racing cyclist. York won the King of the Mountains competition in the 1984 Tour de France and finished fourth overall. She also finished second in two other Grand Tours: the 1985 and 1986 Vuelta a España. After retiring in 1995, York moved into journalism, as well as spending a year as a coach for British Cycling.
About Philippa York in brief
Philippa York is a Scottish journalist and former professional road racing cyclist. York won the King of the Mountains competition in the 1984 Tour de France and finished fourth overall. She also finished second in two other Grand Tours: the 1985 and 1986 Vuelta a España. After retiring in 1995, York moved into journalism, as well as spending a year as a coach for British Cycling. In the 2010s, having transitioned to living as York, she returned to journalism, publishing under the name of Robert Millar until a decision to appear on television commentary and reveal her transition publicly in 2017. In 2017, York revealed that she had first felt ‘different’ aged five, but was unaware that this difference came from discomfort with her gender. York was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, asRobert Millar. She was a relatively small man meaning she had comparatively less weight to carry uphill and she excelled as a specialist hill and mountain cyclist. She won the Scottish junior title in 1976 and was Scottish hill-climb champion the following year. In 1978, York established herself on the British scene, and won the British amateur road race championship. She moved to France in 1979 to join the Athletic Club de Boulogne Billancourt, one of Europe’s top amateur teams, and quickly began winning races such the Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers. In 1979, after retaining her British road title, she took fourth place in the world amateur road championship, claiming five wins in France and winning the French ‘Best Amateur’ Trophy.
She turned professional for the Peugeot cycling team, and as a climbing specialist focused on single-day road races and stage races in hilly or mountainous terrain. York’s 1980 debut pro season included second in the Tour du Vaucluse to Michel Laurent and eighth in a race in which she would finish in the top ten overall in her career seven times, the Tour de Romandie. In 1981 she improved one place on the year before with her seventh place in Tour deRomandie, and again in 1982 saw York again finish seventh in the second year of the under-23 Tour de l’Avenir. In 1983 York came second to Greg Mondond in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré with LeMond again finishing a place above her. With her impressive showing in June, York was selected for the tour de France for the first time. York finished seventh as a high placing in the General Classification on stage three of the tour. Any hopes of winning the Tour of France in 2009 were dashed when she crashed losing seventeen minutes in the first stage of the race crossing the Pyre de Aubisque, Pyres de Peyres and Peyourres in July. As Millar, she married a French woman and lived with her in France. In 2000, York reduced her public commitments in 2000 following hostile stories regarding rumours of her gender transition, and after an appearance as Millar at the 2002 Commonwealth Games left public life altogether.
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