Philippa York

Philippa York (born Robert Millar on 13 September 1958) is a Scottish journalist and former professional road racing cyclist.

York, who competed when known as Robert Millar, is one of Britain's most successful cyclists.

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.

She was twenty-first in the Milk Race, and won the British amateur road race championship.

She moved to France in 1979 to join the Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billancourt (A.C.B.B.), 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, taking 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 was happy to travel abroad and wasn't homesick.

As Millar, she married a French woman and lived with her in France.

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.

Returning home for the UK National Championship, she finished fifth.

In 1981 she improved one place on the year before with her seventh place in the Tour de Romandie.

1981 was her first prominent finish in another race in which she would again consistently impress, the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré.

York finished seventh as per the Tour de Romandie and was the first of six occasions in which she would end the Dauphiné in the top ten in the General Classification.1982 saw York again finish seventh in the Tour de Romandie.

In the second year of the under-23 Tour de l'Avenir being opened to professionals, York finished second to Greg LeMond.

In 1983 York came second in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré with LeMond again finishing a place above her.

With her impressive June showing in the Dauphine, York was selected for the Tour de France for the first time.

Any hopes of a high placing in the tour General Classification ended on stage three when she crashed losing seventeen minutes.

11 July was that year's tour first mountainous race crossing the Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin, and Peyresourde in the Pyrenees on stage ten.

The only Pyrenean stage of that tour, York won the day six seconds ahead of Pedro Delgado.

York finished fourteenth overall, twenty-three minutes behind the winner, Laurent Fignon and sandwiched in between two riders who would figure prominently in her career, Stephen Roche in thirteenth and Delgado in fifteenth.

York's debut grand tour gave her third in the mountains classification, one place above Delgado like in the General Classification with Lucien Van Impe taking the polka dot jersey.

York won the "King of the Mountains" competition in the 1984 Tour de France and finished fourth overall.

1984 saw continued improvement.

In the early season Paris–Nice, she and her team-mates finished second in the stage four team time trial.

As well as the Giro second-place finish, York finished second in two other Grand Tours: the 1985 and 1986 Vuelta a España.

The second place at the 1985 Vuelta came after losing the leader's jersey on the penultimate stage, in what is widely thought to have been collusion by the Spanish-speaking teams.

Further victories came at the 1985 Volta a Catalunya, the 1989 Tour of Britain and the 1990 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré.

York finished second in the 1987 Giro d'Italia and also won the King of the Mountains classification.

After retiring in 1995, York moved into journalism, as well as spending a year as a coach for British Cycling.

She 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.

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 for over 20 years until Bradley Wiggins was retrospectively placed third in the 2009 Tour de France.

York started the Tour de France eleven times, finishing eight times.

In the 2010s, having transitioned to living as York, she returned to journalism, publishing under the name of Robert Millar, until a decision to reveal her transition publicly by appearing on television in 2017 in a commentary role.

York was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, as Robert Millar.

At one time destined for a career as a factory engineer, York attended Shawlands Academy in the south of the city.

In 2017, York revealed that she had first felt "different" aged five, but was unaware that this difference came from discomfort with having a male body.

She initially began riding for Glenmarnock Wheelers cycling club and quickly established herself as a leading amateur road racing rider.

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.

This was the highest finish by a Briton in the Giro d'Italia until Chris Froome won the 2018 race.