Hong Kong-raised cycling great David Millar recounts dodging cars in the ‘madness’ of Mong Kok and passing time at Flying Ball Bicycle
Millar catches up with one-time mentor ‘Mr Lee’ and credits his time here for laying the foundation for his career at the top of the sport
The thought of riding through the streets of one of the most densely populated places in the world would make most people shudder, but not David Millar.
Quite the opposite. It was weaving through the “madness” of Mong Kok as a teenager that set Millar on the road to becoming the first British cyclist to wear the leader’s jersey in all three grand tours.
“I have always been at ease in the peloton and I do think that comes from learning to ride here and riding through the streets of Kowloon and Mong Kok,” the 40-year-old says.
“It was madness, I loved it. It was so much fun dodging cars and squeezing through gaps, without knowing it at the time I was learning how to ride in the peloton.”
The hustle and bustle of Hong Kong life and the winding roads of Sai Kung Country Park left an indelible mark on Millar during his five years living here in the 1990s, as did Mong Kok institution Flying Ball Bicycle.
Run by the “immortal” Lee Sheung-lum, known simply as Mr Lee, the shop, which is now in Lai Chi Kok, was a home away from home for Millar as he laid the foundation for a career at the very top.
