Cycling: British Selectors Turn to Millar

David Millar was yesterday included in the British team for this month's world road-race championships in Salzburg, just nine weeks after his return from a two-year doping ban. His selection came despite the fact the ban makes him ineligible to race in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In Austria he will ride the world time-trial and the road race. The decision will split opinions among fans of the sport in Britain, but as the cycling performance director, Dave Brailsford, explained yesterday, Millar is among the three best riders available. Bradley Wiggins, who finished seventh in the time-trial last year, has decided not to ride, and Millar is the only other world-class time-triallist.

"British Cycling decided to give [Millar] his licence back and say he is available," said Brailsford. "In this situation he will score points towards the team's national ranking which will help determine the number of riders we send to Beijing."

The other two cyclists in the men's road race are Roger Hammond and Russell Downing, both fresh from strong performances in the Tour of Britain. The women's team will be led by Nicole Cooke, who tops the world rankings. The sprinter Mark Cavendish, who has just signed a two-year deal with the T-Mobile team, will head the under-23 squad.

The Tour of Britain organisers plan a significant rethink over rider safety for next year following protests from the cyclists in last week's event. "It will not fall on deaf ears," said the chief executive, Hugh Roberts.

The Sheffield stage finish could be sacrificed. This year there were worries from the riders that traffic was travelling against them as they raced at speeds of up to 50mph in the city centre. The Tour of Britain organisers are involved in running next year's Tour de France start in London, but the Tour's parent company, ASO, was not available for comment on the weekend's events. Four of the five people taken to hospital after Sunday's accident on The Mall were released yesterday.