The Milk Race

For 35 years the Milk Marketing Board sponsored a multi-stage Tour of Britain, transforming it into the best-known race in the country

- Giles Belbin

When Chris Lillywhite rolled across the finish line in Manchester as the winner of the 1993 Milk Race, he entered the history books. Over the course of the 1,168 mile, two-week race, Lillywhite had averaged 26.97mph. It was the fastest Milk Race on record but the clouds were gathering over the event. The Milk Marketing Board, the organisation that had sponsored the race since 1958, was disbanding. As a result the race’s future was uncertain. “I hope it continues,” Lillywhite said. “It would be devastating for us to lose it.” As it turned out, Lillywhite entered the record books as b