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Serious cycling: Meredith Miller in Italy |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Thursday, 03 May 2007 |
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Photos courtesy of
Meredith Miller for NEXTnc
Procyclist Meredith Miller in Italy.
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NEXTnc caught up with Meredith Miller, pro cyclist with the TEAM Lipton through e-mail. Miller, 33, of Fort Collins, is in Italy participating in several races and is basically kicking butt. Here’s what she had to say:
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NEXTnc: Why did you decide to come to Fort Collins?
MILLER: My husband and I moved to Fort Collins in January 2007 from Auckland, New Zealand, because he was offered a job at Colorado State University in the Deptartment of Health and Exercise Science.
 We very much enjoyed New Zealand, but the opportunity at CSU was too good to pass up.
Although we had never spent extended periods of time in Colorado, we knew that life would be good here — the outdoor lifestyle that Colorado offers suits us perfectly and being in a college town again greatly appealed to us. It really wasn’t a difficult decision to return to such a beautiful part of the U.S.
NEXTnc: What do you think about the bike scene in Fort Collins?
MILLER: We have found the cycling scene to be very friendly. Since moving to Fort Collins, we have met many people who have shown us good rides and shared information about races, routes, clubs, etc.
Because Fort Collins is a fantastic place for training, it seems to draw many elite athletes to the area for training. Amongst the many recreational riders who take to the roads and trails, there are also many elite riders who race professionally for various road, mountain and national teams.
NEXTnc: So what are your favorite trails or routes in northern Colorado?
MILLER: Because I am still relatively new to the area, the different rides that I have done are a bit limited to the Fort Collins area. The ones I know best involve Rist Canyon, Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake. On days when I must do a lot of climbing, I ride up Rist Canyon, south along Stove Prairie and then east toward the reservoir back town. The ride up Rist Canyon is a steady 1-hour climb, give or take depending on one’s fitness level, with several steep pitches here and there and the steepest section waiting for you at the top. Once over the crest of the climb, there is a steep and fast descent of about 1-2 miles in length. At the bottom of the descent you have a choice to either turn south along Stove Prairie, which is mostly downhill and fast, or you can turn north toward the Poudre River and do a bit more climbing. Heading south on Stove Prairie will take you past Masonville and on to the Horsetooth Reservoir where, after several more short climbs, you can either ride north along the top of the reservoir for more climbing or you can drop straight back into town along Harmony. If you choose to ride along the Poudre River, you will be challenged by more climbing before you reach the river but once you have turned east along the river it is downhill from there. However, there tends to be a headwind along this section, meaning it’s not necessarily an easy coast down to the bottom. After descending to the bottom head back into town on Colo. 287. A round-trip ride starting and ending at the reservoir takes me approximately 3 hours. Riding along the Poudre River would add roughly 30 minutes to the overall ride. Either route involves a lot of climbing so you must be prepared with the proper gearing and enough food because you will burn a lot of calories...
NEXTnc: How did you come to ride professionally? What do you love most about the sport?
MILLER: I played collegiate soccer until 1997, after which I began riding a bike when my husband became seriously involved in the sport and passed his enthusiasm for the sport along to me. The transition from soccer to cycling proved to be a good choice for me as I found myself progressing rather steadily through the categories until I found myself in the upper echelons of the sport. In 2002, my husband and I moved to Denmark for his work and I was fortunate to be part of a Danish-based cycling team for three years. It had been a dream of mine to one day race in Europe, so it was at this point that I began cycling full-time.
Racing in Europe was an extraordinary experience, one that I will never forget because I raced alongside the best women in the world in races like the women’s Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, Tour de l’Aude and many prestigious World Cups. In 2006 I returned to the States to race professionally with TEAM Lipton, which is one of the most highly recognized teams in the United States, and I am again a member of TEAm Lipton in 2007. The sport of cycling is, in my opinion, one of the most challenging sports in the world because of the stresses that it puts on the body, but also one of the most beautiful because of the freedom that it gives me to see the world up close. The experiences that have been part of my life through cycling are unforgettable, the people that I have met around the world through this sport are incredible, and the ways in which it forces me to test my body at its limits are unreal. Suffering is a requirement of this sport but it is amazing to learn how far I can physiologically and mentally push my body. The pain and suffering pays off when at the end of a ride I know I have given everything that my body has to give, or at the end of a race when my teammate steps onto the podium I know that I have contributed to the effort.
The cycling world is a small community so the camaraderie among cyclists is tight because we empathize with each other’s pain, we understand the time and sacrifices it takes to reach the top, and we are there for each other when we’ve been away from our husbands and families for weeks at a time. I’ve made lifetime friends in this sport, not just in the United States but all around the world.
NEXTnc: Describe your most challenging race.
MILLER: I would say that one of the most challenging races in the women’s European peloton is a 10-day tour in southern France called Tour de l’Aude. I have done this race several times and it never gets easier. Preparing myself to race 70 miles day after day for 10 days straight is both physically and mentally challenging. The women who line up each day for this race are some of the best in the world— world, national and Olympic champions — so indubitably the races are fast and furious, regardless if it’s Day 1 or Day 10. Our bodies are pushed to the limits each day, but beyond that we must mentally prepare ourselves that each day is going to hurt, that we have to push the body again and again and again. But when all is said and done, the feeling of accomplishment at the end of a race of this caliber is powerful — enough that we want to do it again the following year.
NEXTnc: Could you tell me a little bit more about the races you are at currently?
MILLER: Here in Europe TEAm Lipton is participating in several races — one in Holland and four in Italy. Our first race was in Holland called Ronde van Gelderland, www.rondevangelderland.nl. The distance of the race was about 88 miles, it was fast from the start and about 145 women started the race. It was a very tough race. Our legs were cooked at the finish but we had a great race. Next was a race in Crema, Italy. This race was also fast and furious, about 75 miles long, and about 140 women lined up at the start. Racing in Italy is always interesting because the women here are crazy on their bikes because they have no fear, and for those who think cycling is not a contact sport, you will quickly learn here that it is.
NEXTnc: Any interesting bike stories?
MILLER: Wow, there are so many I don’t know where to begin but I’ll have to say that the different places I have gotten to race my bike around the world is pretty cool. I have raced or ridden my bike in 13 different countries — Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Holland, Italy, France, Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and the United States. It’s been pretty cool to travel around the world doing what I love.
The fun and interesting people I have met through this sport are unforgettable. I’ll have friends to visit around the world for my lifetime.
Because I am living the high life right now in Lucca, Italy, I must mention it as an interesting story. USA Cycling shares a house with SRM Italy in Lucca and they have graciously let Lipton use the house as a home base while we are here racing. First, the U.S. National team is also here right now so we are among friends. Second, this place is paradise. The weather has been wonderful, we have been riding with several pros who live in the area, the house is more like an estate, and the atmosphere has been relaxed yet entertaining. We have really been lucky to be part of this experience here in Italy.
NEXTnc: What’s the latest trends in the bike world? Any new technology or bicycle gear new this year?
MILLER: Compact cranks, Tubeless tires for road bikes, Carbon everything— bikes so light they have to add bits and pieces to make them legal — SRAM’s new components, more sophisticated training tools such as powermeters and GPS units, Aerodynamics and wind tunnel testing and Compression tights for recovery.
Check out Miller’s blog at www.meredithmiller.missingsaddle.com.
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READ MORE OF OUR BIKE GUIDE:
• Trails
• Cycling events
• Listings of Bike shops in the area
• Work space with Perfect Circle Cyclery
• What's with the Velodrome?
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