MissingSaddle

April 30, 2013

JMSR Stage 4: Winners All Around

I’m not a bragger by nature, but what Team TIBCO accomplished at Joe Martin is worth a boast or two. We dominated the race from start to finish by winning the prologue, the first road race and today’s criterium. By virtue of winning those stages came the individual and team classifications. Claudia earned the leader’s jersey on the opening day, and we all worked together to defend it until the finish. By coming together the way we did as a team to defend the pink jersey, the team classification was just an added (and very welcome) bonus.

Claudia has primarily raced in Europe during her lengthy career, and, as a result, she doesn’t have much experience racing American-style criteriums. She’s a natural climber, and sprinting doesn’t always come easy for her, so she was a bit nervous about today’s crit. We repeatedly reassured her that we were confident in her abilities and, should anything go not quite as planned, we would be by her side to make things right.

She had heard us call the course ‘technical’, and I think that was part of the reason she was nervous. The course IS technical, but it’s mostly technical because of the descents. The field isn’t too large. The roads aren’t too narrow – even narrow roads here aren’t narrow by European standards. The corners aren’t particularly tricky. There was nothing about the course that she couldn’t handle.

(photo credit: Wil Matthews)

We developed tactics to counter-balance Ali Power’s (NOW) strength and protect Claudia’s weaknesses. Claudia started the day’s stage with a 16” advantage over Ali in second, and she remained the biggest threat to the overall win. Ali is a technically strong rider who excels on descents, so our goal was to keep the pace as fast as possible on the downhill to prevent Ali from slipping away on this part of the course. Claudia would easily be able to hold her own on the uphill sections.

After two rainy road races, we were greeted with sunshine and blue skies this afternoon. It was a welcome departure from the previous cold, wet races.

From the gun, we raced full gas. We knew we’d drop a lot of the field with this strategy, and that was our goal. We wanted to thin the field from the start to help Claudia feel more comfortable in the bunch. It was advantageous for the entire team – with fewer riders in the field, we had less people trying to attack us.

(photo credit: Wil Matthews)

I took over at the front of the peloton on descent on the backside of the course on lap one. I led as fast as I could downhill and through the first few corners at the bottom of the descent. The road kicks up ever so slightly before the turn onto the hill that leads to the finish, and Chantal came around me on the small grade to take us up the climb. My job was done, and my race was pretty much over at that point.

We stuck to the plan throughout the entire race. String things out on the descent to prevent attacks on the backside of the course, and let Claudia do her thing on the climbs. We knew she could hold her own when the road went up, so our main concern was keeping the field intact at any other point. Each and every rider had her turn on the front whether it was down the hill, up the hill or chasing down a break.

(photo credit: Wil Matthews)

It was a race of attrition, and as the front group began to take shape, we had five riders make the selection. Shelley won the small group sprint – her second stage win in four days. Claudia finished just a few places behind Shelley to easily maintain the overall.

The day went perfectly to plan. It’s rare that this happens in bike racing – rarer still that we can say that about an entire tour. I couldn’t be prouder! Everyone worked really hard today as they did all week, and we all contributed however we could. It feels really great to be leaving Fayetteville with several wins to our name. It’s been a long time since Team TIBCO has been this dominant, so it’s extra sweet to be back on top.

I fly home tonight, but I’ll be keeping a close eye on my teammates who are heading to Silver City, NM for the Tour of the Gila. I hope they can carry the momentum we’ve created here with them into our next stage race. Gila will definitely have a different feel than Joe Martin. The courses are harder and the fields are deeper. If we recover well, I know we can show that we’re on the up and up – a real force to be reckoned with this year.

Go to the Source – meredithmiller.missingsaddle.com

Filed by Meredith Miller at April 30th, 2013 under Meredith Miller, Road Blog
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April 13, 2013

This One Time, At Team Camp

(beach cruiser waiting for a ride at our team camp beach house)

Having arrived in California yesterday for the second round of team camp, I figured now might be a good time to fill you in on round one. This year, camp was split into two parts by Redlands. We all met up in Carpinteria, California two weeks ago and then our eight rider Redlands squad headed to the first NRC race of the season. I headed home to pack and move (which, as I’m sure you can imagine, wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do after two weeks away). After moving all weekend, I had an early wake-up call Monday morning to fly back to California for more team bonding, sponsor visits and training rides. When camp ends on Friday, it’s off to Charlotte for one of the biggest one day races of the season.

As you might remember, I last blogged before San Dimas. I wrote daily race reports on my first road race of the year (you can read them here if you missed them and want to catch up). Following San Dimas, Amanda, Melanie and I stayed in Ventura for a few days. Jo and her husband Jeff Pierce (you might know him, and if you don’t, you should – here’s why) were doing their own thing, leaving Melanie, Amanda and I to our own devices. On Monday the three of us went out for an easy spin, but on Tuesday we decided a long ride with some climbing was in order. We talked to our former teammate and local, Alexis Ryan, who told us about a climb out of Ojai up to Rose Valley. It was a beautiful, mellow climb up Hwy 33. The gradient was perfect to put some tension on the legs but not overdo it. And the views from the top were amazing.

On Wednesday, we rode the couple hours from Ventura to Carpinteria and arrived sometime mid-afternoon. Our mechanic Josh and Jeff and Jo were already at the house getting things in order  for the circus to begin. Rushlee Buchanan, Sam Schneider and Jasmin Glaesser were the next three to arrive. The trio had flown in from Europe two days prior and were staying with our team founder Linda Jackson in Menlo Park. They drove down in a team car and arrived at the beach house a few hours after us.

Sam has been with the team several years and has become a familiar face for Team TIBCO fans. Rushlee joined Team TIBCO the year prior to me. She raced with the team for two years (so overlapped with me in ’09) before leaving to race with another North American team. Last summer, she represented New Zealand on the track at the London Olympics. She’s fully focused on road this year, and we’re happy to have her back! Like Rush, Jasmin represented her country in London last year. She was part of Canada’s bronze winning team pursuit squad and took the young rider jersey at the Exergy Tour. She’s a new recruit without a ton of road racing experience, and she was one of the two teammates I hadn’t met until team camp.

(the beach is just a few steps away from the back door)

The eight of us got to work sorting things around the house. Each year, we stay in one of two houses owned by the Cook family. The riders all stayed in the same house, so there we divved up the space, assigned rooms and ran to the grocery store for basics. Jeff cooked us a fantastic dinner, and just before midnight, the rest of the Euro crew arrived: our team director Manel, Shelley Olds, Claudia Häusler and our soigneur Nadia.

Way back when, Shelley raced for the Proman Hit Squad (what has now grown to be Exergy Twenty16). Primarily focused on track, she had hoped to earn an Olympic berth in the points race and scratch race. When her events were pulled from the Olympic track program, Shelley switched her focus to the road, began racing in Europe full time and represented Team USA alongside Evie Stevens, Amber Neben and Kristin Armstrong in the road race this summer. Claudia is best known for winning the Giro Donne and Tour de l’Aude. Although my new German teammate has primarily raced in Europe, she has traveled with her European teams to contest select US races in the past. This will be her first season racing with a North American team.

Chantal Blaak missed out on the first few days of camp. She stayed in Belgium to race Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) with the Dutch National Team. Although Chantal has been racing for quite some time, we have yet to officially cross paths, and I’m looking forward to getting to know her during this second round of team camp.

Back to round one – with the late arrivals, it was a late night. Lucikly, we didn’t have too early of a morning on Thursday. The first full day of camp involved sorting through all the schwag that accompanies the start of the season – new kit, new bags, new sunglasses, new shoes, new everything. We spent a good chunk of the morning getting our stuff sorted. Mid-day included a team photo session with Larry Rosa. He had joined us on Wednesday and did head shots and lifestyle shots with the early arrivals. Thursday was team photos on the road and more head shots. Our photo shoot was followed by an afternoon spent with sponsors. Shimano, Fuji and Reynolds each ran through the ins and outs of the equipment they provide us with during the season. Reynolds is a third-year sponsor and both Shimano and Fuji are new to Team TIBCO this year. The sponsors hung out while we took more team photos with Larry, and then stayed for dinner, which was a particularly delicious meal of catered Middle Eastern food. It was nice to have a chance to chat with the people beyond our equipment in a more casual setting.

Friday was more of the same – a late morning to give the Euros further chance to acclimate after the long travel and big time change. We got up at our own pace and did our own thing for breakfast. By mid-morning we were out on the bikes for more team photos. Larry captured action shots of us as we rode. When his work was wrapped, we picked up the pace and settled in for our first longer day on the bike. Post-ride it was massages, naps and enjoying the beach as dinner was made.

We had split the team into three groups of three, and each group would be responsible for one night of dinner. My group was me, Jo and Melanie – and we were up first. We put together fish tacos, and I made my (semi-famous) chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Meetings followed dinner, and Friday’s meeting involved an overview of logistics around camp and upcoming racing.

(climbing legs required)

Saturday was our biggest day on the bike. It included 6500 feet of climbing over 4.5 hours of riding. It was the perfect kind of climb to put a little tension on the legs without overdoing it before Redlands. We stayed together until we hit the main slopes of the mountain – then, at that point, we each rode to the summit in the way that best suited us. We were pretty split up as climb went on, but we regrouped at the top to take some photos and enjoy the all-around amazing day.

What comes up must go down, and we had A LOT of fun with the descent. We flew down the twists and turns, with everyone getting a chance to punch it on the front. An unspoken game of ‘catch me if you can’ took shape. Towards the end of the descent, the wind picked up, and we had to pedal hard as we shot down the road. Once we reached the bottom, we spun home at a chit-chatty pace.

Jasmin, Rush and Amanda handled dinner that night. Their menu included homemade pizza – with everything made from scratch (including the dough) and vegan brownies (to accommodate various diets within the group) with ice cream.

Sunday was a pretty miserable day. It dumped rain for nearly our entire four hour ride. We were soaked to the bone when we got home. Lucikly, it wasn’t a cold day, so the rain was tolerable, but the roads weren’t super clean, so we were super gritty and dirty. That night we went out to dinner for burgers in Santa Barbara at a cool burger joint called Eureka. The Euro’s had been jonesing for them, and we were all happy to indulge in greasy burgers for one night. Everyone left happy and content.

(Kim Anderson opened Handlebar Coffee after retiring from professional cycling)

We broke out the time trial bikes on Monday morning so that we could dial in our TT positions. After taking the bikes for a quick spin near the house, we reported back to Josh on the changes needed. After everybody was squared away with their time trial bikes, we grabbed our road bikes and headed into Santa Barbara, with Handlebar Coffee as our mid ride stop. Kim Anderson and Aaron Olson own the place, and it’s always a treat to drop in and say hello to those two. Unfortunately we were in and out fairly quickly because rain was threatening on the horizon.

By mid-afternoon, we were back to the house to enjoy a chill afternoon. Shelly, Sam and Claudia were tasked with cooking dinner using the leftover food in the fridge. They come up with baked chicken, potatoes, fresh veggies and salad with banana and strawberry sundaes for desert. Their meal was clearly a camp favorite since they were voted as the winners of the Top Chef competition!

That evening, Rushlee flew out, Chantal flew in and I packed up to head home on a 6AM flight the next morning before everyone else would head to Redlands.

Our five days at camp were less about training and more about getting to know each other and our sponsors, familiarizing ourselves with the equipment we’ll use all season and having everyone under one roof for (likely) the only time this year. It was nice to train with my teammates, but the emphasis was more on team organization and logistics than training.

I didn’t blog about Redlands because I sat out of the race this year, but I want to give massive props to Jo for her best-Redlands yet. She grabbed second on the first road race (in a thrilling finish at the end that included a protest), rode incredibly strong for third on the queen stage on Sunset and finished fifth overall. Claudia took the climber’s jersey after a gutsy ride on Sunset.

Before I sign off, I want to send out a huge thank you to Anthony at Cal Giant for hooking us up with wonderfully tasty strawberries that were enjoyed in some way in just about every meal, and to my new friends at MotoFish Images for sending us the tastiest care package every – gluten free treats that oozed amazing gooey goodness!

Go to the Source – meredithmiller.missingsaddle.com

Filed by Meredith Miller at April 13th, 2013 under Meredith Miller, Road Blog
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March 30, 2013

San Dimas Crit: Hello Intensity

After following along yesterday morning with Trofeo Alfredo Binda as my teammates toiled away in the bone-chilling rain of Northern Italy for the second round of the World Cup, I felt extra lucky to race under blue skies and sunshine in my short sleeve kit this afternoon. We were hoping to race aggressively in our bid to bring home the win or, minimally, another podium finish on the third and final day of racing at San Dimas. Although we ultimately ended up sixth in yesterday’s criterium, I think we were all happy enough with the way we raced.

Our goal was to attack from the start. We were looking to get up the road or force the extra weight out the back for a smaller group finish. It became clear quickly that other teams had alternate strategies in mind. Most moves were quickly neutralized and the pack stayed together as single unit until after the first points sprint. Then the attacks started to heat up as the teams were ready to start racing.

Thirty minutes into the race, a six rider move went up the road. Most of the big teams were represented, but we had somehow missed out. We each took turns jumping from the peloton in hope of bridging across. We’d gain a bit of a distance, but the gap was too big. Eventually, Jo just went to the front and drilled it. Her pace brought the break back to within closing distance. I took over from there to make the catch. I suspect that would have been the race winning move had we not been so insistent on being part of it.

After that, there were several more attacks – all insignificant. When we saw five laps to go, we knew were probably setting things up for a field sprint. My teammates and I focused on staying near the front to catch any late race moves. We were all pretty tired at that point, and we were lucky that nothing went away that would have forced us to respond. I’m still getting my race legs under me at this point, so I probably wasn’t in the best possible position, but I did keep an eye on Jo to make sure she was safely tucked towards the front.

With one lap remaining, I started to move up on the little steady uphill grade on the back side of the course. I saw Jo ahead in the perfect position, and although I wanted to help her if I could, I thought the best thing to do would be to stay put. I didn’t want to come around her and risk bringing too many people up with me. It could have had a swarming effect.

Honestly, I didn’t really have it, either. I didn’t have enough legs to keep the high speed Jo would have needed, so it also made sense in that regard to let her do her thing. The steady grade on the back side of the course is followed by two right hand turns in quick succession and then a fast downhill ahead of the finish. I’ve been told that Optum had been on the front and started to fade, and Gillian Carelton (Specialized-lululemon) used that as her opportunity to jump the field.

Gillian opened up a gap before the final turn before the finish. There was a little reshuffling before the line. Gillian held onto her ever so slim gap, and Jo took fifth in the sprint behind, good for sixth place. With a few more races in my legs, I know that I’ll be there for Jo in the end to help her get a better result that she deserves.

With the exception of missing the mid-race move, we rode pretty well today. Personally, I was happy to see how I handled the first bit of intensity of my season. This weekend was the perfect opportunity to slowly build into this type of effort instead of throwing myself into the deep end and drowning.

From a team perspective, it’s always a little bit disappointing to miss out on a better result. Still, we’re able to keep this weekend in perspective. Jo clearly has fitness that Amanda and I are still building, and Melanie is very green at these types of races. She’s new to criterium style racing, and she’s got a lot to learn – which is great. She has a huge engine, and it’s clear that once she figures things out, she’s going to be amazing. She just needs to be patient with herself as she learns the ropes and have faith that she’ll eventually be able to contribute.

All things considered, it was a good weekend. We all stayed safe. We communicated well. We snagged a podium. We’ve come out of the race with more fitness than we had coming into it.

Now, onto team camp in Carpinteria where we will finally join our teammates who have been in Europe racing all spring. After reading report after report of the dismal race conditions that they were subjected to, I know they will be incredibly happy to see sunshine and the beach! And I am excited to meet a few new faces for the first time and to reconnect with former teammates and new teammates who I know but have never raced with prior to this year.

See my Strava file here.

Go to the Source – meredithmiller.missingsaddle.com

Filed by Meredith Miller at March 30th, 2013 under Meredith Miller, Road Blog
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March 25, 2013

San Dimas RR: Jo Rounds Out the Podium

(photo credit: Brian Hodes / VeloImages)

We landed on the podium. My legs felt happy albeit not quite as fit as I might wish they were. There were (too many) crashes, but no one was seriously injured. I think I’ll call it a good day at San Dimas.

I described the course yesterday. I neglected to mention that I’m not a huge fan of the circuit. There’s a section where we can use only half the road. Our lane is sectioned off by cones, and there’s traffic on the other side. We had 77 starters, which is a decent sized field. Everyone is fighting for a spot on the front. Racing in one lane between cones and the curb makes things super sketchy – especially on the first few laps when the entire peloton is together. It can get a little too tense for my liking.

After this part of the course, we make a right hand turn and hit the hills. It’s sort of rolling for awhile. After the rollers, we hit a section that has been the scene of crashes every time I’ve raced San Dimas. There are bumps from roots growing up through the pavement on the right hand side of the road. The bumps aren’t visible from a distance, and they certainly stay hidden when the entire peloton is together. We were going through this section really fast on the first lap. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I wasn’t super surprised when I started to hear noises indicating riders were going down.

It was one of the crashes where it seemed to have ended and then more people go down. I was on the left side of the road, and the crash started domino’ing in my direction. I was thinking: “No. No. No. NO!” Luckily I managed to avoid hitting the deck.

I found Jo and Melanie pretty quickly as I surveyed the damage done to the peloton, but I didn’t see Amanda. I started freaking out a little bit, and I dropped to the back as I looked for her. That’s when I realized that Mara Abbott [Exergy Twenty16] was missing. You might remember from yesterday that she was the race leader heading into today’s stage.

Exergy was at the back of the bunch trying to get information, too. The peloton had gone up the road a little bit while were attempting to figure out what had happened. It soon became clear that Mara had definitely gone down, so I helped Exergy neutralize the peloton. The yellow jersey had gone down and cycling etiquette dictates that we wait for her to rejoin us – or at least until we knew what had happened to her.

We weren’t getting much information out of the commisaires, so it was a bit of a cluster for awhile. Exergy didn’t know what had happened to Mara. I dropped back to the moto commisaire and the SRAM guys on motos asking ‘Where’s Mara?’ and ‘Did Mara get up and start riding again?’

Finally, more than one lap after the crash, we were finally told that Mara was part of a group chasing one minute down. Her teammates dropped back to bring her back up, and two miles later, she had rejoined the peloton. Halfway through lap three, racing was on again.

There were attacks, but nothing got away. When it was an individual rider, the peloton would let her go, but she’d be back quickly.

After lap three, a four rider break went up the road. I don’t remember everybody that was in the move, but it was perfect. Amanda was in it, and every team except for Exergy was represented. I was a little surprised to see one of the Vanderkitten riders bring back the move. The work should have been left to Exergy. They missed the move, and they had the most to lose.

After the break was brought back, Katie Donovan (NOW/Novartis for MS) attacked. She built up a decent gap and stayed away alone until we caught her just before the main climb on the last lap.

Prior to Katie’s catch, the peloton was pretty content to let Exergy do the work. Lauren Tamayo and Ali Tetrick were on the front setting a steady tempo. They weren’t killing themselves, but they were doing decent work. Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies pitched in on the last lap because they were looking for the stage win. We were able to sit in for the most part.

The peloton wasn’t racing too hard. We’d always splinter slightly on the climb and then come back together at the bottom. Leading into the last time up the climb, after Katie had been caught, we were all lined up single file. Jo and I were fifth and sixth wheel. I knew if the peloton went really hard, I wouldn’t have the legs to stay with them, so just as things started heating up, I sat up and allowed a gap to open. It gave Jo and the other riders in front of me an ever so slight advantage.

Jo later reported that things reshuffled slightly over the top, and that’s when Brianne Walle (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies) attacked. Jo and Taylor Wiles (Specialized-lululemon) were the only ones able to follow. The trio worked together although it doesn’t sound like they were trading equal pulls.

Bri pulled really hard at one point and opened up a gap. Jo had been third wheel, so Taylor was left to close the gap, but she couldn’t. Amber Neben [The Dare to Be Project] flew up on the right side, and Jo jumped onto Amber’s wheel. She said it was a full on drag race to the finish. Bri won. Amber outkicked Jo to the line.

We’re happy with how the race went for the team. Jo is happy. She gave everything she had in the end. It was a team effort during the race as we covered moves and looked to get up the road, but at the finish, it was all Jo.

I was reminded again today that while I might feel good, I’m not as fit as I normally would be at this point in the season and that I’m okay with that. After such a roller coaster of a ride during my ‘cross season, I’m able to take a step back and recognize the value in good legs and the importance of remaining patient as I use the good legs to build maximum fitness.

Strava file for today’s race.

Go to the Source – meredithmiller.missingsaddle.com

Filed by Meredith Miller at March 25th, 2013 under Meredith Miller, Road Blog
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March 12, 2013

Chris Thater Memorial

Title: Chris Thater Memorial
Location: Broome County, NY
Link out: Click here
Date: 2013-08-25

Go to the Source – meredithmiller.missingsaddle.com

Filed by Meredith Miller at March 12th, 2013 under Meredith Miller, Road Blog
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February 28, 2013

Saying Thanks

As I look back on the most tumultuous season of my lengthy career, I am overwhelmed with emotion. Many competitive feelings swirl around just below the surface (yes, even my feelings compete). As various reactions and emotions contradict and collide, I recognize gratitude at the forefront. In a season punctuated by an injury, a comeback and an anti-climatic conclusion, I feel a deep and genuine appreciation for each one of you that was ready to celebrate my joy and share in my sorrow.

I am generally self-sufficient when it comes to managing my morale I know how to shake it off and solider on because I’ve had years of practice. This season, I needed more than what I could summon from within. I needed reassurance, empathy, encouragement and motivation from external sources. Every single time I reached out – every single time I picked up the phone, sent out a tweet published a race report, or looked around for a friendly face at the finish line – you gave me the support I sought. You gave me far more than I ever expected. Repeatedly.
These past few months would have looked far different without all of you.

My fifth cyclocross season began with Cross Vegas. I had recently returned from racing on the road in Europe. I intended to start the season carrying fitness from a good European training block. Early results suggested that I had accomplished my mission. From Vegas, the traveling circus made it’s way to the first weekend of USGP racing in Madison. While my results weren’t stellar, they were solid. It was a satisfying start to the season.

From Midwest to New England. Gloucester was up next. I got my first podium in my first muddy races of the season. Disaster struck the following weekend in Providence. I broke my hand during a late race crash. It would subsequently require surgery, two weeks off the bike, six weeks on the trainer and eight weeks away from racing. It was a doubly disappointing blow as the injury sidelined me during Pretty in Pink.

My fundraising efforts thrived despite my absence from racing. Through your generosity, I raised $8500 for Hope Lives! The Lydia Dody Foundation. Now in its third year, Pretty in Pink grows bigger, better and pinker annually. “Pink is the New Fast” tees along with matching socks proved to be a huge hit (such a hit that I sold through the first batch of each in a single day). My raffle this year raised twice the funds in years’ past in large part due to the grand prize – one of my Specialized pink S-Works Crux. Companies reached out to me during the raffle to ask if they could be counted among the donors. Once again, I was blown away by the generosity of the cycling community. I love Pretty in Pink every year. This year, it had the added benefit of being a welcome distraction from my recovery from injury.

I returned to racing with CXLA the first week of December. I rode myself into second place on the opening day of racing and slotted into fifth on day two. The race weekend was super exciting on a personal level. I couldn’t have been happier to be back, and I was thrilled at the potential I saw. I had always known that I would be able to return to racing. The question mark was around the level of fitness with which I would return. Would I be strong enough to meet my goal of making the Worlds team for Louisville? Strong results in my comeback race seemed to confirm I had done everything right during my recovery and was on track to meet this long-time objectice.

Naively, I had hoped to see linear progression from there and instead the last two months of my season were more akin to a roller coaster ride – the constant ups and downs a harsh reminder that anything can and will happen in ‘cross.

The final weekend of the USGP series in Bend was disappointing, to say the least. I had no legs and my head wasn’t in the game either. I dropped out on the second day of racing. It was only the second time I had ever elected not to finish a race. I vividly remember how demoralizing it felt to watch the remainder of the race unfold from the sidelines.

At that point, I knew that I had enough fitness to race in Europe – and I knew that if I wanted to show that I was a contender for Louisville, I had to head across the pond to improve my fitness and gain more confidence. As I predicted it would, the block of hard European racing served me well.

I managed 11th place in Namur at my first World Cup of the season. While I was extremely happy with my result, it was also slightly bittersweet. 10th place is an automatic qualification for the Worlds team. 11th place is nothing other than a near miss. Lack of auto-qualifying aside, I was elated to post my best European result (ever!) after only three races back from injury.

Zolder didn’t work out quite as well. I had a string of bad luck during the first lap. I came back from the mechanical issues to ride a really strong race, and I was personally satisfied with how rode although the results don’t reflect it.

Loenhout followed Zolder. Here, I learned that I’m actually fairly savvy when it comes to the tractor-pull style of racing. I fought tooth and nail for my first European top-ten. I followed up my eighth place finish in Loenhout with a pair of seventh place finishes in Diegem and Baal and left Europe satisfied with what I had accomplished and excited about the races ahead of me.

I put in a focused training block back in Boulder before I headed to Madison for the National Championships. My race got off to a strong start, and I was riding solidly in second place. With the silver medal in sight, a mechanical eliminated my chance of riding onto the podium. I was deeply disappointed with the missed opportunity. The day after Nationals, I learned that I made the Worlds team. The announcement served to dissipate some of the residual sting from lost chances at Nationals.

Back in Boulder, I regrouped. I brushed off my experience at Nationals. I refocused my training on Worlds. After two weeks of specific preparation, I headed east for one last pre-Worlds tune-up race. The cold and mud in Cincinnati proved prelude to the conditions we would face in Louisville

I arrived in Kentucky eight days (turned seven days – thanks to the schedule change) ahead of my race day. I enjoyed a fairly low-key and chill week before my event on Saturday.

There’s not much to say about my race at this point. A rider in front of me crashed less than two minutes into the first lap. Unable to avoid her, I somersaulted over my bike and onto the ground. By the time I scrambled to get my bike and dealt with the mechanical issues that ensued as best I could, I was dead last. I was nearly two minutes down the rider nearest me as I went through the pit to exchange my battered bike for a new one. With one lap complete, I pulled the plug. I still feel gutted when I think of the devastating end to my season.

Despite my personal disappointment, I’m grateful that I was able to overcome the repeated obstacles I faced this season and feel honored to have represented the host nation at the first Cyclocross World Championships held outside of Europe. The racing in Louisville was thrilling. The spectators came out in numbers better than projected. The passion at Eva Bandman Park was palatable. Even the Euros had to admit that we had pulled it off – and pulled it off well.

I want to call out Joan Hancsom and Bruce Fina here. Without their vision, none of this would have been possible. USA Cycling stepped in and threw the race organization a much needed lifeline, and they deserve a huge thank you, as well. Everyone involved with the race weekend in any capacity – the volunteers, spectators, racers, sponsors, etc. – had a hand in making this weekend an incredible success. Thank you to everyone who did their part.

Special mention, as always, goes to California Giant Berry Farms and Specialized Bicyclies for their dedication to the sport in general and to me in particular. I always appreciate the support of my team and our sponsors. I was grateful for their support more than ever this year.

Go to the Source – meredithmiller.missingsaddle.com

Filed by Meredith Miller at February 28th, 2013 under Meredith Miller, Road Blog
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February 11, 2013

UCI Cyclocross World Championships: Gutted But Grateful

Three years ago at the Cyclocross World Championships in Tabor, we learned that Louisville had been awarded the 2013 World Championships. From that moment until today, I have been building towards standing on the start line in Louisville as part of Team USA. This is the fourth time I represented the stars and stripes at a ‘Cross World Championship event (fifth including the Road World Championships in ’09). While every time has been special, I learned today that there’s nothing like a home grown championship race.

With all the hoopla that is part of being a Team USA member on home soil in front of home town fans, I can’t pretend to be anything but disappointed with how my race unfolded yesterday, or rather never had a chance to unfold at all. Ahead of my race, I stood with the other members of Team USA in the start grid and absorbed it all. We made comment after comment about how incredibly special and unbelievably motivating the whole scene felt. We were on the start line, and we were ready to go. I was ready to go. Ready to do you proud.

I knew the race today would be tricky. The conditions would change every lap as the temperature got warmer and the ground got softer. The course was slippery as it had frozen underneath a layer of wet snow and cold termpartures. I needed good legs, of course, but I also needed good luck – and good luck has been in short supply for me this season. In a sport that’s just as much about luck as it is legs, I found myself hoping more than anything that I could finally have a race where things would go my way and where the result was representative of my performance.

We got called up a few minutes before our start time. I had a third row spot that I managed to shove my way into calling a second row start. We got the green light and it was go time.

Although I didn’t have a super fast start, I had started to pick up enough speed to move up on the inside left hand side of the pavement and was already passing riders before we hit the grass. About 100 meters after we hit the grass, there were some frozen ruts. During our pre-ride before the Jr’s race that morning, this section was mostly clear and easily rideable. My guess is that the Jr’s rode in a few ruts as the ground softened up and then during the break between their race and our’s the ruts froze up. As we charged onto the grass in a large, compact mass moving at high speed, someone hit a frozen rut and went down which caused a massive pile up. I saw an opening that I thought I could squeeze through but just as I thought I was in the clear I was knocked to the ground. I went one way, my bike went another. I immediately curled up in a ball in an effort to avoid the riders behind me that were coming directly at me. A few more riders went down as they piled into me. My bike, a few feet away from me, took some hard hits, too.

I picked up my bike after everyone else had ridden off, except for Czech rider Martina Mikulaskova, and quickly realized my bike was unrideable. The right shifter was turned in, my saddle was sideways, my front brakes were rubbing and my rear wheel wouldn’t even turn. I spent what felt like an eternity trying to get my bike in working order myself because I knew if I had to run to the pits just 300m after the start my race was over. With my shifter straightened out and my rear wheel turning (mostly), I hobbled to the pit for a bike change. By the time I got to the pit to exchange bikes, I was dead last and nearly one minute behind the rider ahead of me. Demoralizing is a gross understatement.

I have fought so hard all season. Never before have I had to repeatedly to pick myself up, dust myself off and forge ahead – in both the literal and figurative sense. I finished one lap, and I had no fight in me left. I lost whatever it is that I’ve been able to call upon again and again over the last five months that has allowed me remain optimistic, hopeful and determined in the face of less than desirable circumstances. After a season-long run of bad luck, I was done. Out. I had nothing left to give. Honestly, the embarrassment of riding in last place in front of a home crowd was part of it. I was disappointed in myself and couldn’t come to terms with letting other people – family, friends, sponsors, teammates, fans – down, too.

I didn’t go to Louisville simply to finish this race – the World Championships. I went to Louisville to produce a good result for my country, myself and my fans. Publicly, I stated I was aiming for the top-ten. Privately, I wanted more than that. With one lap done, I knew that wasn’t going to happen. It stings to know that I pulled the plug at Worlds, but had I finished in 20^th place, I wouldn’t be feeling any better right now.

I’m having a hard time thinking this is anything more than a fitting end to the season.

While it would be easy to wallow (and trust me, I’ve definitely done a bit of that), I also recognize that despite the sorry end to my unlucky season, I am incredibly lucky. It is because of the unwavering support of so many people that I am grateful to count as family, friends and sponsors that I was able to be in Louisville as a member of Team USA at all. I extend a sincere and massive thank you to everyone who has had a part big or small in supporting me through the most tumultuous season of my career.

Yesterday was an amazing day. The spectators, the conditions, the racing – it was epic. I think Joan Hanscom and USA Cycling pulled off a feat that few thought possible – a successful World Championships in the US. The Europeans were skeptical, if not even hoping for failure. Well, Joan and USAC more than pulled it off – they nailed it! With the exception of a few disgruntled riders, the sentiment I heard over and over again was positively overwhelming. And the throngs of spectators – who showed up despite the schedule change and the brutal weather, the fans who cheered with heart and soul – helped firmly plant the statement that ‘cross in the US is strong and will only get stronger! We will not wait another 60 years before this happens again in the US.

Thank you to everyone who helped make ‘cross history!

Go to the Source – meredithmiller.missingsaddle.com

Filed by Meredith Miller at February 11th, 2013 under Meredith Miller, Road Blog
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January 29, 2013

Kings CX – Last Tune-up Before Worlds

Photo credit: Kent Baumgardt

With three weeks between the USAC National Championships in Madison and the UCI Cylocross World Championships in Louisville, racing Kings Cross appealed to me for a few reasons. It gave me the opportunity to get in one last race – one last hard training day – before lining up for Worlds next Sunday. It also provided me with a chance to contend with weather I’ll likely see next weekend. We have had some amazing weather in Boulder lately. It’s been unseasonably sunny, warm and dry. While it’s made for some truly enjoyable training days, it hasn’t been ‘ideal’ preparation for the conditions we might see at Louisville. Racing in the cold, muddy, icy and wet in Cincy was good practice in that regard.

The Kings Cross course would have been pretty straightforward and fast had it been dry, but it wasn’t dry. It snowed overnight on Thursday and into Friday morning, and when I headed over to the course for my pre-ride, a thin layer of snow remained. It made for a slippery but still fairly fast course. Yesterday, as the morning went on and the sun came out, the snow began to melt. The mud on the course thickened as snow and ice melted into the dirt. The slippery course produced some tricky sections. There were a few off-camber portions of the course that became harder to negotiate with each passing lap.

Two hours before the start of my race, I pre-rode the course. Everything was pretty fast still despite the melting snow. I did two laps and my bike remained fairly clean. I had been running low pressure during the pre-ride but as the snow and ice melted, rocks and roots were becoming exposed. I thought I might want to run a little more pressure because of this, so I added two extra psi to my tires. It became clear fairly quickly that this was a mistake. I shouldn’t have added pressure – I should have lowered it. The more things melted, the more greasy and slippery it got. Lower pressure is much more beneficial in these types of conditions.

About 500 meters into the race, we hit the first turn, I hit a slippery patch and I slid out. I slid on my side like I was sliding into homebase – going from one side of the tape to the other. It felt like I was sliding forever. Luckily, I managed to hop back up fast and get back on my bike without issues. Less luckily, my vantage point afforded me the opportunity to see the race unfold ahead of me.

Photo credit: Blair R. Fraley

I started working my way up a group that had formed in front of me. As I played catch-up, I saw Katerina Nash (Luna Chix) open a gap. Georgia Gould (Luna Chix) was the next to jump away from the group. Finally, Jasmin Achermann (Rapha Focus) separated herself. Those three riders would ride alone in podium positions for the rest of the race.

I slowly but steadily picked off several riders ahead of me until I ended up with Pepper Harlton (Juventus) on lap three. With Katerina, Georgia and Jasmin still ahead, Pepper and I were battling it out for fourth and fifth place. Shortly after I caught Pepper, I tried to drop her on one of the harder uphill sections. She stayed glued to my wheel, so I let up a little bit. When we came into the next tricky section on the course, I fumbled slightly. My mistake allowed her to come around me, and I had to work to catch her again.

When we came to the start/finish line for the beginning of lap four (of what was a five lap race), I had not yet caught back up to her. I finally managed to make my way back to her wheel just before an off-camber section on lap four. I didn’t stay there long. I slid out on the top of the hill and collected myself quickly. A few seconds later, I found myself on the ground (again!) and at this point, I had to run through the rest of the section. Even running, I was slipping all over the place. By the time I got back on my bike, Pepper was long gone. I rode the final lap and half alone to cross the line in fifth.

While I certainly wanted a better result, I’m definitely glad I raced Kings Cross. It felt good to get another race under my belt before Worlds – especially a race that may mirror the conditions in Louisville. Regardless of the result, it was a solid training day, and the course was fun. I’m grateful that the race organization put this event on for us to give us one last tune-up before Worlds. And I’m grateful to all the spectators who came out to show their support on a cold January day. I’m curious what Niels Albert though of the Heckle Zone?!

I also need to give a special shout out to Jose Alcala from SRAM NRS. I was in Cincinnati without team support, and Jose took fantastic care of me and my bikes. He’s had one of my race bikes since Madison, and he did an incredible amount of work on it to have it race ready for today. I dropped off my other bike to him on Friday after I pre-rode, and he got that bike race ready as well. When I arrived on course on Saturday, both of my bikes were there waiting for me. Being by myself, it’s especially reassuring to have had such a good, trustworthy and reliable mechanic looking after my equipment. There’s a reason there’s always a line of people waiting for Jose’s attention!

Next up – Worlds! Who’s excited? I am, I am!!!

Go to the Source – meredithmiller.missingsaddle.com

Filed by Meredith Miller at January 29th, 2013 under Meredith Miller, Road Blog
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January 21, 2013

Cincinnati Kings International Cyclocross

Title: Cincinnati Kings International Cyclocross
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Link out: Click here
Date: 2013-01-26

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Filed by Meredith Miller at January 21st, 2013 under Meredith Miller, Road Blog
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January 16, 2013

UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships

Title: UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships
Location: Louisville, KY
Link out: Click here
Date: 2013-02-03

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Filed by Meredith Miller at January 16th, 2013 under Meredith Miller, Road Blog
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January 7, 2013

Superprestige Diegem: Seventh Place in Final Race of the Year

I headed to Diegem for my fourth race in eight days. I had heard that this particular Superprestige course featured a lot of pavement and a lot of elevation — which sounds like my kind of course!

I also knew that a handful of the top women would not be racing today. Apparently the Superprestige race promoters aren’t too keen on women’s races. This is evidenced by our early start time – we’re the first race of the day! – and the lack of start money. Riders who normally receive start money don’t get any here, so some of them elected not to race.

With the slightly smaller field and a course that sounded as if it played to my strengths, I had hopes for my first European top five.

Because we were the first race of the day, we didn’t have to worry about getting onto the course for a pre-ride between races. Johs and I arrived about two hours ahead of the start to give me a chance to pre-ride and him with sufficient time to clean the equipment ahead of the race start.

Upon pre-ride, I discovered a ton of pavement as promised. Most of the pavement was uphill on one side of the course and a really fast downhill on the other side of the course. Between the pavement there was mud, sand, stairs and more mud. The muddy sections didn’t overwhelm the course, but they were thick, deep and swamp-like. Later in the day, when I was walking around watching the men’s race, my boots almost got suctioned off my feet a couple times.

(photo credit: Tom Prenen)

During the pre-ride, I rode the sand section with ease, so I elected to stay on my bike during that section on lap one. I noticed that the women that chose to run were able to run just as fast if not faster, so for the next three laps, I ended up running the sand sections.

The course was huge – so huge that it featured two pits. There was a pit on the top of the course that went largely unused and a pit on the bottom of the course that was heavily used. The pits were pure choas with mechanics contending with knee deep mud as they washed our bikes during the race (the pits would only become more chaotic for the subsequent races due to intermittent rain showers).

The course today went through the middle of the city. The pavement sections I referenced earlier were all city streets. We even rode on a path between houses to connect the upper section of the course to the lower section. It gave the course a totally different feel than riding out in the middle of a field away from the epicenter of a town.

I was pleasantly surprised at the number of spectators that were out for the women’s race since we were the first race of the day. By the time the men raced, fans were lined four deep around the entire course. It was insane! The number of spectators ranks as one of the largest I’ve seen at any race. This was especially impressive because it was pouring rain just before the men raced. In the US, those types of conditions don’t generally encourage a huge fan turn out.

Still, with all those spectators hardly a cheer would be heard unless Sven Nys, Belgium’s King of Cross, was riding past. For a few laps Johs and I were standing about 4 people back from the course while watching the race unfold on the big screen. Had it not been for the live TV coverage I would not have realized that the riders were going right past us – the crowd was that quiet. Niels Albert, the World Champion, was leading the race by a large margin but you could almost hear a pin drop when he went past (apparently he’s not well liked, but still). Several riders later when Sven would come roaring past the crowd would get a little rowdy. It still continues to amaze me how many Europeans have one rider they cheer for and no one else.

Back to my race – I had a decent enough start on the pavement. As soon as we hit the mud, things started to get bogged down. The first riders made it through the mud okay, but it got congested after that. I was left to run a section that the front group had ridden.

The front group of five riders separated early as I was still making my way through the riders ahead of me. Fairly quickly, I became part of a group chasing the leaders. Whenever my group would hit a pavement section, I would come to the front in an attempt to whittle down the group and (ideally) bridge across to the front five.

(photo credit: Tom Prenen)

I did my first bike exchange during the second lap of the race. With only one mechanic, I had to rely on Johs to catch one bike as he handed me another. I hadn’t been paying attention to the other riders as they went in/out of the pit, so when I entered the pit and saw Johs holding up my bike, I thought he was doing something wrong. I didn’t realize that he was holding my bike up so that I could shoulder it out of the pit. It was so muddy in the pit that it made more sense to run out with the bike and spare it some mud than hop on and slog through the swampy mess. It wasn’t until after the race that Johs and I had a chance to discuss that tactic. I felt like a complete rookie for not knowing what to do! He knew exactly what he was doing and I completely missed it. Live and learn!

Sometime during the second lap, I ended up in a group with Gabby Day, Amy Dombroski and Joyce Vandrbeken. With two laps to go, Gabby and I were able to open up a gap on Amy and Joyce. The two of us headed into the final lap together.

I was tired today. I never made any big mistakes, but I consistently made small ones. I choose the wrong line or I lacked the power to slug through a particular element the way I normally can. As the race came to a close, I sat on Gabby’s wheel and began to think about how I would outsprint her for sixth. I remember thinking that I had one more section ahead of the finish when all of a sudden, we hit the stairs.

The finish line sat 100 meters past the top of the stairs – and the stair section had come up on me more quickly than I had expected. I knew if Gabby hit the top of the stairs first, she’d outsprint me – and that’s exactly what happened. The lack of focus (or whatever it was that I was lacking in that moment) cost me sixth place. I settled for seventh.

Of course, seventh is one place higher than my eighth place finish in Loenhout on Friday – and it’s my highest European finish. In some ways, I’m content with the result. Still, as I spelled out earlier, I had hopped for a top five, so seventh in Diegem is not quite as exciting as eighth in Loenhout was.

Katerina Nash scored her first European win of the season today. I’m super stoked for her about that. She’s been riding well over here since the start of her trip, and it was great to finally see her take the win.

I have one final race in Belgium before I head back to the States to prepare for Nationals. I have been told that Baal is harder and muddier than Loenhout. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around how that’s even possible. Here’s to hoping the legs recover and I get some rest between now and New Year’s Day when I ring in the start of a new year with lots of mud.

Go to the Source – meredithmiller.missingsaddle.com

Filed by Meredith Miller at January 7th, 2013 under Meredith Miller, Road Blog
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December 29, 2012

Bpost Bank Trofee – Azencross: Cracking the Euro Top Ten

I had been forewarned that the Azencross course in Loenhout was a hard, heavy, muddy mess of a race. It did not disappoint. Sprinklings of rain throughout the day made conditions even more challenging.

I headed from my home base in Oudenaarde to Loenhout early Friday morning. Upon arrival, I immediately hopped on my bike to pre-ride. I actually only managed to get in one lap during my pre-ride because it took that long to make it around the course. It was immediately apparent that the race was going to controlled chaos at best.

The mud made the course. Think Portland mud meets New England mud and you might be able to picture what we faced. The mud was soupy in parts and thicker in others. There were rutted sections and sections where we were more than ankle deep in mud.

I had a decent start. The opening section was a long pavement straight. I took advice from Jonathan Page and ran the lowest tire pressure with which I felt comfortable. With only 17 psi in both my front and rear tires, it was hard to get up to speed in the sprint from the start line. I was probably somewhere around tenth place by the time we hit the mud and then all hell broke lose. Women were everywhere. It became a matter of being patient, of letting things settle before getting panicked.

I rode through the mud at first, and I felt like I was starting to get bogged down. I saw Katie Compton running, so I jumped off my bike and started running, too. I thought to myself that if Katie is running, there’s a good reason why, so I should, too.

Katie continued to run through the mud, and I continued to keep an eye out for her. She was running longer than I would have elected to run on my own, and eventually I found myself getting antsy wondering when we were going to get back on our bikes. I encouraged myself to be patient and follow Katie’s lead until a thought hit me: “What if Katie is running because she has a mechanical?!”

The thought knocked some sense into me and reminded me to ride my own race. As soon as I hit a spot where I could hop back on my bike, I did. I was able to start pedaling quickly enough. I got into a good rhythm as I found my legs and started passing people almost immediately. By the time the second lap had gotten underway, I was in eighth place – and that’s where I would stay for the rest of the race.

I handled the soupy sections on the course fairly easily. The thicker sections were deep and trickier. Although these sections proved more challenging, I let my bike go wherever it needed to go. If you force it too much, you end up worse off. I followed my bike’s lead and, as a result, ended up feeling completely comfortable moving around on my bike. It was like a tractor pull through the thick sections (Seriously, Jonathan Page told me before the start to look for the tractor wheel lines.) – just one pedal stroke at a time, humping the bike to sometimes keep momentum – and my power was my best friend.

The second most well-known element of the course is a section of whoops on the back side of the course. This section included ramps made out of concrete covered with Astroturf. I’m not typically great at whoops, but these particular whoops were super smooth and even. There’s no pedaling over whoops. Instead, the upper body is used to push down on the handlebars to keep speeds high. I found good flow and was able to handle this section well. Last night, when looking through race photos, I saw a series of photos of Marianne Vos catching too much air over a whoop and then coming down hard (into Katie Compton). Even the best of the best make mistakes!

I crashed once during the first lap. Other than the single crash, I rode a ‘clean’ race. It was hardly a clean race, but you know what I mean.

My eighth place finish represents my first European top ten. I’m happy with both the result and the effort. Cracking the top ten in a stacked field is a major milestone and finishing as second American is a huge confidence boast, too. Still, I always wonder what I could have done differently or better.

Of course, strength is always a consideration. While I had good power today, I can always get stronger. I also rode a bit conservatively today because of my low tire pressure.

Although low psi was the right choice for the conditions, coming off ramps, it means hitting the ground hard. I’m comfortable bottoming out and don’t mind hitting my rim, but this was more than hitting a rim. It’s ok to bottom out in soft mud or sand but this was smacking the ground  with a carbon rim at the bottom of a ramp at high speeds. I was a little nervous that I’d crack a wheel, and I might have been going slower through a few sections than necessary because I was cautious. I completely trust my Zipp wheels, but one good whack and carbon will break. The last thing I wanted to contend with was another mechanical.

I write this while I’m eating dinner at 10PM. It’s been a long day. It’s amazing how much work goes into a 40 minute race. We arrived on course two hours before my start so I could pre-ride. Following the pre-ride, my mechanic, Johs, needed to have enough time to clean my muddy bike. The Americans at the race lack the set-up enjoyed by the Europeans. We’re not there with full staff, full team, tent, pressure washer and RV set-up. Instead, we’re packed into a small car with just the bare essentials on hand. This means having to ask for help, borrow tools and pump and if we’re lucky use someone’s pressure washer. We weren’t so lucky yesterday with the pressure washer so Johs had to trek through all the mud to the other side of the course just to get my bike clean.

I pre-ride in a full kit – and in this weather, that means rain pants, rain jacket and booties. Following the pre-ride, I continue my warm-up on a trainer, and I change into dry clothes for the second phase of my warm-up. Ahead of the race start, I change into race gear – clean socks, clean shoes and skin suit. When the temperature is warm enough, I choose not to wear gloves.

I did a bike change every lap, so both of my bikes were used heavily. This meant that both of my bikes needed to be cleaned post-race. All of the equipment needed to be sorted, organized and packed (shoved) back into the car. Once we got home, I had to take a hose and spray down all my clothes before I could even throw them in the wash. We’re lucky to have a washer in our apartment rental, but we don’t have a dryer – which means when the clothes come out of the washer, I drape them over lights, chairs, etc around the apartment to dry. It’s a pretty glamorous set-up, isn’t it?

I race again on Sunday – Superprestige Diegem. It’s the last race of 2012 – Dec 30. Now that I’ve tasted top ten glory, I intend to do everything I can to repeat the feat. I hear the course has a lot of road sections and a fair amount of elevation – should suit me well!

Go to the Source – meredithmiller.missingsaddle.com

Filed by Meredith Miller at December 29th, 2012 under Meredith Miller, Road Blog
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