Amanda Miller (Nicknames: A-Rae)

Team: Team TIBCO/To the Top

Age: 23

Years Racing: 6

Type of Rider: stage racing

FtC Resident Since: August 2007

Hometown: Mt. Union, Iowa

Tibco pro racer, Amanda Miller is in Melbourne Australia getting ready for the UCI Road World Championships.  YGR caught up with the IA native (ok so we didn’t really catch up to her, we emailed her) and asked her few questions.  Amanda will be going head to head with the worlds best on Oct. 2^nd.

1.       Lets start out with some easy questions… You don’t race locally too often, do you have a favorite local race? The Dead Dog Classic.  I've always wanted to do the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic and Steamboat Stage Race, as I've heard t hose are some great races as well.

2.       How about your favorite race in the US or  Europe? In the U.S. - Cascade Cycling Classic.  In Europe - Giro d'Italia Femminile

3.       Favorite local climb? Rist Canyon

4.       Favorite local ride? Rist Canyon, Stove Prairie, Masonville, Horsetooth

5.       Favorite FtC restaurant? Bann Thai, Tres Margaritas, Snooze, the list could go on...you're making me hungry for some American food!

6.       Favorite pre and post ride meals? Pre ride - homemade french toast with berries on the side. Post ride - Meredith's special sandwich.  Ask her for the recipe.

7.       Training partner? I usually ride alone.  But I like hitting up some of the local group rides occasionally (TTH Lunch ride and Lee's Wednesday ride).  Otherwise, I ride with Meredith Miller once in a while.

8.       What result are you most proud of? My most proud personal result is winning the first day at Tulsa Tough this year.  I am also proud of being a member on the Giro d'Italia Femminile winning squad in 2010 with Mara Abbott.

9.       Give us a quick rundown of how you became a pro cyclist. I started riding in High School to stay in shape for basketball season in the fall.  I got hooked on riding a bike, found a job at the local bicycle shop, and started racing.  After finishing my 2-years at the community college, I decided to move to Colorado for school (CSU) and training.  I raced collegiate for Colorado State. After some results and meeting a lot of influential people, I decided to take the leap.  Everything sort of fell in to place from there.

10.   What do the people back home think about this?  It’s not exactly a normal job for a girl from rural IA.  My friends and family back home have been super supportive and understanding.  They come to as many races as they can.  One of my favorite races is the Snake Alley Criterium in Burlington, Iowa for that reason.  It's a home town race and awesome to go back and see everyone.

11.   Most people know that being a pro cyclist doesn’t pay that well and being a female pro cyclist pays even worse.  Do you have job outside cycling?  Currently I do not.  Do you know anyone who is hiring extremely part time help?

12.   What’s next season looking like for ya? Even busier.  I signed with HTC-Columbia and will be spending several months in Europe.  Bring on the gelato!

13.   You’re in Australia right now for the World Championships, that’s a pretty big deal. What will your role be?  Do you have any personal goals?  I'm here in a support role.  We have a really strong team with lots of cards to play.  My personal goal is to learn from this experience.

14.   What’s the rest of the week looking like for you?  Lots of time spent on the internet, some training, eating lots of food, sleeping, and hopefully getting to see a little bit of Australia with my boyfriend.

15.   What brought you to the FtC? School....and cycling.  But maybe in the reverse order.

16.   Did you have goals of becoming a pro when you moved to CO?  Yes

17.   I know you’ve done some CX in the past, how bout this year?  How about the USGP New Belgium Cup here in Fort Collins. I'll be racing for the Hudz-Subaru CX team this season.  Of course I'll be racing the USGP!

18.   With the current state of cycling it’s not always easy to find inspiration.  Which rider(s) do you look up to?  Amber Neben.  She is an amazing athlete and person.

19.   You’re pretty early in your cycling career but what do you plan to do when you are no longer racing?  It would be neat to stay in the sport some how, whether it's coaching or directing.  That's what I say now anyway.

20.   Do you stay on the bike all winter or do you mix it up with some cross training?  Yes.  I'll throw in some snow shoeing trips throughout the off-season.  But I spend most of my time on the bike.

21.   Do you have a coach or do you set up your own training?  Yes, Meredith Miller is my coach.  And no, we are NOT related.

22.   What do you do when you’re not riding your bike? surf the internet, fish, hike, spend time with family, friends, etc.