Amanda Miller

QuikTrip Friday Night Criterium

Yay! I finally finished my first NRC race!

I’m down in Tulsa, OK right now racing some pretty brutal crits. The weather is…HOT!! Tonight’s crit started at 7:30 and lasted for an hour. Not sure how many women are here, but I think it’s near 50. Things started off pretty hot after the first lap. I got a good start and stayed near the front for the first part of the race. Then I was swarmed and pushed near the back. A few laps later, there was a crash. I was stuck behind it. After hearing about certain instances that have happened in the past, I headed to the wheel pit. No use in wasting my matches chasing to the pack. It looked like a pretty bad wreck and the girl was on the course for probably 10 laps before the ambulance took her away. Yes, they kept the race going while the ambulance was on the course. The course had lots of turns which made it really hard to drink. I think I drank twice during the whole race. Not good, considering it was 90degrees. I was feeling it towards the end of the race. My eyes were doing funky things and my stomach didn’t feel so hot. Anyway, Cheerwine did there thing and Kelly Benjamin took the win. I came across 20th. Not too shabby, and still in the money (they pay 25 deep). Tomorrow’s a new day, and I hope to improve my placing. I’ve had a few people give me some advice after today’s race, so I’m going to give it a shot and see how things work. Another afternoon crit so look for an update tomorrow evening. So far I’m having a blast. I’ve been traveling with the team (Mesa Cycles), and everyone seems pretty cool – given that they are almost all juniors. They pulled off some awesome results in their races, which is impressive with this caliber of racing. It’s nice to see familiar faces down here. St. Louis Revolution is out in full force. America’s Dairyland has a team, and Vitamin Cottage made the journey from Colorado here. It’s fun racing with all those gals. Anyway, I’m calling it a night, so thanks for stopping by!
-A

P.S. If you are interested in buying a 2007 Cannondale CAAD 9 52cm with full Ultegra components (minus the Dura-Ace crank) and Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels, send me an email –> mtb05grl@yahoo.com

QuikTrip Friday Night Criterium

Yay! I finally finished my first NRC race!

I’m down in Tulsa, OK right now racing some pretty brutal crits. The weather is…HOT!! Tonight’s crit started at 7:30 and lasted for an hour. Not sure how many women are here, but I think it’s near 50. Things started off pretty hot after the first lap. I got a good start and stayed near the front for the first part of the race. Then I was swarmed and pushed near the back. A few laps later, there was a crash. I was stuck behind it. After hearing about certain instances that have happened in the past, I headed to the wheel pit. No use in wasting my matches chasing to the pack. It looked like a pretty bad wreck and the girl was on the course for probably 10 laps before the ambulance took her away. Yes, they kept the race going while the ambulance was on the course. The course had lots of turns which made it really hard to drink. I think I drank twice during the whole race. Not good, considering it was 90degrees. I was feeling it towards the end of the race. My eyes were doing funky things and my stomach didn’t feel so hot. Anyway, Cheerwine did there thing and Kelly Benjamin took the win. I came across 20th. Not too shabby, and still in the money (they pay 25 deep). Tomorrow’s a new day, and I hope to improve my placing. I’ve had a few people give me some advice after today’s race, so I’m going to give it a shot and see how things work. Another afternoon crit so look for an update tomorrow evening. So far I’m having a blast. I’ve been traveling with the team (Mesa Cycles), and everyone seems pretty cool – given that they are almost all juniors. They pulled off some awesome results in their races, which is impressive with this caliber of racing. It’s nice to see familiar faces down here. St. Louis Revolution is out in full force. America’s Dairyland has a team, and Vitamin Cottage made the journey from Colorado here. It’s fun racing with all those gals. Anyway, I’m calling it a night, so thanks for stopping by!
-A

P.S. If you are interested in buying a 2007 Cannondale CAAD 9 52cm with full Ultegra components (minus the Dura-Ace crank) and Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels, send me an email –> mtb05grl@yahoo.com

Quad Cities Criterium

Race #1
This year there was a women’s category 2/3 race at the Quad Cities Criterium. Why not take advantage of getting as much racing in as possible? I was a little hesitant about racing this course twice today given last years circumstances. However, I figured it would be better if I got all my pre-race jitters out of the way before the Pro/1/2/3 race. The 2/3 field was actually larger than the Pro/1/2/3 race anyway. I had no teammates in this race. St. Louis Revolution threw down attack after attack. It was fun. Thanks for making it an interesting race girls! I practiced staying at the front in this race too. Somewhat bad positioning in the sprint, but still managed 4th place.

Race #2
I wasn’t sure how my legs would feel for this race, so I attacked from the start line to test them out. This race was nothing but attacks. The Revolution girls did a great job at keeping it fast. I covered lots of attacks, as well as the Kenda girls and a few others. Eventually I covered the right attack made by Bri Kovac. We got off for quite a few laps. Finally a group of 5 riders caught up to us. The group included Sam Schneider (teammate), Kristin Wentworth, Cathrine Walburg, Devon Haskell, and Katie Weber. Once we got organized, the gap got larger. Eventually, we lapped the field. Things got a little crazy when we were mixed with the rest of the field. Revolution strung out the pack the last 2 laps. Molly did an awesome leadout for Sam, who won again. I finished 6th and Molly still got 14th after her brutal leadout. It was an awesome weekend for the team. We worked really well together. I was happy the rain held off all three days, and I wasn’t involved in any crashes. It was great racing with familiar faces and hearing people cheer for me all over the course (thanks!!). Here’s more pictures:
A small gap in the 2/3 race.
Bri and I rolling it in the Pro/1/2/3 race.

The break.

That’s all for now. Next up, Tulsa Tough? Thanks for stopping by!
-A

Quad Cities Criterium

Race #1
This year there was a women’s category 2/3 race at the Quad Cities Criterium. Why not take advantage of getting as much racing in as possible? I was a little hesitant about racing this course twice today given last years circumstances. However, I figured it would be better if I got all my pre-race jitters out of the way before the Pro/1/2/3 race. The 2/3 field was actually larger than the Pro/1/2/3 race anyway. I had no teammates in this race. St. Louis Revolution threw down attack after attack. It was fun. Thanks for making it an interesting race girls! I practiced staying at the front in this race too. Somewhat bad positioning in the sprint, but still managed 4th place.

Race #2
I wasn’t sure how my legs would feel for this race, so I attacked from the start line to test them out. This race was nothing but attacks. The Revolution girls did a great job at keeping it fast. I covered lots of attacks, as well as the Kenda girls and a few others. Eventually I covered the right attack made by Bri Kovac. We got off for quite a few laps. Finally a group of 5 riders caught up to us. The group included Sam Schneider (teammate), Kristin Wentworth, Cathrine Walburg, Devon Haskell, and Katie Weber. Once we got organized, the gap got larger. Eventually, we lapped the field. Things got a little crazy when we were mixed with the rest of the field. Revolution strung out the pack the last 2 laps. Molly did an awesome leadout for Sam, who won again. I finished 6th and Molly still got 14th after her brutal leadout. It was an awesome weekend for the team. We worked really well together. I was happy the rain held off all three days, and I wasn’t involved in any crashes. It was great racing with familiar faces and hearing people cheer for me all over the course (thanks!!). Here’s more pictures:
A small gap in the 2/3 race.
Bri and I rolling it in the Pro/1/2/3 race.

The break.

That’s all for now. Next up, Tulsa Tough? Thanks for stopping by!
-A

Melon City Criterium

Lined up for another day of midwest criterium action. There were around 40 of us at the start line of the 14mile crit. Nothing too exciting happened, so this post will be short. My main focus was to practice staying towards the front of the race. Mission accomplished. I have a hard time holding my position sometimes, so it was good to practice that in today’s race. The last lap came I had made my way to the very front, Sam in tow. Soft pedaled down the hill and prepared for my job for the race. I took off at the bottom of the hill giving it everything I could. Sam was still on my wheel, telling me that I could keep going. It was good to have some encouragement at the end of the race. She came around me at the top of the hill with a few other girls and took the win. I came across 7th. Sam is a super strong and smart rider. I’m excited to be able to help her in races. Afterall, she has been leading out Tina Pic in some of the bigger races. She’s guest riding for Colavita this year. Anyway, Mesa Cycles was 2 for 2 for the weekend so far. Here’s some pictures:

Staging. St. Louis Revolution was out in full force this weekend. Very impressive!

Julia from CSU tearing it up.

Prepping for the leadout.

Sam taking the win.

Melon City Criterium

Lined up for another day of midwest criterium action. There were around 40 of us at the start line of the 14mile crit. Nothing too exciting happened, so this post will be short. My main focus was to practice staying towards the front of the race. Mission accomplished. I have a hard time holding my position sometimes, so it was good to practice that in today’s race. The last lap came I had made my way to the very front, Sam in tow. Soft pedaled down the hill and prepared for my job for the race. I took off at the bottom of the hill giving it everything I could. Sam was still on my wheel, telling me that I could keep going. It was good to have some encouragement at the end of the race. She came around me at the top of the hill with a few other girls and took the win. I came across 7th. Sam is a super strong and smart rider. I’m excited to be able to help her in races. Afterall, she has been leading out Tina Pic in some of the bigger races. She’s guest riding for Colavita this year. Anyway, Mesa Cycles was 2 for 2 for the weekend so far. Here’s some pictures:

Staging. St. Louis Revolution was out in full force this weekend. Very impressive!

Julia from CSU tearing it up.

Prepping for the leadout.

Sam taking the win.

Snake Alley Criterium

yep, it bit me.
Fellow CSU rider, Julia Manley, made the trip with a few others to conquer the Snake.


I finished 3rd place today, behind my teammate Samantha Schneider (1st) and Kristin Wentworth (2nd).

Need to learn better shifting techniques, as it cost me the race. I took off with lots of adrenalin at the start and had a pretty decent gap from the beginning. I flew up the snake the first time and felt awesome. Apparently I had a 2.5 block gap. That was closed quite a bit when I dropped my chain for the first time on lap 5 (??). I dropped it at the top of the little riser before the Snake. Recollected and hammered up the hill after I got the chain put back on. I still had a manageable gap so I kept going. The next lap I dropped the chain again. @%$&! This time I got caught, and passed by the chase group of 4 riders. I managed to gain contact with them and just sat in the rest of the time. I threw down an attack on the climb as Kristin got stuck behind a lapped rider. They pulled me in and thing stuck together until 2 laps to go. Kristin pushed the pace up the hill and got a small gap. Sam went with her. I was stuck behind two riders so I just sat in. Once we got to the top, Sam and Kristin had a gap. They maintained it for the rest of the race. I was with Sydney Brown and Devon Haskell (future teammate at NVGP). We sprinted for 3rd, me winning the sprint. As much as I wish I could have won, I know these sort of things happen. Unfortunately it happened at a home town race where all my friends and family were out cheering me on, but hey it happens right? Tomorrow’s a new day. I’m super excited about racing for Mesa. We all seemed to work really well together today, so it’s going to be a fun season. More updates as the weekend progresses. Cross your fingers for no rain!
-A

Snake Alley Criterium

yep, it bit me.
Fellow CSU rider, Julia Manley, made the trip with a few others to conquer the Snake.


I finished 3rd place today, behind my teammate Samantha Schneider (1st) and Kristin Wentworth (2nd).

Need to learn better shifting techniques, as it cost me the race. I took off with lots of adrenalin at the start and had a pretty decent gap from the beginning. I flew up the snake the first time and felt awesome. Apparently I had a 2.5 block gap. That was closed quite a bit when I dropped my chain for the first time on lap 5 (??). I dropped it at the top of the little riser before the Snake. Recollected and hammered up the hill after I got the chain put back on. I still had a manageable gap so I kept going. The next lap I dropped the chain again. @%$&! This time I got caught, and passed by the chase group of 4 riders. I managed to gain contact with them and just sat in the rest of the time. I threw down an attack on the climb as Kristin got stuck behind a lapped rider. They pulled me in and thing stuck together until 2 laps to go. Kristin pushed the pace up the hill and got a small gap. Sam went with her. I was stuck behind two riders so I just sat in. Once we got to the top, Sam and Kristin had a gap. They maintained it for the rest of the race. I was with Sydney Brown and Devon Haskell (future teammate at NVGP). We sprinted for 3rd, me winning the sprint. As much as I wish I could have won, I know these sort of things happen. Unfortunately it happened at a home town race where all my friends and family were out cheering me on, but hey it happens right? Tomorrow’s a new day. I’m super excited about racing for Mesa. We all seemed to work really well together today, so it’s going to be a fun season. More updates as the weekend progresses. Cross your fingers for no rain!
-A

Denzer Road Race

Yesterday I did a road race near Madison, WI. This course was sweet. Lots of climbing (for a Midwest race). There was actually a decently long climb in the race with some winding roads through the middle of the country. One of my favorite road courses in the Midwest so far. I think there were around 15 women in the field or so. Things started off mellow. We hit the climb and I went to the front. I rode tempo up it. Once I got to the top, I was all alone. So I kept rolling. The laps were 11.5miles long and we did 3 of them. I got caught by a group of 5(??) riders just as we were ending our first lap. We rolled turns until we hit the climb again. This time, another rider stayed with me (former Dairyland Julie). This time we were able to put quite a bit of time on the rest of the riders. We worked well together and had a good conversation the last part of the last lap. Coming into the final few meters we both knew it was going to be a matter of who goes when. She started shifting, so I started my sprint. I was able to hold her off for first place. It was a fun race and I feel like I got some excellent training in. One thing I noticed about being back in the Midwest is my heart rate can stay high longer without me feeling the effects. My maximum HR for the race was 196. I rarely see the 190’s in Colorado. Anyway, nothing much going on for the week. Just relaxing and helping my mom and dad out. Next weekend is the big memorial day weekend action in southeast Iowa. Should be a good time. Look for updates later. Thanks for reading!
-A

Denzer Road Race

Yesterday I did a road race near Madison, WI. This course was sweet. Lots of climbing (for a Midwest race). There was actually a decently long climb in the race with some winding roads through the middle of the country. One of my favorite road courses in the Midwest so far. I think there were around 15 women in the field or so. Things started off mellow. We hit the climb and I went to the front. I rode tempo up it. Once I got to the top, I was all alone. So I kept rolling. The laps were 11.5miles long and we did 3 of them. I got caught by a group of 5(??) riders just as we were ending our first lap. We rolled turns until we hit the climb again. This time, another rider stayed with me (former Dairyland Julie). This time we were able to put quite a bit of time on the rest of the riders. We worked well together and had a good conversation the last part of the last lap. Coming into the final few meters we both knew it was going to be a matter of who goes when. She started shifting, so I started my sprint. I was able to hold her off for first place. It was a fun race and I feel like I got some excellent training in. One thing I noticed about being back in the Midwest is my heart rate can stay high longer without me feeling the effects. My maximum HR for the race was 196. I rarely see the 190’s in Colorado. Anyway, nothing much going on for the week. Just relaxing and helping my mom and dad out. Next weekend is the big memorial day weekend action in southeast Iowa. Should be a good time. Look for updates later. Thanks for reading!
-A