Amanda Miller

Cannon Falls Road Race

I went for a spin earlier in the day. It was just too beautiful out to pass up the opportunity. Plus, I was getting pretty bored and running out of things to do online. Stillwater really is a beautiful area. Lots of rolling hills in the trees. It was perfect.

The road race didn’t start until 5:30pm. It was strange to be doing a road race that late. The first few miles were neutral, so nothing interesting happened there. It was a pretty fast neutral though. Shortly after the race was “on”, there was a QOH point. Yes, Queen of the Hill, not Queen of the Mountain . This got the pace going. A VeloForma girl was off the front for a while, but never got more than 15 seconds away from us. Eventually we swarmed her on a hill. The second QOH came and I found myself towards the front. Figured I’d give it a shot. But go figure, I went too early. I still managed to pull off 4th place, but I don’t think there were any points outside of the top 3. After this, Tibco started throwing down attacks. We tried to be in as many as we could. None of the breaks stuck and nothing really got over 15 seconds off the front. Everyone was trying to make Kristin Armstrong work. I only saw her chase down 2 attacks, one of which I was fortunate enough to be on her wheel for. She’s got some major horse power! Anyway, there wasn’t anything too interesting that happened until near the end. There were a lot of crashes throughout the day. It was a very sketchy race.

Near the final right hand turn onto the circuit, there was a huge crash that took down a lot of the top G.C. contendors. My teammate Kacey was stuck in it as well. She is alright. Her handlebars broke and her helmet is trashed, but otherwise she is ok.

A huge group missed the right hand turn onto the dirt section. It would have been nice for there to be flaggers there directing us. The moto had made the turn, but was quite a ways in front of us. Half the group went straight and the other half went right. Unfortunately, I was on the left hand side of the group and missed the turn. Had to shift gears, turn around, and high tail it down the hill.

The first lap of the circuit was brutally hard. It was strung out single file and I could barely hold the wheel in front of me. Things calmed down after 2 laps of the circuit but it was hard. We did 5 laps total of the circuit. With two to go, Colavita started getting organized. I tried to make my way to the front, but couldn’t hold position. The last lap was hard. The finish was on top a slight power hill. Anne, Edwige, Toni, and I were in the main pack.

Things changed a lot in the overall G.C. Here’s the team results:
Anne is 4th in G.C. (0:48 off the lead)
Edwige is 13th in G.C. (1:19 off the lead)
I’m 15th in G.C. (1:20 off the lead); 2nd in the Young Rider (0:01 off the lead)
Toni is 31st in G.C. (1:55 off the lead)
Jessica is 44th in G.C. (2:46 off the lead)
Kacey is 98th in G.C. (14:49 off the lead)
As a team, we moved up to 3rd in G.C., 24 seconds off the lead – SWEET!!!

Tonight is a criterium in Minneapolis. It doesn’t start until 6:30 tonight, so it will be another lazy day of lounging around. Maybe some pool time?? That’s all for now! Update on the crit to come eventually!
-A

Downtown St. Paul Criterium

After a lazy afternoon of lounging around, we finally headed over to the crit course. It was about a 30min drive from our host house. We left plenty early, mostly out of boredom. After a quick coffee break on the course, we sat down for the team meeting. The plan was to stay safe. This crit is notoriously known for being a crash fast, especially in wet conditions. Lucky for us, the sun was out and the course was dry. Either way, it was stage 2 and we didn’t want to get into trouble.

Anne and I both got call ups. Anne was called up because she is the reigning Canadian National Time Trial champion. I got called up for being a 2008 Ryan Collegiate All Star alumni. Pretty sweet! 118 riders started the crit, so start position was very helpful. The gun went off and Kristin Armstrong strung things out. Webcor, Tibco, and Colavita did a good job at keeping the pace high. I worked on holding my position in the top 20 riders the entire race. I thought about going for a few time bonus sprints, but couldn’t position myself in the right spot for them. The race was pretty uneventful. There were a few attempted attacks, but nothing stuck for more than a lap. The final laps came and there was never an organized lead out taking place. I held my spot and finished 22nd. All of the team finished the race and made the time cut.

Here’s the standings for the team after Day 1 (Stage 2):
Anne Samplonius is 5th in G.C. (0:48 off the lead)
Guest rider Jessica Phillips is 15th in G.C. (1:05 off the lead).
Guest rider Edwige Pitel is 22nd in G.C. (1:19 off the lead).
I’m 24th in G.C. (1:20 off the lead); 5th in Young Rider (0:33 off the lead)
Toni Bradshaw is 48th in G.C. (1:55 off the lead).
Kacey Manderfield is 97th in G.C. (6:09 off the lead); 25th in Young Rider (5:22 off the lead)
As a team, we are 4th in the G.C. (0:36 off the lead)

Today is the Cannon Falls road race. It’s a 70mile road race with 4 finishing circuits. We don’t start until 5:30, so it’s another lazy day. Updates to come about tonights race soon!
-A

St. Paul Riverfront Time Trial

The time trial is done and over with. Woke up this morning to moist air. It was raining here at our host house in Stillwater. Fortunately, it was dry at the course in St. Paul. It did start raining some before more start though. I was off at 8:40am. Ouch! I think I was the 20th rider to go. I hopped on the rollers around 7:50 and started my warm-up. I didn’t get a great warm-up in because I needed to pre-check my bike position, stop by the bathroom one last time, and change my wheels. After a small issue airing up my front wheel, I headed back to the start. Rolled up to the check-in area and made it through. I stood there for a few minutes while they called a bunch of numbers, other than mine. Finally, they started calling my number. I had 15seconds on the ramp. Go figure, I couldn’t get clipped in. I was pretty frazzeled at the start, but tried to gain composure as I started. I found my rhythm and went. I should have pre-ridden the turn around again, because I went way too fast into it. The barriers came a bit to quick and I had to come to almost a complete stop. I sprinted my way out of the turn around and got back into the rhythm. I saw I was gaining on my 30second person and tried to catch her. I close the gap even more once we got to the hill, but never closed it completely. She was about 5 seconds ahead of me at the finish. When I came across the line, they said I had the 4th best time of the day. Sweet! However, I knew this wouldn’t last. I was pretty early to go off and there were a lot of fast girls behind me. My time was 15:08 which was good enough for 25th place.

Kristin Armstrong rode a 13:48:55. Alison Powers road at 14:01:14 and Errine Willock rode a 14:36:95. My teammate Anne finished 4th with a time of 14:36 something. Our guest rider Jessica Phillips rode a 14:52 for 13th place. Our other guest rider Edwige Pitel rode a 15:07 for 23rd place. Toni rode a 15:43 for 51st place and Kacey rode a 16:10 for 76th place.

Downtown St. Paul Criterium is later tonight. I’m hoping it warms up and the rain stops. Update to come later!
-A

Nature Valley Grand Prix preview

The 2009 Nature Valley Grand Prix kicks off tomorrow (Wednesday). This 5-day, 6-stage stage race is one of the most prestigious races in the country. Last year, I raced on the Ryan Collegiate All-Stars composite team. It was my first NRC race and my first stage race. I had a blast and am really looking forward to racing it again this year.

Tomorrow starts off the St. Paul Riverfront 6 mile time trial. Here’s the course and profile:
Last year, the time trial was in the middle of the race. This year, it starts the race off. I think it is better the way it is this year. The course is pretty flat, as you can see. However, the last bit is straight uphill. It’s a pretty significant climb, and a brutal way to end a hard effort. Racing starts at 8:30am.

Tomorrow evening is the Downtown St. Paul Criterium. The 60minute criterium starts at 6:00pm. Here’s what the course looks like:
It’s going to be a fast and flat race. Hoping to keep things safe. Last year, rain caused this event to be neutralized after the race (meaning results weren’t counted in the General Classification).

Thursday’s stage is the Cannon Falls road race. Our race is 60miles. Here’s the course:
There’s a short gravel section leading into the circuit. Position will be key for this as it does get a bit sketchy. Wind will likely be the deciding factor of this race. Once we hit the final circuit, the women will do 4 laps. The finish ends on a pretty decent climb. I don’t remember a whole lot of this race, other than wind and a big field.

Friday’s race is the Uptown Minneapolis Criterium. This 60minute race starts at 6:30pm.
Another flat, fast race.

Saturday’s stage is the Mankato Road Race. The race is 86miles long, with 4 laps of the finishing circuit.
This is a brutal race. The wind was pretty bad last year and I was put in the gutter most of the race. There’s a few good hills, but the finishing circuit is the hardest. Attrition will be key for this stage.

Sunday’s stage is the Stillwater Criterium. Last year this was my best race. It’s brutal!
The hill is super hard. But I’m looking forward to it .

Check back throughout the week for updates!
-A

Liberty Classic

I flew from Denver to Philadelphia Saturday morning. We arrived in Philly late afternoon. Toni and I went for a short spin before heading out for dinner. The next morning, we arrived at the course plenty early. With Philly being 2 hours ahead in time zones, I was dragging. Nothing like starting a race when your body thinks it’s 7:10am.

There were 120ish starters. I was pretty nervous. The field was stacked. The biggest race I’ve ever been in. Here’s just a few of the names I was in the presence of.
Ina Teutenberg (Columbia-High Road)
Trixi Worrack (Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung)
Amber Neben (Equipe Nurnberger Versicherung)
Mara Abbott (Columbia-High Road)
Judith Arndt (Columbia-High Road)
Not too mention, there were the usual US top contenders that I’ve been racing with at the rest of the NRC races. It was pretty amazing to be racing amongst them.

The course:
There were a lot of flat sections of the course. It started off with a tricky construction zone. Lots of man hole and drain covers and some road-narrowing. The first major climb (Manayunk Hill) is where things started to break apart. Apparently by the end of the first lap there were a large number of riders off the pack. After Manayunk Hill we went over two smaller hills (Strawberry Hill and Lemon Hill). At the top of Manayunk and Lemon there were Queen of the Mountain points. The pace stayed pretty high. We actually caught and passed the men’s field pretty early in our race. It was a pretty big deal and very cool. The last lap Columbia-High Road showed why they are the power house to reckon with. They controlled the entire lap. Heading up Manayunk for the last time, they lit it up. It was the fastest time we went up it. Unfortunately, I had poor positioning going into the hill and had to navigate my way through slowing riders. By the time I had made it to the top, I was off the back of the lead group by about 50 meters. I couldn’t close the gap. The leaders were drilling the pace as we went down the hill into a headwind. I sat up and started rotating with the girls in my pack (about 20 of us). Two of my teammates – Anne and Toni – made the front spilt, thankfully! The other 3 of us (Kacey, our guest rider Jessica Phillips, and myself) were in the 2nd group. Of the front of the lead group were 12 very strong riders. It made it very hard for us to catch the 1st group. The first group was trying to catch the break as we were trying to catch them. Needless to say, we never caught the group. Ina Teutenburg took the win, Joanne Kiesanowski (TIBCO) was 2nd, and Shelley Olds (PROMAN) was 3rd. Anne was our top finisher in 19th place, Toni was 28th, Kacey was 53rd, I was 65th, and Jessica was 67th. It was a super fun race, actually. According to VeloNews, this race was the fastest it’s ever been in the race history. The field was pretty stacked, so that makes complete sense. I was happy to finish the race, and of course happy to not have crashed. Like I said before, it was just an honor being in the field with those types of riders.

We flew to Minneapolis Monday morning for the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Racing starts tomorrw (Wednesday). More updates to come as possible
-A

slacker

So I know, I’ve been a slacker on this. Updates to come about Tulsa Tough soon. I’ve been super busy this week trying to get ready for the next month. I leave tomorrow morning for Philly (Liberty Classic). From there I head to Minnesota for Nature Valley, Wisconsin for Tour of America’s Dairyland, and then Massachusetts for Fitchburg. Lots of traveling ahead of me. Updates to come soon! Thanks for checking in!
-A

Tulsa Tough Day

Tulsa Tough has come and gone this year. I actually love these races. It’s my second year doing them. Fun, fast courses and huge fields. Not to mention, some awesome prize money! Kate, Toni and I met up in St. Louis Thursday morning. We went for a short spin and then hopped in Black Betty for the drive to Tulsa. It’s a blast traveling with these girls. We had some good times, and some sleepy times. Arrived in Tulsa at a good time and got settled into our host housing.

Kate and Toni all smiles while spinning out the legs in Tulsa.

The team spinning before Day 1 of Tulsa Tough.

Day 1’s crit was in the evening so we went for a team spin in the morning. Found a pretty awesome road outside of Tulsa. Nice and scenic. The crit course for day 1 looked like this:

It was pancake flat, and fast. The weather was sunny and a bit warm, but not humid (which is pretty unusual for Tulsa). There were a ton of crashes. None of the LipSmacker girls went down. As a team, we went for some primes and did some attacking. Anne was our top finisher in 10th place, Kacey was 12th, I was 22nd, Toni was 30th, and Kate was 60th. Not too shabby for over 90 starters!

Day 2 was an afternoon race so we went out for another spin to loosen up the legs. Today was quite a bit hotter. The weather was still beautiful though. Here’s the course:

There was a slight uphill on the backside of the course, leading into a tight left hand corner. There were a few times where the outside curb came pretty close to my front wheel. After the top straight-away there was a pretty fast downhill leading into another wide left hand turn into a long sprint finish. As a team, again, we attacked and went for primes. Since we aren’t a crit team, this is pretty much all we can do in crits. Try to get a break going and take some primes. There was a huge crash 10minutes into the race. My coach, Meredith Miller, went down after some riders moved into her. This crash happened about 30 riders back and took place in the first corner after the start/finish. Needless to say, about 2/3’s of the field went down or got stuck behind it. So they neutralized the race for 10minutes. Then the race was shortened to 40minutes to go. It was fast, but maintainable. I took a flier with 2 to go to try and string things out a bit. Then I got caught, and shuffled towards the back. It was hard moving up the last lap because I was already tired. Anne was the top finisher for the team in 18th place, Toni was 23rd, I was 32nd, Kacey was 49th, and Kate was stuck behind the crashing and wasn’t able to finish. She is ok though.

Day 3 was a great course for me. It was super hot out. Definitely a race of attrition. There was a pretty steep hill that kept things hard. Here’s the course:

The field shattered and eventually there were only 31 people who finished the race of the starting 90+ riders. There were lots of attacks. Alison Powers was off the front for quite a few laps. I took a prime one of the laps. Coming into the last lap, I tried to hold position in the top 5, but got swarmed coming into the 2nd to last corner heading down the hill. Was able to move up a few spots on the downhill, but not enough. I finished 12th, Toni was 23rd, Anne was 26th. We were one of the only teams to have more than 2 riders in the lead group. It was an awesome weekend for the team. I’m glad the weather stayed nice (minus the heat).

After Tulsa Tough, I headed back to St. Louis. The next day, I drove back to Fort Collins. That Tuesday, I rode in rain and 50 degree weather. Nothing like coming from 95degrees to 50degrees in a day. The rest of the week wasn’t that great either, but I managed to get some training in and some working. It’s going to be a busy month! Thanks for stopping in and I’ll try to be a better blogger
-A

Jim Ryan

Last year I was selected to be a member of the Ryan Collegiate All-Star composite team for the Nature Valley Grand Prix. This team is sponsored by Jim Ryan and his company. Jim, his wife Colleen, and the rest of their family were kind enough to open their house up to us for the entire week at Nature Valley. They were very supportive and enthusiastic towards the opportunity. I received news today that Jim passed away earlier this morning. Jim was a very kind man. He will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family. Rest in peace Jim!

Read more about Jim here —> http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jimrryan

Quad Cities Criterium

This race always makes me nervous. As many of you know, I haven’t had the best luck in the past with it. This year, it was raining off and on all day. It never really poured. Fortunately by the time we raced, it was dry. During the race it sprinkled some, but never enough to make the pavement slick. I chose to run my rain tires anyway. Better safe than sorry!

The race started off fast, as always. There were a lot of attacks. LipSmacker threw down a lot of attacks trying to split things up and make a break stick. After several attempts, a break finally stuck. It included Meredith Miller, Catherine Walberg, Kristen Meshberg, Jessica Prinner, Toni Bradshaw, and myself. We (LipSmacker) had two in the break, which was awesome. The break never got organized. We came close to lapping the field at some point during the race. But by the time the race was almost done, I thought we were going to get caught. It was frustrating, but we made it stick. With one lap to go, Jessica attacked after a prime lap. She got a gap that no one was going to cover. I think if I would have been patient, someone would have gone. I waited a few seconds and then went. I didn’t catch her and no one else would come to help. Toni came and took over and closed the gap even more. But still, no help. On the final straigh-away, Meredith jumped and passed Jessica. I latched on to Kristen and Catherine’s wheels. Between the final two corners, Kristen and Catherine almost crashed into each other. I hestitated and lost contact, crap. Meredith already had a huge gap and held onto it for the win. Kristen took 2nd and Catherine 3rd. I came in 4th, and Toni was 6th. Unfortunately Kate went down in a crash mid-race. She is ok, just some road rash. It was another fun race and I learned some more (such as positioning for a sprint ). Now some pictures.

Erick striking his LipSmacker GQ pose

Kate throwing down an early attack.

Following wheels.

The break.

It was an awesome weekend of racing. I’m sad it’s over. It was so great to see everyone again. That’s what I enjoy about coming back to the Midwest. You get to see lots of people you haven’t seen in a year . Next up is Tulsa Tough. I’m leaving early in the morning tomorrow to head down. From there it’s back to Colorado for a few days. I fly to Philly for the Liberty Classic next Saturday and won’t be “home” (Colorado or Iowa) for a month. Here’s to life on the road! Thanks for reading!
-A

Testing

Just seeing if this works.