VeloNews recently brought me on board as a monthly columnist. My first piece was published at the beginning of the week. You can read an excerpt here and then click the link at the bottom to read the whole thing.

Rewind to August 2013 for a moment — after a 15-year career, I announced my retirement from road racing at the Tour of Elk Grove in Chicago. Although I was sad to say goodbye to so many women who had been my teammates, friends, and competitors over the years, at the same time I was excited about the upcoming cyclocross season. Although I had announced my retirement from road, retirement from ’cross was still in the distant future.

In May of this year, I still hadn’t landed a full-time “real” job. I knew that if I wanted to race ’cross on an elite team outside of Colorado, I had to put the job search on hold and commit to racing full-time. With California Giant Berry Farms taking a different approach to the season, it was time for me to move on to another team after a successful and gratifying six years with the program.

I started putting feelers out but wasn’t getting any real bites when I ran into Allen Krughoff, who also happened to be in the same boat as me. The idea of starting our own team was born out of shared circumstances and combined resources.

By mid-June we had a promising lead from Noosa Yoghurt to become our title sponsor and had landed several major product sponsors including Focus Bikes, Enve Composites, and SRAM. The idea of starting our own team had become real and intense. We were committed to not just building a new team that would scrape by, but we were determined to establish a legitimate program that did not cut corners.

Continue reading here.

Lots more from me about this one later (when I have a chance to breathe!) but for now I wanted to share the official press release that I’ve just sent out to the media, sponsors, family, friends and fans. Lucky season seven is going to be a huge departure from the past six seasons in almost every way possible – new team, new responsibilities, new equipment, new approach. I’m looking forward to sharing all of it with all of you. Like us on Facebook and follow up on Twitter/Instagram

Allen Krughoff and Meredith Miller Sign Noosa Finest Yoghurt as Title Sponsor for Rider-Owned Professional Cyclocross Team

Boulder, CO – July 28, 2014 – Allen Krughoff and Meredith Miller announced today that they have signed Bellvue, Colorado-based Noosa Finest Yoghurt as title sponsor for the newest cyclocross program in professional cycling. Krughoff, formerly of Raleigh-Clement, and Miller, formerly of California Giant Berry Farms/Specialized, will function as team co-owners and team co-managers while racing a domestic schedule for the 2014/2015 cyclocross season.

“Having been with Cal Giant since I first started racing ‘cross, this is all a really big change – but it’s an exciting one,” said Miller. “I’m stepping into unknown territory in owning and running a team, and it definitely comes with a new sense of responsibility to our partners and the sport. We’ve only signed Noosa for one year, but it’s my hope that we’re laying the foundations for a program that will grow. I’d love to see us add more riders to the program as early as next season.”

“As part of an established program, you have much less to worry about but also much less control,” said Krughoff, echoing Miller’s sentiments. “It’d be far easier to join an established program and be told where to be and when to be there, but this has been much more exciting as everything has started to come together. Both Meredith and I are going to take a lot of satisfaction in marking our partners happy and racing fast this year, knowing we made it all happen.”

Krughoff and Miller considered Noosa an obvious choice when searching for a title sponsor for their program. The young company, a collective of Aussie ex-pats and Colorado natives who have brought the best tasting Aussie style yoghurt to the U.S., has been involved with the sport on the local level for several years.

“Noosa has a history of sponsorship in the cycling world with a local team and local races up in Fort Collins,” explained Krughoff. “Last year, they were involved with the National Championships here in Boulder. Their brand manager has worked for IZZE and EVOL in the past. Both companies have had programs that support and value partnerships in cycling, specifically cyclocross. The partnership with them made sense, so we reached out. They didn’t need much convincing.”

“Noosa Yogurt has always been a supporter of cycling,” said Koel Thomae, Co-Founder of Noosa Yoghurt. “We’re thrilled to be taking our support of cycling up a notch with the sponsorship of Allen and Meredith. The fun and spectator friendly sport of cyclocross is a great fit for our brand and we’re excited for the upcoming season.”

The co-owners of Noosa Professional Cyclocross Team also represent the new squad’s entire roster. The duo will be supported by two team mechanics Daimeon Shanks and Erik Maresjo. The team will be riding the Focus Mares equipped with SRAM, ENVE and Clement tires throughout the 2014/15 season.

“For me, this is an across the board change except for SRAM,” said Miller. I’ve been on the same equipment for the last six years. This is a new frame, new wheels and new tires. It’s a big change. Any hesitations I might have about making such a major switch have been completely put to rest by our budding relationships with Focus, ENVE and Clement. Allen and I approached all three companies fairly late in the game, and they stepped up to support us in a huge way. It’s extremely humbling to know that these companies are committed to supporting what we do and are excited to see what we can do for them in return.”

Castelli will supply the team with the full range of clothing necessary for the vast range of conditions encountered during the fall and winter cyclocross season.

“I was really impressed with the quality of clothing I had from Castelli last season,” said Krughoff. “Sticking with them for another year is great. I place a big focus on social media engagement with the cyclocross community, and Castelli is fantastic about embracing what I do. They reached out to me recently to check in on my plans for the season and, we signed them up. We plan to deliver high quality content to all our sponsors throughout the season, and it’s great to hear how much this matters.”

Miller’s cycling career spans 15+ years. The lifelong athlete made a name for herself as a super domestique on the road and has been amongst the top-ranked American women in cyclocross for the last five seasons. Her career highlights include winning the 2009 USA Cycling Road National Championships, representing the U.S. at the UCI Road World Championships and the UCI Cyclocross World Championships within a four month period (2009-2010), and cracking the top ten at the Tabor World Cup last year. Miller announced her retirement from road racing in August 2013 following a five-year stint with Team TIBCO, four as road captain.

“For the last six years, I’ve gone straight from the ‘cross season into the road season and from the road season right into the ‘cross season,” said Miller. “It’s been different this year. I didn’t touch a bike for nearly the entire month of February, and I’ve been riding a ton since March but without a training plan. This has been my first big break in seven years.”

“Rather than racing full-time on the road, I’ve been able to ride for myself,” Miller added. “Riding has been about having fun instead of preparing for some sort of race-related goal. Some weeks that means I’m on my ‘cross bike, my road bike and my mountain bike all in the same week. I’ve gone on short rides, long rides and epic adventures. This has allowed me to mentally reset and refocus. I just started working with my coach Neal Henderson again two weeks ago, and I’m looking forward to seeing what a more laid back approach this spring and summer will mean for me this fall.”

Krughoff has enjoyed a quick rise to the top of the sport that began when he won a professional contract with Raleigh-Clement two years ago. He finished in fifth place at the 2014 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships. The result secured his spot on the six-rider team that represented the U.S. at the 2014 UCI Cyclocross World Championships in the Netherlands last February. Krughoff is an accomplished commercial photographer and film producer and uses the skills he’s honed behind the camera to create exceptional digital content for his cycling season partners.

“My goal this year is to break into the top five consistently at national level races,” said Krughoff. “I’ve seen big improvements from myself every year. Last season, I wanted to consistently score top-ten results. This year that bar will be set even higher. I also plan to contend for a spot on the world’s team again. With the type of support we’ve put together with our partners and staff, I think it’s completely realistic to expect that Meredith and I will be competitive against the other top professional teams.”

Miller and Krughoff will debut their new colors at CrossVegas in September. Their race calendar includes nine race weekends nationwide in the build-up to the USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships in Austin, Texas. While partnerships with Noosa, Focus, SRAM, ENVE, Clement, Castelli and Kinetic support this schedule, Krughoff and Miller continue to seek additional sponsorship.

“We’re both vey excited about the incredible program we’ve put together,” said Krughoff. “We still have opportunities available for other companies or even individuals looking to partner with us. We’ve done our best to identify interested parties, but we know that we’re probably missing some. If that’s you, reach out and let us know. It’s not too late to get involved.”

About Noosa Finest Yoghurt
Noosa Finest Yoghurt was founded in 2009 by a collective of Aussie ex-pats and Colorado natives who set out to bring the best tasting Aussie style yoghurt to the U.S. Noosa Finest Yoghurt is sold in more than 5,000 grocery, natural and specialty stores nationwide, including Whole Foods, Target, Safeway, Kroger and The Fresh Market. Noosa is available in 13 flavors and is sold in 4-ounce variety packs and in individual 8- and 16-ounce cups.

For more information, please visit: http://www.noosayoghurt.comand “like” us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/noosayoghurt.

(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!

While I definitely enjoyed a much needed break from the bike after my most tumultuous ‘cross season to date and a slow but steady build-up to the start of my season, I’m pretty pumped for my first race and meeting my new teammates. You’d think I’d know just about everyone in the women’s peloton by now, and while I do know most of my teammates by name and face, there are a few that I’ll meet for the first time at camp. I’m looking forward to getting to know the new riders and reconnecting with my returning teammates. This is our fifth year going to Carpinteria for camp. Training with a new crew, staying in such a cool place, and being only steps away from the beach, always makes for a fun camp.

I’m also excited to find my racing legs. While my teammates have been busy lighting it up in Europe, I’ve been toiling away at home – eagerly following their results. Although I get a late(ish) start to racing, once I knock out San Dimas it’s pretty much bam, bam, bam after that – exactly what I’m used to.

In addition to the new teammates, we also welcome a few new sponsors. Fuji and Shimano have joined the Team TIBCO family. I am really digging Di2. It is absolutely top-notch. It works like a gem. Living in Boulder, I’ve had the opportunity to visit my local Shimano showroom and have their mechanics get everything dialed in for me just the way I want it.  Who knew bike components could be so customizable?! Love it.

I last rode on Fuji in 2006 and 2007 when I rode for Lipton. The technology has come a long way in the last five years. The custom paint jobs look fantastic, and the bikes ride smoothly. I’m eager to get my hands (and legs!) on my time trial bike at camp. I’ll be putting in extra time trial training this year ahead of the Amgen Tour of California time trial.

In the past two years, we’ve had some huge highlights on Team TIBCO. Megan Guarnier’s win at Redlands and Nationals last season were our biggest results. This year, I’d like to see us consistently find our way onto the top step of the podium. My goal for the team is for us to look back at the season and run out of fingers as we tick off the races we’ve won.

Amid all the change, much stays the same – and that’s the main reason I re-upped for my fifth year with Team TIBCO. I appreciate the continuity from one year to the next. I take personal responsibility for this sense of stability. It’s important for me to be part of building and maintaining a strong women’s program that offers this for those that come after me.

Here’s to another year of road racing and all the adventures that lie ahead!