I WON CROSSVEGAS!!

(photo via www.cxmagazine.com)

I won CrossVegas! I WON CROSSVEGAS!! This is all still a bit surreal to me. Official team report is copied and pasted below. More of a reaction from me at some point tomorrow.

Las Vegas, NV – September 11, 2014 – Meredith Miller scored the biggest win of her cyclocross career in Las Vegas, Nevada on Wednesday night. In front of an estimated crowd of 10,000 that included the large majority of her new Noosa Professional Cyclocross Team sponsors, Miller edged out ten-time US Cyclocross National Champion Katie Compton (Trek Factory Racing) and four-time Olympian Katerina Nash (Luna) in a three-up sprint to win CrossVegas. The 2014/2015 season opener boasted what will likely be the deepest, strongest field Miller will face on American soil this year.

(photo credit: Wil Matthews)

“The result ranks right up with my result from Tabor last year,” said Miller, referencing her sixth place finish at the World Cup last October. “This is by far my biggest win. I’ve won a handful of C1 races in the past but never at this level against such a stacked field and in front of so many people.”

“All of my sponsors are here,” Miller continued. “There were so many people watching online. I’ve given so many interviews. I’ve never won a race of this status before, and wow – it still feels a bit unreal.”

Miller raced brilliantly from start to finish. Making the most of her prime start spot, she was quick off the line and easily able to jump around the riders in front of her when gaps began to open on lap one. An early attack by Nash proved decisive. Compton responded to the challenge from Nash. As the split grew, Miller recognized the danger in the pairing out front and came around Helen Wyman (Kona) to bridge across to the two leaders.

“This race is about patience,” Miller explained. “It’s about making the front group when the split happens and racing smart, but mostly, it’s about being patient.”

“The move went pretty early today,” she added  “I had to jump to close the gap to Katie and Katerina. It was just the three of us for a bit, and then Catherine [Pendral] (Luna) came up to us. That gave Katerina a teammate and changed the dynamic in the group a bit. I wasn’t going to attack when there were two teammates in a group of four.”

(photo credit: Dejan Smaic)

The four-rider front group proved evenly matched. Nash and Pendral each put in a few attacks. Their efforts were not enough to dislodge Miller or Compton.

“I did manage to go to the front for a little while, but I was honestly a little awestruck by who I was with,” Miller admitted. “I didn’t want to drop myself by doing too much work too early in the race. I needed to leave enough in the tank to follow wheels if anyone threw down a big acceleration.”

(photo credit: David Tsai)

Just outside one lap left to race, Pendral crashed on a pavement section of the course. The incident took her out of contention for the win, leaving three riders in the lead group for the three podium places.

“Catherine took herself out on the sidewalk section,” noted Miller. “It happens every year that someone crashes there, so I knew to be extra cautious. She went down in front of me, but she slid, leaving a gap open for me to get through.”

Mental anguish accompanied physical effort in the final lap. While Miller knew she had a lock on the podium barring a super-human effort from Pendral to rejoin the leaders, she was unsure how to best play her cards. She contemplated an attack before ultimately deciding to wait until the final few corners to make her move.

“I wasn’t feeling confident enough to attack Katie or Katerina, so my goal was just to stick with them,” said Miller. “I wanted to lead into the last twisty grass section before the pavement. I was confident that I could get the best result from the position, although that’s not to say I had any idea my best result would be the win.”

“In the end, I was the last one of the three of us through that twisty section,” Miller added. “I tried to pass Katie once or twice because I really wanted to be on the front at the point. I lost my wheel but luckily was able to hold it up somehow.”

Miller was the third rider out of the final corner and onto the finishing stretch of grass. The leading trio treated spectators and online viewers to a nail-biting finale.

“It was just a drag race to the line,” said Miller. “We came out of the last turn, and I was like – oh boy, here we go.”

“I passed Katerina, and I was pretty elated to be in second,” added Miller. “I remember thinking – this is great. This is awesome. I’m in second place in the sprint. I kept on the gas, and I thought– wow, I think I’m going to pass Katie now, too.”

“Then, I did,” Miller said. “I passed Katie, and I won the race.”

(photo credit: Matthew Lasala)

Miller was full of praise for the people that paved the way for her historical result. She is only the second American to beat Compton in the last ten years, and the first rider to beat both Nash and Compton in the same race on American soil. Miller credits her teammate and business partner Allen Krughoff and the Noosa Professional Cyclocross Team sponsors for playing a major role in her success.

“Everything went right today,” Miller said. “Going back to June when Allen and I started this team, everything that’s happened has seemed a bit unbelievable. We had Noosa sign on as title sponsor in a pretty unorthodox fashion. All the product sponsors we approached have been so incredibly generous. Our equipment is amazing. The people we’re working with are amazing. Everything has gone right, and nothing has gone wrong.”

“I’ve been in the sport long enough to know how rare that is,” Miller added. “It speaks volumes about the work that Allen and I have done and the sort of support we enjoy from all our team sponsors. To pull it all together tonight for all of them is pretty awesome.”