Pittsburgher-turned-Euro-racing-pro Sinead Miller represented the ‘burgh and her Indiana college, Marian University this weekend at collegiate nationals. She took home several podiums including 3rd in the road race, 5th in the criterium, 2nd in the omnium while she and her team took 1st in the team time trial and team omnium. Check out the Full Results.

[Sinead wins 2nd in the omnium. Photo by USA Cycling]

Since talking to Sinead back in January, she has been racing in Europe with her Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty12 team, slaying it in the Midwest conference and somehow going to college.  We got in touch with Sinead again to ask a few questions.

Q: What can you tell us about your experience racing in Europe this spring and how it helped you as a racer?

During my last block of racing in Europe I learned more than I even thought possible. I had teammates who were world champions, such as Amber Neben, and these women really helped me grow as a racer. Also, the USA National Team director, Manel Lacambra, is one of the best minds in cycling and just being around him turned me into a completely different racer. I was able to really soak in all of his advice and knowledge of racing, which gave me a lot more confidence. Last year when I raced in Europe I was just pack fill and I was usually riding in the middle or back of the peloton. During this last trip I was always at the front and making the decisive breaks and moves. Now when I am racing in the states it feels so easy to me to move around in the peloton. This is because in European racing if you aren’t battling to move up in the peloton then you are moving back. The women over there in Euroland will do anything to be at the front of the field, so I had to learn to race the same way and fight for everything.

[Sinead at the Women's Tour of Flanders. Photo by Cycle To]

Q: Did you have a different approach to racing nationals this year?

Last year at nationals I won the criterium, but I wasn’t even able to finish in the top 50 in the road race. I was really a one-dimensional rider a year ago. I could sprint, but that was about it. Climbing was out of the question. To win the overall team omnium and individual omnium was my goal for this year. Last year Marian finished sixth overall and I finished fifth overall in the individual omnium. To improve both of these results I knew that I needed to place better in the road race, which meant getting over the climbs. During the past 8 months I really focused on improving my climbing, so that I had a shot at winning the team and individual omnium. The road course this year in Wisconsin was brutal. It was even harder than last year. There was A LOT of climbing and the finish was at the top of a three-mile climb. All of my hard work paid off though and I was able to climb with the best. I finished third in the road race and this was a huge improvement for me, especially when considering how I placed last year in the road race. Also, my third place finish contributed a lot of points towards both the team and individual standings, which I was happy with. I really did want to win the road race, but when considering the terrain of the course and my natural abilities I am happy with the outcome. By next year I will be even stronger for the road race, given that I will have more time to improve on my climbing.

[Sinead in the crit. Photo by wheelsinfocus.com]

Q: We heard the road race was epic and lots of people flatted, how did you survive?

The road race was insane! It was raining so hard all day and it was freezing cold. I could barely see during the entire race because of a combination of the fog and the rain. It was really intense out there, especially on the 50 mph downhill sections. At one point during the race my body felt like it was shutting down because I got so cold, but thankfully I was able to pull it together. I couldn’t even eat during the race because my hands were too frozen to get food out of my jersey pockets. Even to finish the road race you not only had to be physically strong, but also willing to suffer and hurt more than imaginable. I was one of the few people who did not get a flat in the road race and I have to thank my TUFO tires for that. They definitely helped me avoid the need to call on the neutral support car.

[Sinead during the road race. Photo by Stuart Allen]

Q: Which result was the most meaningful to you?

The most meaningful result to me was the women’s team time trial win. I have never won a time trial before and being able to do so with my teammates was the best feeling in the world. When we crossed the finish line I knew that we rode an absolutely perfect time trial. Before they even announced all of the times I knew we won. I just had that feeling. The team time trial was also the deciding factor in the overall team omnium standings. Going into the TTT, Marian University was in second place overall to Lees-McCrae. We knew that we had to win the TTT to win the overall and we were more than ready to take home the gold. Everyone on the Marian squad rode a flawless time trial and really stepped up to the plate under pressure.

[Marian University women in the TTT. Photo by Jamie Young]

Q: Did you feel any pressure going into the races as a defending champion/super-pro?

Actually, I was more relaxed than I expected, partially because I knew that I prepared myself to the best of my ability. I worked harder than you could imagine over the past year to turn myself into more than just a crit rider and fortunately all that hard work paid off. Marian University won the collegiate road national title for the first time in the school’s history. Winning the team national championship title was my main goal for this year’s nationals and to be able to accomplish this with my teammates was such a great feeling. There was some pressure on me going into each race because I needed results to give the team points towards the overall, but this just fueled my fire and I was able to accomplish what I set out to do.

[Marian University women won the team omnium. Photo by Jamie Young]

Q: What’s next?  Will you be returning to Pittsburgh anytime this summer to race with us amateurs?

This summer is going to be pretty crazy for me, but I will definitely be returning to Pittsburgh to race at the oval. I will also be racing a lot of crits during the next month and then I head to Tulsa, OK for Tulsa Tough. Nationals and Cascade are also big ones on my list for this summer, as well as another trip to Europe for a block of racing. I think next week I will be at the oval to race with you guys. Don’t make it too hard on me out there.

Related posts:

1. Interview: Sinead Miller of Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12
2. Bucknell Collegiate Races and Sinead at Flanders
3. Pitt Cycling Qualifies for Collegiate Nationals

Tags: collegiate | interview | nationals | race | sinead

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