Brooke Miller, champion cyclist, slug activist, thigh muscle goddess

Brooke Miller is an athletic badass. And an eloquent one at that. The 2008 US National Criterium champion, US team member, worlds competitor, and cyclist for the talent-stacked Team TIBCO, is at the Amgen Tour of California to defend her 2008 title. You can watch Brooke in action on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Santa Rosa, where she will tear up the streets of the Women’s Criterium. But first, she took a little time to talk to me about cycling, slugs, Qatar, and what its like to be a thigh goddess.
 
Kathryn Bertine [KB]: Brooke, how do you feel about defending your crit title at the Amgen Tour of California [ATOC], and how do you keep your focus/health in tact coming off a 30-hr flight from Qatar?

Brooke Miller [BM]: ATOC was a great race for us last year and really was a fantastic launching pad for the rest of the season.  This year, we have assembled an incredibly strong roster and all the teams are looking to us to make a big impact on this race- not just to me.  I am very excited to get a chance to defend my title, not just for myself, but to showcase our new squad and build on the momentum of the exciting 2008 season!  I have been working through some health issues and it showed in Qatar- but i feel good, so we shall see how it goes.  I won't really know what my body is going to do until i am out there and pushing myself to the max.

KB: At 33, you represent one of the "older" athletes in women's pro cycling. Many people don't understand that female cyclists’ peak in their mid to late thirties. Can you explain the advantage of being an "older" rider? (I’m 33 too, so don’t think I’m picking on you:))

BM: 32!  Not 33 until March!!!  (kidding).  In endurance sports, women peak much later in life.  Although 32 seems older when compared to spry little gymnasts that we see during the Olympics, in reality, I am still fairly young in the sport.  People have assumptions that serious competitive athletics for women stop after college.  It is true that there are often not a lot of opportunities for women to continue their athletic pursuits- but their bodies are often much more capable than they were when they were in college.  In addition to physiological changes, age gives an athlete perspective that is really critical.  In my youth, it was often hard to separate self worth from performance and to separate bad performance from the rest of my daily life.  A bad day would affect me disproportionately to what it really meant because it felt so much more important than it truly was.  Now that I am older, I know that cycling or any sport for that matter, is just simply that: sport. There are a lot of things in life that are more important which allows me to be more appreciative of the good aspects of competition and more forgiving of those invariable bad days.

KB: Female cycling is in dire need of media attention. Can you tell our non-cycling-familiar readers why this sport is so terrific and what drew you to cycling?

BM: Man!  I love cycling so much, it is hard to start!  It is a complex sport of corporation and defection.  I cannot think of any other sport where you have to cooperate with your competition to win.  Because of drafting, riders that are in the wind are expending up to 30% more energy than those in the group behind (the peloton).  When a rider attacks (they ride up the road very fast to get away from the group)- it is very hard for them to stay away.  But, if another rider- usually on another team- goes with them, the two of them can take turns drafting behind each other and stay away.  They make a decision that it is easier to try and beat one person than 100, so they cooperate.  But, as the finish looms close- they have to make a decision to defect and try and beat each other.  It makes for a strange sport with really interesting tactics and strategy.  In addition, the sound and feel of the wind rushing off of a charging peloton is not to be described!  It is so exciting to stand on the sides and watch, hear and feel the racers flying by.  The inherent danger of the sport with dramatic crashes and turns of events also makes it captivating.

KB: The male cyclists on the pro circuit are used to 5-star treatment at races. Can you tell us a memory or two of your best and worst experiences--travel/race related--on the women's pro circuit?

BM: Staying in the Ritz in Qatar was the best treatment that we have ever gotten... that is what the guys get!  We typically stay with host housing- generous families that open their homes to strangers, giving them a place to sleep and often meals.  We have had so many magical families that have become fans and friends that we are, in some ways, sometimes luckier than the guys stuck in host hotels!  But then again... there have been some, uh, interesting places that we have stayed that are most certainly not the Ritz...

KB: I see you have a PhD in evolutionary biology, and that you studied the sexual conflict of Banana Slugs. That’s very cool. I had no idea they were conflicted. In general, how do you feel about Banana Slugs?

BM: I love them! I fell in love with the study of evolutionary biology and it is not all just about fossils.  What Istudied was the processes that direct evolution.  In my particular thesis, I was looking at how sexual conflict can drive the evolution of fascinating mating behaviors.  We tend to think of mating as cooperative, where both animals engaged in the act are benefitting.  But in reality- one partner may be benefiting in evolutionary terms more than the other, causing a conflict of interests.  In the case of the slugs- even though they are hermaphroditic, they will both likely go on to mate with other partners, therefore they have to be careful about how much energy they allocate on the current partner.  this conflict leads to some pretty crazy mating!  I still love the slugs, but I most certainly do NOT recommend licking them!  That is one party trick to avoid!  Trust the expert here.

KB: OK. Fine. I won’t lick slugs. But only if you will tell us a little bit about Team TIBCO and why the other US teams should fear you in 2009.

BM: We have build on some incredible momentum from the last two seasons, getting stronger and stronger each year.  With budget cut backs, Linda Jackson, our director, was one of the few who was able to keep our main sponsors and bring in additional funding.  That meant that we had the infrastructure, funding and organization to build the top team in the US.  This gave her the pick of the litter in building the roster.  She pillaged the top riders from all the teams and built a phenomenal squad.  What is more important though is that they are not only phenomenal talents on the bike, they are all exceptional people off the bike and have great personalities.  I expect a well-oiled machine...

KB: Please tell your well-oiled machine to be kind to rookie pros. Moving on… You have thighs that ancient Greek sculptors could have only dreamed of replicating as artwork. How do you feel about being in a sport that celebrates strength and power in women?

BM: Hahahha!  Thank you!  I would usually describe myself has having legs like ham hocks.  I have always had big quads, even since my high school volleyball days.  It was a love/hate relationship when I was growing up- being proud to be strong but sometimes feeling masculine for my build.  Since I have begun cycling, I appreciate my legs more and my strength.  It is also probably due to age as well- being older, I appreciate my body more and more as I know that it is not something that I will have in this condition forever!

KB: You are the defending US national criterium champion. Seeing as I am a climber, a rookie, and absolutely no threat to you on Sunday, could you please give me some words of advice on how to be a great crit rider?

BM: Hahaha!   Sure!  Be up front!  It takes energy to get up there, but if you are not up there, you have no chance.  In a fast criterium gaps will open and you can be the strongest person out there and never have any chance to see the finish line.  Also- race your bike!  If you are not a sprinter- you won't win in a sprint.  So, don't be afraid to take a gamble, attack and try to ride away.  You have nothing to lose in putting yourself out there... you might get dropped, but that teaches you what your boundaries are.  Better to race and get dropped than to sit in and finish 60th without taking any chance.  (I also recommend putting your "f--- you" pants on, but not sure if I would recommend printing that!).

KB: I can print that, thanks to dash marks and human inference. Thank you, Brooke, for your time and insight. I will see you tomorrow in the crit. Look for my special pants. They’ll be trying to keep up with your goddess thighs.
 
BM: Thank you!