To say Chris Miller is obsessed with the Bowral Classic could be considered somewhat of an understatement as he gears up for his third event on Sunday.
Many of our riders may be familiar with Chris through his Youtube channel Chris Miller Cycling and he sat down with us to discuss his love of the sport.
Bowral Classic: Tell us a bit about yourself?
Chris Miller: I’m a father of two from Balmain who spends an unhealthy amount of time talking to a camera.
BC: When did you start riding and what was your first bike?
CM: I started riding in Dublin when I discovered the 15km commute was almost an hour faster by bike. I can’t remember the first bike I commuted on, but I can remember the first proper road bike I bought was in Pau, France a couple of years later when I saw a red Time Edge Sport in the window of a bike store…it was love at first sight
BC: How many Bowral Classic’s have you ridden?
CM: 2019 will be my third Bowral classic
BC: What do you enjoy about the event?
CM: The challenging course and beautiful scenery are obvious choices, but I have to say the most enjoyable part is the camaraderie of those taking part. No matter where people are on the course they are always smiling and willing to offer up a wave. The event village post race is another example of what our sport can look and feel like given the right circumstances.
BC: The Classics series continues to expand – what are your thoughts on the rise and rise of Gran Fondo and mass participation events in Australia?
CM: I come at this at the angle of being involved in a National Road Series (soon to be UCI Continental) race team. To date we have seen these mass participation events as an opportunity for our riders to experience a different style of cycling event. But going forward we see this style of events playing a bigger role in the cycling calendar.
The biggest challenge we find is to make the racing we do relevant to the everyday rider, one of the ways we do this is through our YouTube channel. However mass participation events like the Bowral classic, whilst not being races, grow the footprint of cycling as both a fitness endeavour and a lifestyle … oh and did I mention it’s a bloody tough day out ????.
BC: What are your tips for riders making final preparations for the Bowral Classic?
CM: Put a new set of tyres on your bike a couple of days before the ride and make sure you put a few KMs into them before Sunday. Also make sure you have tested the nutrition you will use on Sunday prior to the big day, so by that I mean use a few of the bars, gels and mix on your training rides this week to make sure your stomach likes them.
You can folow Chris’ adventures on Instagram here.
