ONE OF THE BEST: Canada's Miranda Miller in action at the Candian Open Downhill at Crankworx Whistler. Photo / Sean St Denis/Crankworx
ONE OF THE BEST: Canada's Miranda Miller in action at the Candian Open Downhill at Crankworx Whistler. Photo / Sean St Denis/Crankworx
Miranda Miller has one of the more impressive Crankworx CVs.
The Canadian, who will line up for the enduro and downhill events at Crankworx Rotorua and is the current women's downhill world champion, has been standing on Crankworx podiums since 2005.
She has won the women's Garbanzo Downhill at Crankworx Whistler twice, in 2009 and 2016, and finished second twice.
"We attended Crankworx Rotorua last year. I raced both the Enduro World Series and the Downhill and I think it is safe to say that last year's EWS event was the hardest I've competed in. Lots of rain created some challenging conditions.
"My goal for this year's downhill event is to put together a strong race weekend, one that would mimic that of a world cup. It is coming close to our world cup race season and we've been doing a lot of testing in Queenstown. It's a great event to try what we've been working on and smooth out any kinks," Miller said.
With an incredibly successful start to her career as a junior, she has been around for almost as long as Crankworx itself.
She started riding trails in Pemberton, Canada as an 8-year-old and by her mid-teens was making podiums at Canada's own Crankworx Whistler.
Canada's Miranda Miller, centre, who is competing at Crankworx Rotorua, celebrates winning the Women's Downhill World Championship last year. Photo / Getty Images
"Mountain biking was something that was already pretty popular. I progressed from riding hiking trails and backyards to taking the bus to the Whistler Bike Park at any possible opportunity. I think that if you have never tried mountain biking then you will not understand what it is that I love about it. The best way to understand is to try it.
"If I had to choose my most memorable moment from riding, it would be a collection of the times I spent with a certain group of friends in the Whistler Bike Park roughly four years ago. Those laps of the trails and the chair lift will forever be ingrained in my mind as some of the purest, simplest and happiest moments," she said.
While she has plenty of mountain biking highs to celebrate, there have also been lows as she has had to deal with a horror run of injuries, including breaking a collar bone, a leg and both arms.
Miller said there were points while injured that she felt as if she would never ride again.
In the summer of 2013, after breaking her arm, she went to Norway for the World Cup before she was ready to ride and pulled the plate off the bone. She ended up having to have the surgery re-done that winter.
After finally healing the arm she headed to Fort William in Scotland to open a new race season. She fell in practice and broke her radius and ulna, in both arms.
She said the experience had taught her to adapt and realise the pain would go away eventually, or she would learn to live with the pain.
While it was intimidating to get back on the bike after an injury, Miller said "if you want it you just have to get on with it, getting hurt will always be a part of the game".
"To be at the top of the game in mountain biking, or any sport, requires many pieces. Part of the fun is building and connecting those pieces. A balanced life, discipline and passion are some of the main building blocks of an athlete."
Crankworx Rotorua starts with six stages of enduro action in the Whakarewarewa Forest during today'sGiant Toa Enduro.
2005 Air DH at Crankworx Whistler – Silver, Junior Women 2005 Garbanzo DH at Crankworx Whistler – Silver, Junior Women 2006 Jim Beam Air DH at Crankworx Whistler – Gold, Junior Women 2006 Garbanzo DH at Crankworx Whistler – Silver, Junior Women 2009 Monster Energy Garbanzo DH at Crankworx Whistler – Gold 2010 Monster Energy Garbanzo DH at Crankworx Whistler – Silver 2010 Canadian Open DH presented by Kona at Crankworx Whistler – Bronze 2011 Canadian Open DH at Crankworx Whistler – Bronze 2011 Garbanzo DH at Crankworx Whistler – Bronze 2012 Garbanzo DH at Crankworx Whistler – Silver 2015 Garbanzo DH at Crankworx Whistler – Silver 2015 Canadian Open DH presented by iXS at Crankworx Whistler – Silver 2016 Garbanzo DH at Crankworx Whistler – Gold
