Avanti cycling team thrilled to have Miller as Man

Subway – Avanti cycling team thrilled to have Miller as Manager

Media release 16 June 2010  

The Subway – Avanti Pro Cycling Team are thrilled to have the vastly experienced Graeme Miller managing the team at next month’s Tour de Qinghai Lake in China.

The veteran of four Olympic and five Commonwealth Games came back to New Zealand in December last year after spending two years in Bermuda, where he worked with its national cycling team, and says he is really looking forward to the opportunity of working with the Subway – Avanti team.

“I’ve really got my enthusiasm back for cycling after two years overseas. I think I have a lot to offer the sport with my experience in coaching, racing and managing teams.”

Team co-owner Hayden Godfrey says he is “thrilled” to have someone with Millers experience and standing in the sport involved with the team.

“It’s just fantastic to have someone like Graeme involved,” he said. “He’s been there and done the hard yards and had twenty years at the top of the sport so his input, support and management in China will be invaluable.”

Miller retired from the sport in 2002 at the age of 42 after major surgery failed to relieve back problems. He first represented New Zealand in 1978 and has won two gold medals and two silver medals at five Commonwealth Games. He was also New Zealand's flagbearer and team captain at the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games in 1998. 

His best Olympic result was an eighth placing in the road race in Seoul in 1988 and he has won more than 200 races in his career, mostly on the US professional circuit and has had stage wins in the Sun Tour, Tour of Japan, British Milk Race and the Tour Down Under in Australia. In New Zealand he twice won the Tour of Southland.

After retiring from cycling Miller had 10 years in the building industry and now works in Real Estate in Auckland.

The Tour de Qinghai Lake starts on 16 July with a criterium and then includes nine stages and 1518 kilometres of racing. There are 21 teams of seven riders entered. (147 cyclists).

Subway – Avanti hopes lie with the inform Joe Cooper who was a recent winner of the three-day Powerco Tour of Taranaki.

Ends

© Scoop Media