During this year’s Amgen Tour of California (ATOC) I was captivated by the video stream of the fierce competition on Sierra Road during stage 4. As Chris Horner approached the finish line, the official follow car came into view–and there was a familiar face–Phil Miller!–managing the front end of the race as enthusiastic fans cheered on the racers struggling up the final pitch.
Phil is a fixture of the Seattle-area competitive cycling community in his role as a top-notch official. While most folks may be familiar with Phil’s face at local racing events, many may not know about his racing background or that he also officiates at the international professional level.
Age: 52
Where is your hometown? How did you get to Seattle?
I grew up in Redlands, CA and moved to the northwest in 1981 to attend Graduate School at University of Washington for Urban Planning.
Education:
BA: Political Science/Urban Studies, University of California, Riverside
Employment/Work/Career:
Transportation Planner, SvR Design, Seattle
Former Nonmotorized Transportation Program Manager, King County Department of Transportation (1986-99)
Is there a connection between cycling and your professional life?
My professional practice involves nonmotorized transportation planning projects and programs, and my past work includes development of the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan, development of designs implementing that plan, and trail projects including the Burke-Gilman Trail
Year started cycling: 1969
Bike(s):
–Davidson Signature Touring (1986)
-Davidson Signature Tandem
-1978 Gios-Torino Professional
-1971 Raleigh/Carlton Professional Track
–Gary Fisher Montare
–MKM fixie
(I really need a bike that goes click…)
How did you get into cycling?
It started with a boy scout merit badge project led by a former Danish national team coach who introduced me to local racing in Southern California, and away we went at age 12.
How did you get into racing?
Of my history as a racer I am justifiably modest – I was an age graded (junior) rider most of the time I was in Southern California, and eventually upgraded to Category 1 when I turned 18. Down there, I was almost totally racing road, criterium and time trial events – I started racing track seriously only after moving here in 1981 for grad school. Rode Nationals a couple times, best finish a top ten in Louisville in 1976. Most notable accomplishment is that I can recognize Greg LeMond’s rear riding away from me to this day.
How did you get into officiating?
In college I spent a lot of time earning money as a high school and college baseball/fast pitch softball umpire – greatly enjoyed the physical and intellectual challenge of officiating well – I think I was the youngest high school umpire in California for two seasons, or so I was told at the time. When my racing days ended in 1983, officiating cycling seemed a great way to merge my love of cycling and my skills as an umpire.
Give us a bit of background about what’s involved in becoming a race official.
Since I first got into officiating cycling, the process of becoming a referee has become much more formal and technical. When I first started, there were very few resources available besides rulebooks to assist new refs. Today there are very specialized courses and manuals covering even somewhat obscure skills – being a motor(cycle) referee in road races, managing paper flow at track championships, and so on.
Tell us about what led to officiating at the 2011 Amgen Tour of California (ATOC):
This was my third ATOC – I was on the race Jury for the first one in 2006 and on last year’s crew.
It seems like this year’s ATOC must have been a highlight in your role as a race official. Did you get any new insight into racing or officiating as a result of being part of that event?
ATOC is definitely the big leagues of cycling in this country, although the new US Cycling Challenge in Colorado (August 22-28), should be a race of similar size and importance. This is where we see the big international World Tour squads and riders like Andy Schleck, Paul Cavendish (well, not this year) and the top team managers as well.
Every time one works a race like this a good official should learn something new. This year for the first time ATOC has real mountain stages and mountain top finishes – these are intense battles both on the bike and also in managing the 80 or so vehicles that accompany a race of this level. Sometimes there are differences of opinion between the commissaries and the team directors about who gets to go where – discussions ensue!
What’s coming up on your calendar as a race official?
This is a busy year for me. I will be Jury President of the Vuelta a Venezuela in July, and am on the Jury for the two World Tour races in Montreal and Quebec City later this summer, along with being Chief Referee for the US National Criterium Championships in Grand Rapids and Chief Referee for the Masters Road Championships in Bend, Oregon this September…no doubt I’m forgetting something. This fall I have a very busy schedule working the international sanctioned cyclocross events in North America, including 3 of the 4 United States Grand Prix events.
In terms of officiating, what are you looking forward to? What goals do you have as a race official?
Interestingly, I greatly enjoy working local events as much as the big international events – I view Friday Night Racing at Marymoor as being an evening out with family, and I certainly get as much satisfaction mentoring new riders on Thursday night as I do working the front of the Tour of California. I do look forward to working in Europe again – I was on the crew for the Volta a Catalunya a few years ago in Spain and to this day remain amazed that they actually paid me for the experience…it is possible some team managers share that sentiment…
Not enough. A knee replacement after an automobile collision a few years ago really cut my cycling back (and ended my fast-pitch umpiring). I’m working with a spectacular fitness trainer (Kym Belden from the Hagens Berman Cycling Team at Club Zum) who has made it my mission to start putting miles in again.
What’s your favorite Seattle-area ride?
Turn Three, Marymoor….the Snoqualmie Valley is always a favorite as well.
There are other race officials in the Seattle area. Who are some of the other key folks and what roles do they play?
Internationally, Dorothy (Dot) Abbott is the other Washington State UCI International Commissaire, and is a rising star by any assessment. Her husband James is a National Commissaire and a fine track referee. Tod manning of Seattle is another National Commissaire and one of the best motor(cycle) referees in the country – also a senior mountain bike commissaire as well.
Do you have any advice for folks thinking about becoming a race official or getting involved in that aspect of the sport?
As with officiating any sport, one must love the sport and be a student of the sport. Officiating cycling is incredibly rewarding for the proximity to amazing athletes – and among professional sports, we are just so close to the fans…the sport rewards officials who are patient, collaborative, and can exercise good judgment and the ability to “read” a situation. It really helps to understand that while we have a vital role to play, we aren’t the “show” – big egos may help with confidence, which is good, but after a certain point we really need individuals who are calm, can assess situations well, and keep a bit of a sense of humor about themselves when things go wrong – because they always do!
We are always looking for new officials – being an ex-racer helps, but it by no means is a prerequisite to becoming quite successful.
