CRAIG MILLER

How has the season gone so far and what do you want to accomplish in the second half?

We’ve had a real good start to the season. This year I am a mechanic for both Joe and Ines and it’s been great to see the start that they’ve had. Ines has shown just how strong she is both physically and mentally by taking the podium twice in the first two races when the circumstances were against her with illness. Madeira turned into a battle for the podium ending in a close 4th, this should just fire her up for the rest of the season. Joe also put in a superb performance in the rain of Rotorua and followed it up with another solid performance in Tasmania so we came back to Europe with Joe in 7th overall – his best start to a season. After a tough 1st day in Madeira, Joe fought back on the second with some top ten stage results and sits in 10th overall going into Ireland. For the rest of the season, I hope to see both Ines and Joe continue to ride with the confidence and pace that they’ve shown at the start of the year and we’ll see where that takes them.

How important is it to be on a factory team with an active role in bike development?

From my position, being on a factory team is great. The level of support that I receive from the brand and the engineers gives me a much greater level of understanding of our team bikes and that is a huge benefit in setting each bike up to perform how the riders want. It is great to be actively feeding back to the factory what our riders are finding with the bikes and getting input from the engineers for helping the riders.

Which of the remaining races are you most excited for and why?

I’m really excited for Ireland. The trails have a similar technical feeling to home and it is a prime opportunity for Joe to be right up there. The crowds are insane too. It’s great to see such a huge turnout at a race. Then there’s the highlight that the dudes get to road trip there in the luxury that is the Landship.

Spectral or Strive?

Strive for me. It’s a true do-it-all bike that I could take to the trails in Rotorua or on A-Line in Whistler and feel confident.