Rio Focus: USA Cycling Leader Jim Miller on Winning Gold Medals (Re-broadcast)

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Renewing USA Cycling (Re-broadcast)
USA Cycling is in focus this time around. Jim Miller is USA Cycling’s Team Leader and Vice President of Athletics.

Jim coached Kristin Armstrong to gold medals in Beijing and in London, where she was almost 38 years old at the time; quite an achievement. By the way, Kristin is not related in any way to Lance Armstrong.

Jim has also been instrumental in developing two rising stars in men’s endurance cycling – Ben King, and Tejay van Garderen, who won the young rider title at the 2012 Tour de France – that’s the first time an American rider has won the coveted white jersey in 25 years.

Sports Coach Radio is a weekly audio show providing in-depth insight to the people and passion behind winning performances. It’s hosted by sports and performance psychologist Glenn Whitney, and you can listen to it on this site or on Apple iTunes.

Topics
• Olympic Games: London versus Beijing
• Longevity lessons from Kristin Armstrong
• USA Cycling’s European training bases
• Advice for young coaches
• Track versus road cycling: Should one be prioritized?
• Doping: Is cycling finally cleaning up?
• Selecting for the will to win and the “killer instinct”
• Talent identification: How is it evolving?
• Strength & conditioning – new trends and promising areas
A successful professional cyclist in his own right, Jim coached several cyclists on the side and eventually retired from racing in 1999 to focus solely on coaching. Jim joined USA Cycling in 2002 to run its women’s road program in 2002.

After earning Coach of the Year from the U.S. Olympic Committee in 2003 and 2004, Jim was promoted to director of endurance programs, overseeing the development of American junior, Under 23 and women endurance athletes in road and track cycling. In 2008, Jim was awarded the USOC’s highest coaching honor, the Order of the Ikkos.

A native of Casper, Wyoming, Jim also earned a Bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from Colorado State University. He resides in Colorado Springs with his wife and two children.