Mérida Miller
@mercatmiller
Nickname
Mérida Miller
Date of birth
5 / 12 / 1988
Hometown
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Hello! I'm Mérida, originally from the United States. I moved to Amsterdam over seven years ago and immediately fell in love with the cycling culture in the Netherlands. However, it wasn’t until the summer of 2021 that I first got on a road bike. For me, cycling represents freedom and a celebration of what my body can achieve. It has been a refuge during tougher times, helping me maintain my mental health, leading me to new adventures, and connecting me with a community of incredible, like-minded individuals.
When I’m not cycling, I wear my other hat as the founder and director of Project Fearless, a non-profit organization. At Project Fearless, we create programs for girls and young teens, focused on building their self-confidence, breaking stereotypes, helping them find their voice, and empowering them to make an impact.
What are your biggest achievements on the bike?
I started cycling in the summer of 2021, and less than a year later, the same cycling café where I learned to ride asked me to lead their beginner rides. It might seem small, but it was a huge step for me and brought me into the circles of the cycling community in Amsterdam. In my professional work, I am a coach and train coaches to empower children, so leading cycling rides felt natural to me. I loved it, and I still love getting people excited about cycling and helping them build confidence on the bike. Now, I lead rides for a few clubs/communities around Amsterdam, and even though I don’t lead as many beginner rides anymore, I still feel the joy of getting people enthusiastic about the cycling community.
What is your biggest goal this year?
At the moment, I'm focusing all my training on racing the Traka 100 km in May. It will be my first gravel race and the first time I've dedicated my training specifically to one event. I'm really enjoying the training process and looking forward to the atmosphere on race day. In the end, it's a gravel race where anything can happen, so I'm just excited to see what I'm capable of!
That being said, I know myself, and I know that as soon as the Traka is over, I'll be hungry for the next event! So, I'm currently researching other gravel races in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium region.
What is your favorite place or route to ride?
Last year, I started gravel riding and immediately fell in love with the adventurous side of off-road cycling. Now, as I prepare for the Traka, I’m trying to spend as much time on gravel as possible, and I really love the local technical MTB singletracks. Every turn keeps you on your toes, and I can feel myself getting stronger and smarter on the bike.
A few weekends ago, we went to Utrechtse Heuvelrug just to do some 16 km MTB loops, and it was fantastic. Every descent, bump, and tree we dodged made me smile and got my heart racing!
Who is your favorite cycling buddy?
This is a tough one. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of the No Ordinary Women Cycling Club in Amsterdam. It’s a group of passionate, strong, and fun women and non-binary people who are ALWAYS ready for a ride. We’ve had some amazing rides together, and I’ve met some of my best friends through this group.
One of them is my training and racing buddy, Aster. I’m currently spending a lot of time with her to prepare for the Traka. Recently, we faced 20 km of wind and hail, and she looked at me and said, “Want to do 30-second intervals against the wind?” Who could say no to that, haha! It's so much fun training with someone who helps push you just a little bit further each time. I’m really looking forward to racing with her at the Traka.
What is your favorite BBB Cycling product, and why??
The Double Shot pump! Every time I use it, I feel like Inspector Gadget assembling it. It’s functional, clever, and gets the job done better than any other mini pump on the market. I’m a ride leader for a few clubs around Amsterdam, which means I lead over 15 riders every other weekend, and we’re bound to have a few flat tires—the Double Shot is so easy to use and truly mini, it tucks away effortlessly.
I’m also a big fan of the limited edition "Back to Our Roots" bar tape! Maybe I’m biased because I was there for the shoot and had an amazing day filming, but I love the funky retro vibe, and it’s the perfect addition to my already vibrant gravel bike. I’ve heard the stock is limited, so I’m considering buying a few more boxes to make sure I always have enough.
