Interview: Three in a row for Miranda Griffiths at Tour of Bright
	December 10th 2014           Heading in to the 2014 edition of the Tour of Bright Miranda Griffiths, the winner in 2012 and 2013 was looking to make it a hat trick of victories. The strong climber and talented all rounder has a mixed year after claiming another finishing seventh at the national championships in January. Griffiths spent 2014 in the United States with Vanderkitten. Consistent results across a number of UCI races in North and South America with her top result ninth at Grand Prix de Oriente in El Salvador. Since returning to Australia head of the Australian summer Griffiths has finished seventh at the Tour of the Goldfields on route to her third Tour of Bright victory. Below Griffiths talks Tour of Bright, National Championships and goals for 2015. PelotonWatch: How does it feel to win the Tour of Bright for the third time? Miranda Griffiths: It feels great to win another title and also a bit of relief. I really wasn't sure what to expect this year as I had some time off for an injury and had no idea how my form was. To be honest, I thought a podium finish was probably out of the question. PW: As well as the GC you also won both road stages. An added bonus? MG: Yes, it was a good feeling to take two stage wins as well. For me it was a good confidence boost to see that the climbing legs are coming along well despite having a lot of time off the bike. I still remember winning the tour three years ago by 0.01 seconds which has motivated me to win by a safer margin every since! PW: You have had a lot of success at the Tour of Bright, what do you like most about it? MG: The Tour of Bright is the first road race I ever did 5 years ago. It is where I fell in love with road cycling. I remember seeing Vicki Whitelaw standing on the top step of the Women's podium and wanting very badly to be there myself. It took me a few years but I did achieve it. Bright is one of the most beautiful places in the world and I just love being here whether it is to race or train. PW: With the race held in December, how much of a benefit does it give you heading in to the following season? MG: Being in early December I usually have limited km's in the legs coming in but it's always a good race to see where you are at and see how your competitor's form is as well. From here on in I can see what areas I most need to work on for next season. PW: Top 10 the past two years at Nationals is claiming the green and gold jersey a big target for you in 2015? MG: Winning a national road title is always a big goal for me. I really like the course at Bunninyong and am very motivated by the dream of wearing the green and gold jersey. PW: What are your goals for 2015? MG: I would like to start the season of well with the Australian summer. Nationals will be a big goal and then the Tour of New Zealand in February. After that I will be heading over to the US to do another season there. With the World Championships being held in the US, there will be some great racing including a World Cup Race, which I'd love to do well in. I had a pretty up and down season last year so I am really hoping to achieve some big results in 2015.