Coach Alison Powers is enthusiastic and ready to start pre-season practices for Nederland High School’s Mountain Biking Club. The first practice is on June 18, 2021.

This is Coach Alison’s second year as coach at Ned High School. Alison Powers is a professional athlete who quietly lives in Nederland and gives back to her community and to the sport she loves.

She is the owner and head coach of ALP Cycles Coaching. She was on the US Ski Team for seven years. Coach Alison then switched to biking (road racing and mountain biking), racing nationally and internationally for eight years.

With all the titles, races and championships Alison has won you, like me, might ask why she would want to coach high school kids. Add to that, coaching at a small high school for someone with her elite training and experience. When I asked the question she did not hesitate for a second. Alison Powers grew up in the mountains. She graduated from Granby High School. When she was a teenager she craved to learn about sports and wished she had a female role model to learn sports from.

Coach Alison now wants to give back and be that role model for sports and in life for young people in Nederland. She wants to be that role model for girls and boys.

The mission statement for Nederland High School’s Mountain Biking Club is “To create and foster an inclusive community of healthy, happy young people, together with their families, through mountain bike riding and racing. Knowledgeable coaches will teach the importance of team-building, respect, overcoming obstacles, perseverance and developing confidence.”

Coach Alison says that the goals she strives to teach are: Have fun promoting a healthy lifestyle, provide a safe environment to learn mountain biking and life skills, build lifelong cycling enthusiasts and friendships, promote team and family camaraderie for competitive and non-competitive cross-country mountain bikers.

There will be three races for the team during the official season. The first race will be in Frisco on August 29. The second race will be in Eagle on September 25 and the last race on October 10 at Granby Ranch. State Championships are in Durango on October 23 and 24 for athletes who qualify.

The races are for high school students, however Coach Alison says that once school begins middle school students are welcome to practice with them. She really wants to build a solid mountain biking team at Nederland Middle Senior High School (NMSHS).

I could list several things that I feel are real positives at NMSHS. Having Powers on the coaching staff is one of them. Someone of her elite athletic status teaching our kids how to pedal a bike up and down a mountain and have fun at the same time is quite a gift. She has stood on the top of many podiums herself, but she is not worried about that now. She is not looking for the Panthers to win the races. Coach Alison wants her athletes to meet their personal goals. She wants them to enjoy the sport and build the foundation for a healthy lifestyle.

We look forward to following Coach Alison and the Nederland High School Mountain Biking Club this season.

If parents or interested riders have questions Coach Alison welcomes emails at nedhighmtb@gmail.com.