Alison Powers announces retirement

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After an outstanding year racing with the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team around the world and representing the United States at the 2014 UCI Road World Championships, Alison Powers will retire from professional cycling and transition into the next chapter of her life.

Looking back over her career, Powers said, "It has been a pretty amazing career! I have won or been part of a team that has won almost every single race in the United States. All of my cycling goals have been accomplished and I feel very satisfied leaving the sport. I'm proud to have won the Tour of the Gila criterium in 2006, my first year doing NRC races, and then to have won it again this year, my last year racing."

Powers came to the team with a long list of accomplishments; a Pan American time trial championship title, the US National criterium championship title, and general classification wins at the Joe Martin Stage Race, Cascade Classic Stage Race, and Redlands Classic.

In her final 2014 season, Powers won the overall classification at the Tour de Femenino de San Luis, took victory in the Tour of California time trial, and claimed US national titles in both the road and time trial disciplines among many other impressive victories while wearing the blue and white of the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team.

"Being a part of the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team has been wonderful. This year felt like I was getting my ‘master's degree' in bike racing. I am so proud and happy to have been part of the team-- and also sad to leave the program, my teammates, and the staff. They are all really wonderful people who took great care of me and taught me to become a better and more complete bike racer."

In retirement, Powers plans to spend more time at home with family and friends in Colorado, while remaining active on her bike and Nordic skis. She will put more emphasis on her coaching business, ALP Cycles Coaching, allowing her share her racing skills and training expertise with other athletes.

"The past 10 years of my life as a bike racer have been really wonderful. I feel so lucky to have had this kind of hard work, team camaraderie, and success in my life. I really love riding my bike, and to know I have accomplished so much feels really wonderful and happy. I can leave the sport with a smile on my face and two current national championship jerseys."

General manager Mike Tamayo said, "Alison was instrumental in creating this program and yielding the one of the most successful seasons for a women's team ever, especially a debut season. Not only is Alison is an extremely valuable rider in terms of her own results, the knowledge she brought as a coach, mentor, and racer was invaluable to the rest of the team. Alison will always be a part of the UnitedHealthcare Blue Train family, and will continue to stay involved with the team as a high-performance advisor and mentor to riders.".