Teachers to compete in USA CRITS Finals

Durango High School instructor trains 10-15 hours per week

Special to ViewLouie Amelburu from O?Callaghan Middle School often trains at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Advertisement

Two teachers in the Las Vegas Valley are going for speed. O'Callaghan Middle School health teacher Louie Amelburu and Durango High School science teacher Alicia Boland plan on competing in the USA CRITS Finals on Sept. 25 in Mandalay Bay's east parking lot, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

Amelburu is an eight-time national champion and two-time Masters Pan American Gold medalist in road cycling. He rides on the Paul Tracy team and has 11 sponsors.

Recently, Amelburu competed in the National Elite Championship in Irvine, Calif., and finished ninth out of 150 in a 120-mile race. His heartbeat was between 160 and 170 for 41/2 hours.

"That was the best of the best," Amelburu said. "It's a proud moment. You have to do the things others aren't willing to do."

The health teacher said that when he was 10 years old, he used to do 500 sit-ups a day. He played baseball at Eldorado High School before moving on to coach for four years at Chaparral after college. The 21-year veteran of the Clark County School District said he's always been into health and fitness, and teaching the subject was a natural decision because he wanted to coach.

"That's all I really know," Amelburu said.

After taking a leisurely 150-mile bike ride to Lake Havasu for charity, Amelburu was hooked on the sport.

"I got obsessed with it," he said. "It's such a puzzle. Training is a 24-hour process."

Amelburu has been competing for 16 years and won his first race in 2000.

"That's when I knew I was on to something," Amelburu said.

Boland rides with the Banning's Bikes / Ducati Women's Elite Cycling Team and attributes much of her success in the sport to them.

"They've helped me out a lot," she said.

Boland entered cycling after competing in a triathalon. As a newer rider who has competed for only about two years, Boland said her favorite part of the sport is the speed.

"I knew I wanted to race because I liked the adrenaline rush," Boland said.

The science teacher spends about 10 to 15 hours on her bike each week and usually practices at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

For the 2008-09 school year, Boland is teaching biology and physics at Durango, 7100 W. Dewey Drive, and said she enjoys the higher-level thinking teaching science affords her. Boland combines her love for science and cycling by using bike-related examples of rotational mechanics and conversions in her physics classes.

Amelburu attributes much of his success to the extensive research he has done since he began training. He said everything he does affects his races, down to the number of hours he sleeps.

"Consistency is key, and the ultimate thing is discipline," Amelburu said. "The fear of failing, that's what motivates me the most."

Amelburu said of all the sports he has participated in, and there have been many, cycling is by far the hardest.

"It's a type of solitude," Amelburu said. "You're in touch with your bike, in touch with the elements. Ultimately, you feel very free."

Amelburu trains at Lee Canyon, Red Rock Canyon, Boulder City and Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

"We try to stay away from traffic areas," he said.

In the classroom, Amelburu uses his rigorous physical fitness routine to encourage his students to lead a healthy lifestyle.

"I don't do drugs, my diet is very strict," Amelburu said. "I try to be a positive role model in that way."

Boland is looking forward to the upcoming race, and said she is both nervous and excited to compete in her hometown.

Las Vegas residents can come watch both Amelburu and Boland race at the USA CRITS Finals for free, and Amelburu encourages people to come out.

"I think it's a great opportunity for the Las Vegas population to come out and witness a great spectacular," Amelburu said. "You can't get closer to a sporting event."