LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Members of the Langley Air Force Base community will travel to Greenwood, Iowa this week to ride in the 43rd Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, July 21 through 28.
U.S. Air Force active duty, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard and retirees make up the National Capital Region of the Air Force Cycling Team that will participate in the 500-mile event, along with approximately 35,000 other riders. The AF has participated in the event for the past 22 years.
"It's a recruitment event for us; we spend a week telling the AF story from different members and show the whole AF way of life," said Mark Wilder, NCR team captain. "We also provide self-aid and buddy care and help with traffic control, so they invite us back every year because there's a long history of the support we provide."
According to their website, the AFCT's primary mission is to promote the AF in the most positive way possible. The team does this by using cycling as a way to display wingmanship and fitness.
The NCR is made up of 20 riders and two support personnel from Dover Air Force Base, Delaware; McGuire AFB, New Jersey; Shaw and Charleston AFBs, South Carolina; and Maxwell AFB, Alabama, as well as Fort Meade, Maryland. The 22 member are only a small portion of the 137-member AFCT.
"Our team ranges from 20-year-old Airmen to 45-year-old major generals and retirees like myself," said Wilder. "The team is a self-funded organization so each rider must provide their own equipment and fund their own uniforms and travel accommodations for the annual event."
Wilder hopes the event will allow more Americans to find interest in the AF, as well as expose Airmen to the cycling team.
"This serves as a recruitment event not just for the Air Force, but for the team itself," said Wilder. "I know when I was active duty, I served on Langley for seven years before I ever heard of the cycling team and once I got involved I couldn't believe the comradery involved and I couldn't stop."
NCR riders here have been preparing for the major event by riding together three to four times each week, usually 25 to 35 miles each time.
"Last week was the best time we've had to practice really because the heat index was over 100 degrees," said Wilder. "It's not the distance that riders struggle with, it's the heat in the hills in Iowa, so we're riding in the afternoons to better prepare ourselves."
Anyone interested in joining the AFCT should visit www.afcycling.com to locate their nearest team captain.