ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. -- Six Ellsworth Airmen are scheduled to participate in the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa from July 23-29, 2017.
RAGBRAI is an annual seven-day bicycle ride across Iowa. It is the oldest, largest and longest recreational bicycle touring event in the world, according to the RAGBRAI website.
This is the first time six members of Ellsworth will ride in RAGBRAI. Those six Airmen are part of a 15-member Air Force Cycling Regional Team that consists of five Airmen from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota two Air Force Reservists and two civilians.
“This year the Air Force Cycling Team will have more than 165 members taking part in RAGBRAI,” said Maj. Anthony Bares, the director of wing inspections assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing Inspector General office. “Our goal was to get at least eight members to join the team and we ended up with 15. The team presents a great opportunity for Airmen to actively give back to the community while promoting the Air Force and an active lifestyle.”
In preparation for RAGBRAI, Airmen cycled across the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota, which is more than 185 miles combined.
“[On June 4] we rode the first day of the Ride Across South Dakota,” Bares said. “It wasn’t a race. It was more about community involvement and personal challenge. We were there to promote the Air Force, push ourselves physically, and to motivate and assist other riders along the way.”
For some, riding across a state is too much, but others would just call that training, according to 2nd Lt. Sylvan LaChance, a flight chief assigned to the 28th Logistics Readiness Squadron.
“I biked across America a few years ago,” LaChance said. “I dipped my back tire in the Atlantic to start, and then dipped my front tire in the Pacific ten weeks later. That was [three] years ago, but it reminds me that no matter how difficult RAGBRAI might be, I know I’m capable of making it much farther.”
The Air Force Cycling Activities at Ellsworth cost $500 and includes all gear necessary to participate in the different events around South Dakota and other areas.
“All the gear we get is Air Force,” LaChance said. “From the socks to the shirt, the Air Force Logo is embroidered on it. It’s a great recruiting tool because it shows how we are part of the community while we ride; it isn’t just the job we ride for — we ride for something more.”
Bares said that the main point of the event is to build relationships. There are set times to make it to specific destinations, but the idea is to be able to bike and get to know different people who are cycling or just along for the ride.
“It’s all a team effort,” LaChance said. “From the night before [RAGBRAI begins], when we have our final supply and bicycle checks, to crossing the finish line, the only way we can make it across is by working together.”