Air Force Cycling Team History
| Stu Carter, DSN: 879-6563 Cell 520 220-8357, is the “Father” of the AF Cycling Team (AFCT). When his teammates ask: Who’s Your Daddy? He just smiles. Stu and cycling go back to 1987. At the young age of 35, he was a starting Offensive Tight End on Soesterberg Air Base’s (in Holland) base football team. He tore all the ligaments in his right knee during a game. Seven-weeks later when the cast was removed, physiotherapists told Stu: You’ll probably never walk normal again. Inspired and living in Holland caused Stu to decided to ride a bike for self-healing his leg - to make it more flexible and stronger. So, at age 35 he bought his first ever bicycle, and fell in love with riding. Five-years later, in 1992, Stu won the US Military’s European Cycling Championship’s 30 Kilometer Time Trial (40-45 age group). In fact he had the fastest time in the entire DOD. The US Military Sports Association awarded Stu the 1992 Stars-and-Stripes “National Military Cycling Champion” Jersey for the 30 KM Time Trial. In 1995 after moving to Offutt AFB from Izmir, Turkey, he was a member of the inaugural AF Cycling Team, called “Team Aim High,” Started by the Air Force recruiters, in Bellevue, NE, the team grew from 28 riders in the 1995 to over 100 riders in 1997. After the RAGBRAI in 1997, the USAF recruiters withdrew management and financial support of the team-in effect they killed the team. Stu stepped in, created a Tax Free Organization with the IRS, and garnered official AF sanctioning and sponsorship by then Air Force Secretary, The Honorable Dr. Sheila E. Widnall, and later by the next SECAF, the Honorable F. Whitten Peters. Both SECAF Widnall and SECAF Peters were AFCT riders. Stu institutionalized the AF Team, built it to what it is today, and was its Executive Director for 5-years. He still pulls the strings and leads the AFCT today. Lt Col Stu Carter retired from the USAF on 1 Feb 01 after 30-years service. He had a heart attack after a training ride on 3 Mar 01, surgery on 4 Mar, fully recovered in mid-Apr, trained over 1,100 miles in the next 90-days, and then led the AF team across Iowa in Jul 01 as the team’s Director. He never missed a beat. In Mar 02, in reaction to 9-11, Stu became an Air Force GS-13 and accepted an assignment to the Office of Military Cooperation, Aviation Division, American Embassy, in Cairo, Egypt. He served as the USAF’s Security Assistance Program Manager responsible for leading a $40M top-to-bottom, Egypt-wide IT modernization of the Egyptian Air Force’s Logistics infrastructure. In Jul 06, the United States Army hired and promoted Stu to GS-14. He is the Deputy Director, Current Operations for the Army’s Signal Command (NETCOM/9th Signal Command (Army))/G3, Fort Huachuca, AZ, where he supervises between 30-40 Military, Civilians and Contractors to enable the global employment and deployment of the Army’s 17,000 Army signal soldiers and their support equipment. He is Army’s Executive for the Army’s Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS), where as Chief, Army MARS he leads 2,700 licensed volunteers to provide Emergency Communications support to the US Army, Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Defense. Today, in his spare time, Stu ensures the AFCT grows in reputation and stature as the finest US military cycling team, and he ensures it lives up to the highest standards in representing the ideals of the Air Force way of life - “Service Above Self, and Excellence in All We Do!” Stu has missed only one of the team’s past 13 RAGBRAI’s ... Jul 02. He will ride with the team again in Jul 08, making him the only person to ride 13 of the AFCT’s 14 RAGBRAIs. Stu is a Master’s Class USCF licensed road racer, excelling at time trials. He is still quick, fast and dedicated to physical fitness, the USAF and the AFCT. Stu has the nicknames of “Cairo Joe” and the AFCT’s “Team Daddy”. His e-mail: cairojoe2003@yahoo.com |