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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      August O’Neill is kissed by his service dog, Kai, April 9, 2014, during the cycling portion of the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  O’Neill, an Air Force wounded warrior, competed in the 6-mile men’s handcycle heat with four others.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)140409-F-GY869-006
                        
                        
                        August O’Neill is kissed by his service dog, Kai, April 9, 2014, during the cycling portion of the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  O’Neill, an Air Force wounded warrior, competed in the 6-mile men’s handcycle heat with four others.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)
                
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        Maj. James Bales and Wes Glisson ride tandem April 9, 2014, during the cycling portion of the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Bales is the head coach for the Air Force team and works as a cycling pilot to help overcome Glisson’s visual impairment.  Both competed together in the tandem category during the 2013 Warrior Games and received the silver medal.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)140409-F-GY869-008
                        
                        
                        Maj. James Bales and Wes Glisson ride tandem April 9, 2014, during the cycling portion of the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Bales is the head coach for the Air Force team and works as a cycling pilot to help overcome Glisson’s visual impairment.  Both competed together in the tandem category during the 2013 Warrior Games and received the silver medal.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)
                
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        Jen Peters Kyseth sprints around a corner on a recumbent bike April 9, 2014, during the cycling portion of the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  Kyseth competed with other wounded warriors for a place on a team for the Warrior Games or Invictus Games.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)140409-F-GY869-007
                        
                        
                        Jen Peters Kyseth sprints around a corner on a recumbent bike April 9, 2014, during the cycling portion of the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  Kyseth competed with other wounded warriors for a place on a team for the Warrior Games or Invictus Games.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)
                
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        Leonard Anderson takes a moment to decompress after his race April 9, 2014, during the cycling portion of the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  Anderson, an Air Force wounded warrior, competed in the 12-mile men’s recumbent heat for an opportunity to make it on a team for the Warrior Games and Invictus Games.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)140409-F-GY869-005
                        
                        
                        Leonard Anderson takes a moment to decompress after his race April 9, 2014, during the cycling portion of the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  Anderson, an Air Force wounded warrior, competed in the 12-mile men’s recumbent heat for an opportunity to make it on a team for the Warrior Games and Invictus Games.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)
                
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        Christopher Aguilera cycles by Mike Sanders to receive a high-five after he finished the race April 9, 2014, during the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Aguilera, and Air Force wounded warrior, placed first in his category during the cycling completion. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)140409-F-GY869-003
                        
                        
                        Christopher Aguilera cycles by Mike Sanders to receive a high-five after he finished the race April 9, 2014, during the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Aguilera, and Air Force wounded warrior, placed first in his category during the cycling completion. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)
                
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        Ryan Pinney claps as he nears the finish line April 9, 2014, during a cycling race in the the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Pinney competed against other Air Force wounded warriors during the 6-mile men’s handcycle heat. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)140409-F-GY869-002
                        
                        
                        Ryan Pinney claps as he nears the finish line April 9, 2014, during a cycling race in the the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Pinney competed against other Air Force wounded warriors during the 6-mile men’s handcycle heat. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)
                
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        Athletes race to the finish during the men’s recumbent heat April 9, 2014, during the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  During the trials, injured, ill and wounded Airmen compete in Paralympic-type events to identify which members will be selected for the Warrior Games and Invictus Games teams.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)140409-F-GY869-001
                        
                        
                        Athletes race to the finish during the men’s recumbent heat April 9, 2014, during the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  During the trials, injured, ill and wounded Airmen compete in Paralympic-type events to identify which members will be selected for the Warrior Games and Invictus Games teams.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)
                
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        Mitchell Kieffer increases his speed while racing in the 18-mile men’s bicycle open April 9, 2014, during the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  Kieffer, an Air Force wounded warrior, finished in first place for his category.   (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)140409-F-GY869-009
                        
                        
                        Mitchell Kieffer increases his speed while racing in the 18-mile men’s bicycle open April 9, 2014, during the Air Force Trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  Kieffer, an Air Force wounded warrior, finished in first place for his category.   (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)
                
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        Cyclists pass through the finish line during the 18-mile men’s bicycle open April 9, 2014, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  The cyclists circled a two mile loop based upon how many miles they needed to accomplish for their particular race.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)140409-F-GY869-010
                        
                        
                        Cyclists pass through the finish line during the 18-mile men’s bicycle open April 9, 2014, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  The cyclists circled a two mile loop based upon how many miles they needed to accomplish for their particular race.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)
                
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        Mitchell Kieffer bleeds from a cut suffered during the cycling portion of the Air Force Trials April 9, 2014, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  Sliced by his gear, Kieffer was still all smiles after finishing first in his category for the 18-mile men’s bicycle open.  Kiefer is an Air Force wounded warrior.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)140409-F-GY869-004
                        
                        
                        Mitchell Kieffer bleeds from a cut suffered during the cycling portion of the Air Force Trials April 9, 2014, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.  Sliced by his gear, Kieffer was still all smiles after finishing first in his category for the 18-mile men’s bicycle open.  Kiefer is an Air Force wounded warrior.  (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jette Carr)
                
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Warrior athletes gear up during cycling competitionPublished April 11, 2014
                    
                    By Senior Airman Jette Carr
                    
                    
                    Air Force News Service
            **NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFNS) --**Athletes with bikes of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the standard upright bike to the handcycle, took their turn at the starting line April 9, during the Air Force Warrior Games trials at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.The competitive ill, injured and wounded Airmen and soldiers, raced in seven different heats stretching six to 18 miles on the different bike frames. Though the Air Force trials are the singular method through which the Air Force Wounded Warrior program will select the Airmen to compete in the Warrior Games and Invictus Games, they were joined by 37 of their Army brethren, all striving to increase the level of completion.The cycling event drew a crowd of athletes and for some it was a new experience. For Daniel Neild, a retired security forces instructor with a traumatic brain injury, the 18 miles he pedaled through were the first he’d ever done in a competitive surrounding.“I went into it not knowing what to expect,” Neild said. “I just wanted to try it out and see if it was something I would like. It’s harder to get into without previous experience. I didn’t even know how to shift gears or anything -- just had to figure it out on the fly. I did pretty decent at it, supposedly got ninth overall in the upright category, and it’s something I think was interesting and I’d like to do more.”The opportunity went beyond simply trying something different, it was also about doing it with his fellow wounded warriors, Neild said. Being surrounded by people who have faced similar struggles and have overcome adversity created the perfect environment for him to test out a new sport.“It’s a brother and sisterhood,” he said. “If this was an event with a bunch of people I didn’t know, who weren’t going through the same things, I would push through, but there wouldn’t be the same connection.“Going through the course, people were passing me and saying ‘good job’ and vice versa, I passed some people saying ‘Good job. Keep it up! You’re almost there!’ It’s more than just a race. You’re all there for each other. Yes, you’re trying to do the best you can for yourself, but you care about the other people around you and that they finish and do a good job as well.”Each person in the race faced their own challenges unique to their perspective limitations. The focus on adaptive sports provides members with methods and new ways they could perform each task.Some limitations individuals can overcome alone, but in other cases, an extra pair of hands, or feet is the answer. During the cycling event a tandem bike flew through the course, sporting two riders. The person in front is the pilot who communicates what’s coming ahead to the individual with a visual impairment pedaling in the back, who is commonly called a stoker.Returning for a chance to compete in the Warrior Games for a second time were Maj. James Bales, the head coach for the Air Force team, who is the pilot for Wes Glisson, a retired captain and the stoker.During his military career, Glisson suffered a traumatic brain injury that left half of his vision field impaired. After Bales heard Glisson was interested in being part of the Warrior Games, he called him up and said he’d found the perfect sport for the both of them.“Any wounded warrior who has a visual impairment can ride in the tandem category,” Bales said. “It’s not easy putting 500 pounds of man and machine on a tire that’s a half an inch wide and steering around corners at about 30 to 35 miles an hour, but today Wes and I had a good time doing it.”During the 2013 Warrior Games Wes and Bales received a silver medal and since that time they have continued to grow in their sport. The cycling duo have had time to work on the biggest challenge they said comes with the experience of riding tandem, and that is trust.“In the front and in the back, any shift of weight can send the entire bike to the ground,” Bales said. “There’s a mutual trust between the two people on the bike that no one is going to make any sudden moves. There’s a constant communication about turns, about pedal speed, which is called cadence, about tempo, about when to press and when to pull back, when to recover and when to hammer down. We’re constantly talking throughout the whole race.”The two have managed to synchronize their movements well enough to have only suffered a singular crash.“That was the day of the race (the 2013 Warrior Games),” Glisson said. “We were going back and forth, just so we could stop and get up. We turned back and we didn’t quite go fast enough and we just kind of fell. It was really easy and neither one of us was hurt or anything. We just laughed at each other, ‘Alright, that’s our one crash, let’s not do it in the games.’”Their race in the current Air Force trials was a success, said the duo, leaving both in agreement that their time had improved and they were feeling even stronger than the last time they competed.“I like it a lot,” said Glisson. “I like riding by myself at home and things like that, but in a competition, it’s not safe for me to ride with a bunch of people, so the only way I can be competitive is in tandem. I’m just really happy that I can do it and be in the Warrior Games, so I’m excited to do it again.”The Air Force trials end April 11, the names of the athletes moving on to compete in the 2014 Warrior Games and Invictus Games will be announced. For further information about the Air Force Wounded Warrior program and events, visit their website at http://www.woundedwarrior.af.mil.Warrior Games 



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Air Force Trials

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