Regional Teams & Leaders

Chris Dock

alaska@afcycling.com

chris.dock (at) hotmail.com

Chris is a retired Master Sergeant, Aircraft Armament Systems Specialist, who supported F-4, A-10, F-16, F-15 and F-22 aircraft. He now serves as the F-22 Weapons and Air Force Engineering and Technical Service (AFETS) Lead/Supervisor for Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. Chris is an avid cyclist in both road and mountain, specializing in mountain bike endurance. He competes regularly in local Anchorage Alaska events as a member of the Arctic Bicycle Association, racing Masters MTB cross country. He is a three-time finisher of the 7 day B.C. Bike Race and other notable events such as the High Cascades 100 MTB Race, Fireweed 200, Pisgah MTB Stage Race, Palmer Spring Classic, Hatcher Pass Epic, and numerous Anchorage Tour de Cure for Diabetes and Multiple Scleroses 150s. He has led AFCT Alaska for the past 3 years, completed RAGBRAI in 2018, and is now the At Large coordinator for AFCT.

Sam Kennedy

california@afcycling.com

Sam Kennedy is a 20-year active-duty Master Sergeant, and is the bass player and Readiness Section Chief at the Band of the Golden West at Travis AFB, CA. He has served in the Air Force since 2002. He was first stationed at Robins AFB, then Sembach AB Germany, followed by Langley AFB, then Ramstein AB, Germany, and finally Travis AFB in California. Sam has deployed four times and completed over 150 TDY missions to 39 countries in support of the USAF Public Affairs Band mission. Sam, and his wife Rachel, love cycling and have ridden with the AFCT since 2017, completing three RAGBRAI’s. Sam and Rachel have three children (17,14, and 10) and stay busy as the kid’s “semi-professional taxi drivers” in their off-duty hours. When they’re not busy, Sam enjoys regular cycling on all terrains from road, to gravel, to MTB trails. Rachel is an avid runner and is aiming to crush the upcoming Golden Gate 1/2 marathon. Sam can’t wait to Captain the California team to RAGBRAI 2023! 

Kris Rowell

colorado@afcycling.com

Kris has served as a Space Operator for 14 years, performing missions including Missile Warning, Electronic Warfare, Space Domain Awareness and Rendezvous Proximity Operations. Kris enjoys cycling, running, hiking, hunting and skydiving, and he hopes to earn his paragliding certification in the near future. He has been a member of the Air Force Cycling Team since 2013.

Casey Lynch

lynch.troop (at) gmail.com

Major Casey Lynch is currently assigned to Ellsworth, AFB in South Dakota. She is the Flight Commander of the Primary Care Clinic and continues to practice as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. She is an avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast. After joining the Air Force in 2018, she found a new passion in triathlon having now completed two IM 70.3 which then led to her joining the Ohio Region AFCT in 2021. Not knowing anything about RAGBRAI, she went all in, unbeknownst to her what she was getting in to. As it turned out, it is way more than cycling across Iowa. It’s camaraderie, challenging, amazing, networking, stewardship, community service and exhausting. The mission far outweighs the inconveniences.

Upon moving to South Dakota and realizing they did not have a regional team, Casey wrangled in 5 additional RAGBRAI riders and 4 local riders putting South Dakota back on the map. She was truly humbled to be the Dakotas regional team lead in 2023 and has high hopes to grow the team over the next couple of years.

Vince Zabala

illinois@afcycling.com

vincent_zabala (at) yahoo.com

Lt Col Vince Zabala is honored to lead the AF Cycling Team – Illinois Region again for his fifth year at RAGBRAI’s annual adventure. Always looking for a challenge, Vince rides competitively and for fun both on the road and on trails through mud, snow and extreme weather. Hard at work, Vince brings his positive attitude to the 618 Air Operations Center at Scott Air Force Base, where he manages the successful completion of numerous airlift missions across the globe. Also, his expertise at the helm of the mighty C-130 Hercules helped him master energy management, which proved useful across the rolling hills of Iowa. Finally, he is excited and proud to lead a mix of new and veteran team members through another successful mission in Iowa. Let’s ride!

Marcus Nieto

idaho@afcycling.com

Marcus Nieto is a 11-year active-duty Technical Sergeant and serves as an air traffic controller at Mountain Home AFB, ID. He has served at Cannon AFB, Osan AB, Moody AFB, Lajes Field and Mountain Home AFB. A longtime triathlete, Marcus has participated in cycling events all over the world. He had the rare opportunity to race along the DMZ while stationed in Korea in 2019 with other US and Korean military members. This is Marcus’s first year with the AF cycling team. After participating in M2M, he is both excited and humbled by the opportunity to lead a new Chapter in Idaho!

Dan Smith

ncr@afcycling.com

Col Dan Smith is honored to lead the NCR Region team for his first full year. Dan assumed the region’s leadership position one week prior to the 2022 RAGBRAI. Dan is currently serving as the Senior Materiel Leader for the F-35 Maintenance Systems in the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office in Arlington, VA. He entered the Air force in 1997 through the ROTC at Louisiana State University. He is a career acquisition professional and has served in numerous program management and senior leader positions including program manager supporting missile defense, production program manager for the RQ-4 Global Hawk, and materiel leader for the Long Range Strike Bomber program, now known as the B-21 Raider, where he was part of the initial cadre that started the program. Dan has been an avid cyclist throughout his AF career and enjoys working on his and others bicycles. Finally, he is thrilled and humbled to lead a mix of new and veteran team members through another successful RAGBRAI. Let’s ride!

Ryan Kort

ne-ia@afcycling.com

Ryan Kort is a Department of the Air Force Civilian currently serving as a program analyst and futurist at United States Strategic Command. Ryan retired from the U.S. Army in 2022, where he served in Armor/Cavalry formations to include the 1st Armored and 101st Airborne Divisions, and later as a strategic planner. Ryan has been riding since 2008, but it was a tour to Vicenza, Italy from 2015-2018 that truly grew his love for the sport due to the cycling culture and easy access to the challenging Italian Alps.

As a rookie team lead in 2024, Ryan seeks to continue to grow the team by incorporating more U.S. Air Force personnel (Active, Guard, Reserve, Civilians, and Dependents) not just from the Omaha area but across both the states of Nebraska and Iowa. The team also draws on the unique blend of joint personnel from USSTRATCOM, making the team one of the most diverse with current and former personnel from just about every service as active riders. The Nebraska/Iowa team welcomes riders of all ability groups and backgrounds. Please reach out to Ryan if you are interested in learning more!

Soren Hoffman

sorenhoffman (at) gmail

“Soren Hoffman is an active-duty Air Force officer at Nellis Air Force Base. Graduating from the Air Force Academy in 2019, he initially served at RAF Lakenheath before joining the 820th RED HORSE Squadron as a civil engineer. Soren plays a vital role in providing rapid heavy construction capabilities to combatant commanders. Beyond his military commitments, Soren has passion for cycling, a pursuit he has enjoyed for over a decade. Originally from Reedley, CA, he looks forward to RAGBRAI this year!”

Kevin Bishop

newmexico@afcycling.com

kjbishop01 (at) gmail.com

Kevin is an instructor combat systems officer (formerly known as “navigator”) at the MC-130J formal training unit, or schoolhouse, at Kirtland Air Force Base located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is Kevin’s third year as part of the Air Force Cycling Team, having first joined the team in 2018. Kevin was born and grew up in a small town in northeastern Ohio. He was a member of his high school’s cross country, track, and swim teams. In his late 20s, Kevin began running more seriously and slowly evolved in an amateur endurance athlete of sorts. To date Kevin has completed two full marathons, eight half marathons, a Half Ironman triathlon, five century rides (all in 2018) and is super excited about this year’s ride and upcoming cycling season!

Sean Barrett

ohio@afcycling.com

This is Sean’s first year leading the Ohio Region, but it is not his first RAGBRAI. He has been a team member since 2011 and the deputy director since 2013. Sean is honored the Ohio Region entrusts him as their captain and hopes he can return the favor as a good wingman. Born in West Virginia and raised in Texas, he has called Ohio home since the early 70s; except for a 3-year tour in Hawaii. He attended The Ohio State University on an ROTC scholarship. His entire career has been in Intelligence, Sean spent 25 of 28 years supporting NASIC as an Aerospace Engineer specialist. “Yes, I am a rocket scientist.” He continues to support Air & Space Force Intelligence as a Cloud Solutions Engineer for Oracle.

A 20-year cyclist, Sean rewarded himself with a used road bike after completing an MBA and once again felt the freedom that only a bicycle can offer. “It was like he was a five-year-old all over again.” He frequently commuted by bike to Wright-Patterson AFB. A committed cyclist, he lives within three miles of a trailhead to 300+ miles of Ohio Bikeways. When not working, cycling, or maintaining a couple of acres, Sean tries to spread AFCT awareness which results in some of the SWAG the AFCT shares on RAGBRAI. As a sales engineer he will talk to anyone.

Kevin Dwyer

oklahoma@afcycling.com

K. Dwyer is currently serving as the LNO and Boom Operator at Altus AFB in his 26th year in the Air Force. As a Rookie Team Lead, he opened the Oklahoma chapter back up, organized an 18 member and growing team comprised of Current RegAF, Guard, Reserve, Dependents, and Civ Employees from Vance, Tinker, Altus, Forbes, and Ramstein AFBs to a cohesive group that have become more than just teammates. Life long friendships are forged in the Oklahoma Chapter. Ok Members participated in 14 State events and 2 National events this year exceeding all expectations!!! This team has a WhatsApp they circulate local group ride info for all AORs on and also have growing Facebook, Instagram, and Google accounts. Dwyer is never afraid to take on the challenge of the most gifted rider nor an absolute beginner’s needs! He will find your next level if you are interested. Come ride with us!

Caroline Brooks

pacaf@afcycling.com

Caroline Brooks is currently serving as the PACAF entomologist at Kadena AFB in her second tour of the Pacific AOR. She initiated the first OCONUS AFCT Chapter in PACAF comprised of members from Kadena AFB, Yokota AFB, Okuma AFB, and Altus AFB including active duty members, retired, and civilians. She started cycling on the AFCT Oklahoma chapter during December 2021 and was inspired to start the PACAF chapter to continue the AFCT overseas. The team has already participated in races at the Torii Army base in Okinawa, Japan and practices around the flightline at Kadena AFB. The team looks forward to participating in events in the AOR and increasing recruitment and retention for the AFCT and a growing a social media presence. The PACAF AFCT accepts riders of all levels and you’re welcome to join our team and ride in Asia! We look forward to collaborating events with our host nations and DoD bases.

Jesus ‘Chuy’ Caro Jr.

texas@afcycling.com

Chuy is assigned as a project manager for the AETC Computer Systems Squadron, at Randolph AFB, TX. He is currently responsible for the development of mobile apps, within the Command. He served on active duty for the Air Force for 26 years and for the majority of those years, maintained personnel systems and even had a stint as a Personnel Systems Management instructor at Keesler AFB, MS. After many years of running (9 full marathons), the knee finally caused issues, so he switched to biking and hasn’t looked back since. This will be his 4  th year on the team and has attended RAGBRAI the last 3 years

Marcus Parks

utah@afcycling.com

Marcus is Human Resource Manager and is currently assigned at Hanscom AFB, MA. In 2003 while stationed in Stavanger Norway, he started road cycling to stay fit due to being sideline with a basketball injury which is when he discovered his passion for cycling. During his tour in the Netherlands he had the pleasure to ride some of cycling’s greatest 1 day tour events from Amstel Gold to Flanders to Paris-Roubaix. One of his greatest cycling accomplishment was establishing a culture of cycling for Americans stationed in Holland. He created Ride4Riley were he led some of Americas finest Airman on rides through Holland, Belgium, France and Germany where they raised over $10K for cancer and Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke Association (CHASA). Marcus has competed in 3 triathlons, biked in 9 countries and in 14 states. He started a bucket list to ride 50 miles in all 50 states. He’s been on the Air Force Cycling Team since 2017, and this is his 2nd year as AFCT Utah lead with 4 RAGBRAI’s completed with the team.

Lester Moes

southeast@afcycling.com

Lester took over the SE Region AFCT at the end of 2019 and in 2020 during the COVID-19 crisis with the entire cycling season wiped out, he tried to salvage the year to no avail. But with 2021 in his sights, he looked forward to creating an exciting ride calendar with new events added to include the RAFB Museum of Aviation Hand Cyclist race to support disabled veteran hand cyclists during a 25 mile course. He also added Pedal Hilton Head as well as The Tour De Melon in FL. He is constantly looking to add more rides to the calendar with the focus of getting the Team more involved. Currently he serves part time as an E8 Weapons Systems Maintenance controller with the 116 th ANG, GA and full time with the 402 nd  Maintenance Group supporting depot level inspection, maintenance, overhaul, and modifications to the C-5; C-130; F-15; C-17; and RQ-4 Weapon Systems at Robins AFB. In his 33 year (and counting) career, 10 of which were active duty, he has always had a passion for cycling. Whether cycling in Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Greece, or the US, he has always found a reason to ride and share his passion with others. His motivation for cycling comes from his own words, “Let’s see what God wants us to see from two wheels today”. Lester has high hopes for the SE Team for the future and beyond.

Carlo Narvasa

wyoming@afcycling.com

Carlo is currently serving as Chief of Operations Engineering at the Civil Engineer Squadron, at FE Warren Air Force Base located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Carlo has been part of the Air Force Cycling Team since 2014 while stationed at Holloman AFB, New Mexico and has participated in RAGBRAI multiple times. He was born in the Philippines but calls his home town Pensacola Florida. Carlo enjoys outdoor activities like mountain biking, snowboarding and skydiving. His favorite hobby is scuba diving. Finally, he is very excited and honored to lead a cycling team from the Wyoming area.