An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

HomeNewsArticle Display

Chief turns hobby into 500-mile trek

By Senior Airman Phillip Houk, 460th Space Wing Public Affairs / Published August 22, 2013

Chief Master Sgt. Alan Onufrak, 460th Medical Group superintendent, prepares for his 408 mile trek across Iowa July 21, 2013. Onufrak participated in the Registers Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa as part of the Air Force team for the second time in his career. (Courtesy Photo)
PHOTO DETAILS  /   DOWNLOAD HI-RES 1 of 1

Chief Master Sgt. Alan Onufrak, 460th Medical Group superintendent, prepares for his 408 mile trek July 21, 2013, across Iowa . Onufrak participated in the Registers Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa as part of the Air Force team for the second time in his career. (Courtesy Photo)

PRINT | E-MAIL
BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Airmen face many challenges every day that range from physical training to difficult work-related tasks, but rarely does any Airman, including a chief, face the challenge of a nearly 500-mile bike ride.

With less than a year left before he retires, Chief Master Sgt. Alan Onufrak, 460th Medical Group superintendent, rode in the Registers Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa on the Air Force team, all while helping fellow cyclists, recruiting and completing the challenge.

According to the RAGBRAI website, the event is a bicycle ride, not a race, averaging around 468 miles and lasting a full week. Each year more than 20,000 cyclist complete this challenge, with 95 members serving on the Air Force team.

"You do not have to be in real great shape to get across the ride," said Onufrak, "but to ride 468 miles in seven days does take a bit of conditioning."

Onufrak participated in RAGBRAI as part of the Air Force Cycling team. This team has participated for 19 years, using the opportunity to help others and spread a positive Air Force message.

"This is just a ride where you go at your own pace," the chief explained. "We all participate to be recruiters and spend as much time as possible in the towns. When you have a town that has a population of 1,000 -- and over the course of a day more than 35,000 people pass through -- to be the person to stop and help fix a tire or have lunch at a local restaurant, you can make a huge difference."

Since the last time Onufrak participated in RAGBRAI, he has kept up his cycling abilities while balancing his professional duties and personal life.

"I have a Trek 1200 road bike -- not one of the fanciest, but a great bike," said Onufrak. "I have put more than 10,000 miles on that bike since 2006. I try to get out at least once a week, and more when I can, but sometimes it is difficult to find a balance between being a chief, a dad, having a family and church.

This is the second time Onufrak has participated in RAGBRAI, but it was his last.

"I was part of RAGBRAI back in 2006," Onufrak said, "I wanted to do it this year because I am retiring at the end of this year, so this is my last opportunity to represent the Air Force as an active-duty member."

After more than 29 years of service, Onufrak is ready to keep cycling and join the ranks of Air Force retired.

"I enjoyed serving on the Air Force team for my last time as an active-duty member," the chief said. "There is always an opportunity to do this when I retire, but I think twice is enough for me."
USAF Comments Policy
If you wish to comment, use the text box below. AF reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

This is a moderated forum. That means all comments will be reviewed before posting. In addition, we expect that participants will treat each other, as well as our agency and our employees, with respect. We will not post comments that contain abusive or vulgar language, spam, hate speech, personal attacks, violate EEO policy, are offensive to other or similar content. We will not post comments that are spam, are clearly "off topic", promote services or products, infringe copyright protected material, or contain any links that don't contribute to the discussion. Comments that make unsupported accusations will also not be posted. The AF and the AF alone will make a determination as to which comments will be posted. Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other non-governmental organizations or individuals that remain on the site are provided solely for the information of individuals using this page. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the AF, DoD, the United States, or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying AF endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.

Any comments that report criminal activity including: suicidal behaviour or sexual assault will be reported to appropriate authorities including OSI. This forum is not:

  • This forum is not to be used to report criminal activity. If you have information for law enforcement, please contact OSI or your local police agency.
  • Do not submit unsolicited proposals, or other business ideas or inquiries to this forum. This site is not to be used for contracting or commercial business.
  • This forum may not be used for the submission of any claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy.

AF does not guarantee or warrant that any information posted by individuals on this forum is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. AF may not be able to verify, does not warrant or guarantee, and assumes no liability for anything posted on this website by any other person. AF does not endorse, support or otherwise promote any private or commercial entity or the information, products or services contained on those websites that may be reached through links on our website.

Members of the media are asked to send questions to the public affairs through their normal channels and to refrain from submitting questions here as comments. Reporter questions will not be posted. We recognize that the Web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to manage federal resources, moderating and posting of comments will occur during regular business hours Monday through Friday. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends will be read and posted as early as possible; in most cases, this means the next business day.

For the benefit of robust discussion, we ask that comments remain "on-topic." This means that comments will be posted only as it relates to the topic that is being discussed within the blog post. The views expressed on the site by non-federal commentators do not necessarily reflect the official views of the AF or the Federal Government.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please do not include personally identifiable information, such as name, Social Security number, DoD ID number, OSI Case number, phone numbers or email addresses in the body of your comment. If you do voluntarily include personally identifiable information in your comment, such as your name, that comment may or may not be posted on the page. If your comment is posted, your name will not be redacted or removed. In no circumstances will comments be posted that contain Social Security numbers, DoD ID numbers, OSI case numbers, addresses, email address or phone numbers. The default for the posting of comments is "anonymous", but if you opt not to, any information, including your login name, may be displayed on our site.

Thank you for taking the time to read this comment policy. We encourage your participation in our discussion and look forward to an active exchange of ideas.