MEET Steve Carter

Hello, my name is “FairWeather” Steve and I love to ride bikes; in all conditions. My love began as a kid when I would ride all around my hometown in Michigan with friends. I have the fondest memories of finding hidden trails and feeling the freedom that comes with getting out of your house. After getting my driver’s license, the riding pretty much stopped and I didn’t look back. In 1998 I joined the Air Force right after high school and as I began my career away from home I picked up smoking and I halted almost all physical activity. Fast forward 16 years, I decided to quit smoking cold turkey and immerse myself in running. Unfortunately in late 2015 I took a running injury that forced me to switch up the fitness routine. This is when I rediscovered the joy of cycling. In early 2016 I was reassigned to Korea where I had to leave my wife and two kids behind for one-year. During this time I devoted my time to work and cycling. My goal was to see as much of South Korea as I could by cycling around each town. Let me tell you, South Korea is beautiful and this is when I truly fell back in love with this sport. Upon my return from Korea I began riding with the Air Force Cycling Team in Texas, making the trip to RAGBRAI in 2017 and 2018 with 2019 around the corner. Additionally, I became a US Military Endurance Sports member and attended their cycling camp in Tucson Arizona, March 2018 and 2019. Having climbed Kitt Peak and Mt. Lemmon and the mountains in South Korea I’m now ready for a different kind of challenge. Since September, to prepare myself for RTR, I have logged over 5,000 miles including trips up Haleakalā, HI; Mt. Mitchell, NC and several rides on Alpe du Zwift 😉 As I enter retirement after 21 years of service, I am grateful for the friendships made at all of my assignments that have connected me to cycling. Some of these friends are the ones that I will be riding with during RtR and all I can think of is this is the BEST way to end my Air Force career. I expect the RTR will be similar to RAGBRAI, but with a lot more climbing, similar to the USMES camp, but with a lot more people. Thanks to each of you for having me along for this ride, and I look forward to meeting several like-minded cyclists along the way.