Original Broadcast Date: 10/04/2026

A four-day journey covering almost 340 miles is bringing cyclists together around a shared mission: supporting wounded airmen, guardians and their caregivers.

The Air and Space Forces Association’s Memorial to Memorial Ride begins in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and ends in Washington, D.C.

Fed Gov Today’s Landon Norizsan was there for the ride's finish and describes the event as an effort centered on supporting wounded warriors.

For the participants, however, the ride becomes about more than the miles.

Brad Glasco, chief revenue officer for the Memorial to Memorial Ride, says this year’s event exceeds its $110,000 fundraising goal and raises $116,000 for the Wounded Airman and Guardian program.

Glasco says much of that money comes through relatively small donations of $25 and $50, with the number of people supporting the event helping push the total beyond its goal.

The ride also grows through new participants.

Among the additions this year is the Air Force Academy cycling team.

Glasco says the cadets bring youthfulness and energy to a group that includes riders who have participated in the event for multiple years. For some returning cyclists, the ride is the only time each year they see one another.

That creates a community around the event.

Glasco says the ride provides an opportunity to celebrate fitness, readiness and recruiting while keeping its focus on wounded airmen and guardians.

Air Force Academy Cadet Madeline McNeill describes that mission as a source of motivation throughout the demanding ride.

After being called a “gritty airman” by the Air Force chief of staff, she points instead to the wounded warriors participating in and supported by the event.

She says their tenacity and grit are something to admire.

Throughout the weekend, she watches other participants continue to push themselves and hears their stories. That becomes one of the most meaningful parts of the experience for her.

Her own ride includes an early challenge.

She falls around mile 15 on the first day, leaving her with scratches and a broken derailleur. But with hundreds of miles still ahead, she decides to get back on the bike and continue.

The mission behind the ride makes that decision straightforward for her.

The event, she says, means more than the mechanical problem or the scratches from a fall.

The Air Force Academy cycling team also changes the dynamics inside the peloton.

First Sgt. Joshua Johnson, coach of the Air Force cycling team and deputy director of the ride, says returning cyclists notice how willing the cadets are to spend time at the front of the group and help pull other riders forward.

That teamwork allows other cyclists to experience riding with the faster group and demonstrates the collective nature of the event.

Johnson says the cadets also bring more energy and humor while creating opportunities for mentorship.

He can work with young riders who already have significant cycling talent and ability.

But some of the ride’s most memorable performances come from wounded warriors themselves.

Johnson recalls riding near the front of the pack at around 25 miles per hour when a hand cyclist passes the group and moves into the lead.

The rider, Freddy, is a Paralympic athlete.

Johnson says the moment is humbling.

Instead of trying to respond, he takes out his camera and records Freddy leading the entire Memorial to Memorial Ride that day.

Other cyclists discover just how difficult it is to keep pace.

Johnson recalls talking with riders who stay with Freddy for about 25 miles until the next rest stop. When Freddy is ready to get back on the road, they tell him they cannot continue riding with him because he is simply too good.

Their legs are finished. Freddy is ready for more.

The stories capture what participants say makes the Memorial to Memorial Ride distinctive.

It is a physical challenge stretching across four days and almost 340 miles, but it also creates connections between wounded warriors, experienced riders, Air Force Academy cadets and supporters of the Air Force community.

The ride has taken place every year since 2022.

After covering this year’s event, Norizsan says he is already looking ahead to the next one — and might even join the riders on a bike.

Next year's ride takes place September 16th - 19th. You can read more here