A story in Velo News about a Fort Collins rider, by a Fort Collins writer with photos from a Fort Collins intern.  Nice work Ian, Brian and Caley.

Captain Ian Holt is starting the Skyliners Time Trial Thursday morning at the Cascade Cycling Classic. Less than a week ago, the Air Force Missileer served his final alert with the 319th Missile Squadron at F.E. Warren Air Force Base – his 130th “Alpha Alert,” during which he was in charge of 50 of the country’s Minuteman III nuclear missiles. VeloNews accompanied Capt. Holt for his final assignment at the Global Strike Command facility in rural Wyoming before he joins the military’s World Class Athlete Program in August.

From afar, the facility appeared from above ground to be a non-descript government building with an outlying, three-bay garage. Up close, however, signs indicated that this was no snowplow sand shed. The most telling line read, “Use of deadly force authorized,” in red font.

Within the facility, Holt and Capt. David Peterson were hard at work transitioning between the previous day’s crew and themselves. With a checklist of changeover protocol and an elevator that descends the 65 feet below ground to the command capsule at a rate of about five feet per minute, moving in is a slow process.

Three identity checks and an uncomfortable exchange with a security officer holding an M-16 automatic weapon later, VeloNews staff joined Holt, Peterson and a crew of public relations and facility management below ground.

The capsule where teams of missileers co-habitate for 24 hours at a time is no larger than the 15-passenger van Holt rode in with Team Rio Grande from the Wells Fargo Twilight Criterium to Bend on Sunday. The crew, most often a newer airman or “deputy” and a senior airman or “captain,” are required to remain present in the capsule at all times during their shift. According to Holt, some missileers will extend and run consecutive 24-hour shifts in order to build up vacation time.

Teams, which stay together anywhere from a few weeks to upwards of seven months, not only sleep in tight quarters and use an airplane-style restroom in the command room, but they also spend a large chunk of time awaiting communiqué from other facilities or the president. Many missileers chase a Master’s degree during their time in what Holt calls, “the Matrix.” Others burn time on Facebook. Capt. Holt has spent his time chasing fitness.

Read the full stroy on Velo