Fort Huachuca, Arizona - A military intelligence Soldier here was among those selected to represent the United States Armed Forces in the 2015 Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) Military World Games (MWG) in Mungyeong City, South Korea, Oct. 2-11.
Capt. Alex Driscoll, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, was chosen to be part of the eight-man team representing various branches of service. He will compete in the road race and serve as a back-up bicyclist in the timed trial. This will be the Soldier's first CISM. Four women from different services will also compete on a woman's team.
"I am very excited for him," said Les Woods, Fort Huachuca Sports, Fitness and Aquatics director, Family & Morale, Welfare and Recreation Directorate. "The quad annual competition (CISM) is always a hugely festive occasion, and the friendships made will be remembered for a lifetime. As a young athlete, this will be an experience he can carry forward to make him an even better cyclist during his military cycling career."
Woods explained that all athletes self-nominate and are endorsed by their commanders, then their sports directors. Selection is made based on current USA Cycling race results and activity. Although CISM golf (1987), boxing (2004) and volleyball (2006) sports teams have had Fort Huachuca representation, Driscoll is the first Soldier selected for the men's cycling team attending this year's "Quad annual" world games, the second largest sporting event behind the Olympics.
Cyclist began training after college
Driscoll, a 30-year-old Sewell, New Jersey native, began cycling after college.
"I graduated in 2007 from University of Maryland Baltimore County. After running Division 1 cross country and track for so many years, I wanted a break from running but still wanted to stay in good shape," Driscoll said.
"My brother had already graduated college three years before me and had started a non-profit organization called Adventures for the Cure. They had just recently raised money for disabled children in Africa and diabetes research by cycling across the county the summer before I graduated.
"It was just after I graduated that my brother and his friend asked me to be a part of the Race Across America (RAAM) four-man race team. So near the end of 2007 I began training for RAAM in which we would be racing in the summer of 2008.
"There was one catch with joining in on the team," the Soldier said. "We had to do the race on single speed fix geared bikes. So I trained on the bike I would be racing with. It took 6.5 days to complete 3,000 miles biking from Oceanside, California, to Annapolis, Maryland. As a team we raised more than $100,000 which we donated to the American Diabetes Association. It's been my favorite race experience thus far. In a long race like that you truly learn how far you can push your limits.
"From there I began racing mountain bikes, road bikes and cyclocross. I improved greatly at all disciplines before joining the Army in 2010."
Mentors inspired military-level competition
Driscoll said a Sierra Vista man, Stu Carter, inspired him to compete at elite military levels during a ride in April 2014. Carter told Driscoll about the U.S. Military Endurance Sports Team after the Soldier saw him wearing the cycling jersey. Driscoll joined that team and met David Flaten, a pro mountain biker on the Air Force Olympic Development and U.S. Military Endurance Sports Elite teams.
During two visits to Sierra Vista over the past winter, Driscoll was able to ride with Flaten on multiple occasions and learned about Flaten's mentor George Ganoung and the U.S. Military World games that were coming up in October.
"Flaten told me I should speak with George about it, and if I did well enough in the races this year I might have a chance at making the team representing all of the U.S. armed forces branches in the World Military Games in South Korea. Since meeting George Ganoung, he has mentored me and helped me select key races to enter in order to be competitive for the U.S. team," Driscoll said.
The Soldier also credits personnel from a local Sierra Vista business for his success. "The people at M and M Cycling bike shop provided me with amazing support. They continue to provide it while I'm training here in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Without them, I would not have been able to accomplish my goals as a cyclist," Driscoll said.
Soldier strives to be well rounded
The Soldier-cyclist does not believe in concentrating on only one's strong areas but should focus on well-rounded proficiency.
"I consider myself decent at all disciplines -- timed training (TT), road racing and crit [a shorter version of road racing during which riders start out together and travel a much shorter, different type of repeated course such as a few blocks within a town]. I find it a bad thing when you focus specifically on your strengths only.
"If I had to choose one [strength] then I would go with the TT because it's you against the clock, and it's a true test of how fit you really are. My weakness would have to be long, steep climbs. I am 185 pounds, and most of the top guys I race against are 25 to 50 pounds less than me," Driscoll said.
The Soldier has already met his cycling goals this year, to make the U.S. team to compete at the MWG and to make the elite team on U.S. Military Endurance Sports. "Next year I want to compete at the [category] 1 professional level and place amongst the best at the U.S. Amateur Road Race and TT Nationals," he said.
Arizona allows year-round cycling
Driscoll likes training in Arizona since it can be done year round. He especially enjoys mountain biking. His favorite place to train is along roads and trails in the Huachuca Mountains. He cites Carr Canyon Road as being his favorite due to the challenging terrain and beautiful scenery.
Soldier describes training regimen
During the race season Driscoll typically makes two longer and up to four shorter rides a week which equal a total of about 200 miles. During the long rides, he concentrates on keeping a good, consistent effort. His short rides are about an hour long and give him the chance to recover from his longer rides.
On his 'rest' days, the Soldier does bodyweight training to strengthen his core. This includes weight training with light weights, pushups and sit-ups. He added that Army physical training helps with this. During the winter, Driscoll concentrates on building a base of fitness and strength training. He typically trains between 200 and 300 miles a week.
Driscoll is no stranger to injury from falls during training or racing and has broken several bones while training this year. "It can be dangerous but it's no worse than riding on the roads," he explained. "Drivers don't always leave the three feet of space they are supposed to [by law], and some of them can be very rude and pass by very closely."
"The U.S. teams' biggest challenge at Worlds will be racing against well organized, very experienced teams. Our competition will be of a very good caliber and will have trained together in preparation for this race," the cyclist said.
Advice to Soldiers -- be goal oriented
The MI captain did not wake up one morning and decide he wanted to join the military. Driscoll wanted to join since he was a youth, but his parents talked him into going to college. He worked at a few jobs after graduation, but found none of them very satisfying. Meanwhile, he kept thinking about joining the military. He joined the Army three years after college as an officer. After attending the Military Intelligence Captains Career Course he was assigned to Fort Huachuca. He and his wife Cleo have been here about a year and a half.
The captain has been in the Army for about six years. His current goals are to graduate from the Counter Intelligence Officer Course and take command of a company at USAICoE. He shared advice for those wanting to come into the military.
"Come in with goals and the aspiration of bettering yourself, not just for your self-development, but also for the betterment of the unit to which you are currently assigned. That's going to show the officers and the NCOs that you want to accomplish things. Coming in, say 'I want to do this' or 'I want to do that' during your initial counseling with your NCOs so they can help you accomplish those goals. If they are good leaders, then they'll help you and set you up for success."
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