Sheppard prepares for HHH weekend Published Aug. 25, 2007 By Staff Sgt. Tonnette Thompson 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- On Aug. 25, thousands of cyclists from around the country will pedal throughout the greater Wichita Falls area in the Hotter'N Hell Hundred bicycle race, and their route will bring them right to Sheppard's Missile Road gate and onto the base. In preparation for this race, Sheppard personnel are planning several interesting roadside attractions and pit stop opportunities for the bikers. Along their path, riders will encounter Airmen-in-Training cheering them on as they enter and leave the base, Air Force recruiter booths, static displays of aircraft, and signs posted along the road listing information about the Air Force in general and Sheppard in particular. "We're working anything we can think of to entertain the riders and offer them some interesting information about Sheppard's mission," said Maj. Brian Young, a member of the 82nd Medical Operations Squadron and the POC for Sheppard's involvement in Hotter'N Hell. The race will begin in downtown Wichita Falls with a cannon blast fired by 2nd Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Michael Gould, and a T-38 Talon flyover. After entering the base, the cyclists will pedal down Missile Road until they reach Avenue G, temporarily renamed "Air Power Avenue," as the combination of aircraft that will line this street - two C-130s, an A-10, F-15, F-16, T-37 and T-38 - are meant to impress not only the cyclists but anyone else who passes by. Not only will the riders encounter displays along the route, but also a first aid station manned by 82nd Medical Group personnel offering water, sports drinks and fruit as well as medical attention if necessary. "What's really something is the medics have not only one of these stations set up on-base, they also have two more set up off-base for the bikers, and all this with 50 of their people deployed," said Major Young. Parking lots may also be populated with Airmen "ambassadors," ready to offer any assistance the bikers may need, and recruiters for both officers and enlisted waiting to stamp the athletes as "fit to fight." Possibly the most noteworthy attraction is the transformation that will take place in the Pitsenbarger Fitness Center. Serving as the main pit stop for the bikers, the gymnasium will team up with the Heritage Center to present a museum of sorts. Along with representatives from the center available to discuss Air Force history with the resting cyclists, the gym will also feature Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training displays, courtesy of the 80th Flying Training Wing. The racquetball courts, with their plexi-glass walls, will serve a new function as display cases, housing mannequins dressed in military uniforms. The gym's parking lot will also feature a Thunderbird F-16 for viewing. The riders will turn again at 1st Avenue, and head out the front gate. Major Young projects that the affected roads will re-open at 6:30 p.m. The Pitsenbarger and the affected parking lots, which will close Aug. 24 at 5 p.m., should reopen the same time as the roads. For the most up-to-date information on Hotter'N Hell, check out the website at http://www.hh100.org/, or contact Major Young at 676-4274.