Ride 430 cyclists are ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things.

They are not professional cyclists, but regular people with jobs, families and community commitments. Some are active and former military service people who ride to honor injured or fallen colleagues or are recovering from their own wartime injuries.

The five-month training regime is grueling. In addition to weekly group training rides, Ride 430 cyclists complete up to three individual training sessions a week, with rides averaging between 70 and 100 miles.

During the Ride 430 Challenge, cyclists average more than 100 miles a day, often in temperatures well above 100 F. That’s the equivalent of running a marathon, every day, for four straight days. At the end of day three, the group completes a 13-mile climb to an elevation of 4,235 feet. Echoing the military’s commitment to “no one left behind,” riders start-- and finish -- every leg of every ride, together.

In 2012, the average Ride 430 Challenge cyclist will raise more than $5000. The national average for all charitable rides is $187 per rider.