Honoring our Veterans
This Veterans Day we’d like to take a moment to reflect and say “thank you” to all of the men and women who have served our country. We’re honored to have both active and retired members of the Armed Services ride alongside us at SBT GRVL and are proud to call them teammates, friends, and members of the GRVL family. Each year we like to feature riders who have served, and share their story with our community so we may all recognize their dedication to their country. This year, we’d like for you to look for Jeremy Robinette, and Michael & Cindi Brothers on the dirt so you can give them a big high five and a “thank you for your service.”
“Bikes save lives and I am currently trying to spread that with as many people as possible.” -Jeremy Robinette
Jeremy Robinette is an Honorably Discharged Staff Sergeant and served four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan in the US Army, bearing witness to the horrors of war and the lingering trauma and scars that combat can leave behind. Cycling has been part of his recovery process and after volunteering at SBT GRVL last year, we’re honored to have him at the starting line in 2023. Jeremy continues to give back through his work with Wounded Warriors and spends his free time volunteering and raising money for veterans. This Veterans Day he will be participating in a ruck march to accrue 100 miles with a 45 lb ruck in 7 days to support a unique outdoor therapy program for transitioning military and intelligence community Special Operations Veterans. You can find a link to donate to this nonprofit here. This is Jeremy’s story:
“I was a junior in highschool at Elyria High School in Elyria, Ohio when the tragic event we are all too familiar with happened on 9/11. At that very moment I knew I would join the military. However, I was only 16 and had to be patient. At the age of 17 I joined the military with both of my parents' signatures. I was on what the military calls Delayed Entry Program (DEP) which allows for all the training schools to line up and to fill those slots with an adequate amount of recruits. I was on DEP for about 6 months.
October 8th 2003 I shipped to Basic Combat Training (BCT) in Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. It was the hardest 12 weeks of my life up until that point. I completed that training as well as my Advanced Individual Training (AIT) and Airborne school before being shipped to my first duty station in South Korea. I was only there a couple months when I received my deployment order to Ramadi, Iraq. That deployment changed my life. My team leader was blown up, losing most of his left arm and a lot of muscle tissue on both calves. My other friend caught fragmentation in his neck. A few others were killed from sniper attacks.
“I suffered from multiple explosions resulting in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). However, like most veterans I ignored the signs and pushed even harder.”
I suffered from multiple explosions resulting in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). However, like most veterans I ignored the signs and pushed even harder. I knew after being struck with so many Improvised Explosive Devices (IED's), I wanted to do something about it. That's when I started taking interest in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD). I wanted to try out for it after my first deployment. That was not an option.
Shortly after returning home from the 12 month deployment in Iraq, I was handed my second set of deployment orders to Balad, Iraq. This was another combat deployment, 12 months in length that mostly dealt with heaving incoming artillery rounds. Returning home from this deployment now a Sergeant (Sgt) I was allowed the ability to try out for EOD. Successfully completing the pre-requisites and background checks I soon found myself in EOD school phase one and soon to follow phase two were all four branches of the military attend the same EOD school. After completion I found myself at a new duty station and another set of 12 month deployment orders, this time to Mosul, Iraq. At this point I was an EOD Team Leader and one of the most ran teams in the country on IEDs. This was also the deployment that I earned my Bronze Star.
It was also the time I lost of my best friend and coworker while in Iraq from suicide. Signs of PTSD and TBI continue to show up more frequently. However, I continued to push forward. I came home from that deployment and tried out for Delta Force as an EOD enabler twice and was unsuccessful. I was told I would best serve in a more combat special operations position. While that was the last thing I wanted to hear, I immediately applied and was quickly assessed as it was coming from a Delta recommendation. I was in my probationary phase, and two bodies were needed for an upcoming deployment. Myself and another were selected for the spots as EOD Team Leaders on a Special Operations deployment.
I depended on adrenaline rush and alcohol which ultimately led me to a lot of troubles and heartaches. That is when I found biking.
My fourth set of deployment orders were in hand and I was headed to Afghanistan for the first time. Just shy of 5 months it was the most intense experience I have ever encountered. While there I was able to finish up on an Associated degree I had been working on, as well as getting accepted to The Ohio State University. Ultimately leading to my exit of the service, not without a few mishaps first though. I depended on adrenaline rush and alcohol which ultimately led me to a lot of troubles and heartaches. That is when I found biking.
I bought my first mountain bike in 2012; a Trek X-Caliber Gary Fisher. It was terrible but I was immediately hooked. After leaving the service and making my way to Ohio State I was hired at a Trek superstore in Columbus, Ohio. I became a "trek Ninja" and immediately bought a Trek Stache 9. Three thousand dollars was an unimaginable number to spend on a bike but 50% off was a huge help. I rode that bike everywhere, even in Colorado and Moab.
After my son was born I moved up to a Santa Cruz Bronson and raced the entire 2019 Big Mountain Enduro series taking first overall. That said I did not break the top 5 of any of the 5 events. However, in the men's open category not many were willing to dedicate the time and resources to complete all 5 events. Bikes save lives and I am currently trying to spread that with as many people as possible. Working for a non-profit is very rewarding in so many ways but pay is not one of them. I continue to do it out of passion, while seeking other opportunities to serve others through cycling. I have liquidated a ton of assets and even old 401k's and finally put an order on a Moots Routt RSL back in June. I volunteered last year at SBT GRVL to gain a slot for 2023, That is where I ran into SBT Ambassador J.R. Cohn, what an inspiration!
I have ridden in Steamboat before, just not on gravel. I rode the Honey Stinger XC event in 2021 but had to cancel this year due to work. I am doing a seven day ruck march challenge from November 7-13th to raise money for another nonprofit that supports veterans, so I will not be riding this Veterans Day. The goal is to accrue 100 miles with a 45lb ruck in seven days!”
Michael and Cindi Brothers met in the Air Force while serving together and got married while stationed in Spokane. Both veterans of the Armed Services and SBT GRVL, this couple has completed multiple SBT GRVL races since 2019 and was part of our amazing volunteer team last year. Look for them back on the Black Course this year and give them a big high five. Here’s Michael and Cindi’s story as told by Michael:
“Cindi and I both started our career in the Air Force back in the early 90’s, and we were both initially Personnel Officers who first met at Keesler Air Force Base (AFB) in Biloxi, MS—where I was assigned, and she attend the 6-week Personnel Officer Course training program during my tenure there. We both were re-assigned to Fairchild AFB in Spokane WA about a year later, where we got married, and then we served the majority of our careers together (other than some military deployments and temporary duty assignments apart). We both later completed advanced academic degrees and our Air Force 'jobs' changed. Cindi became a Foreign Area Officer, and I became a scientist.
Cindi first raced SBT the inaugural year in 2019, but I did not as it was the weekend immediately after me completing the 6-day Breck Epic Mountain Bike Stage race in Breckenridge CO, and I was completely spent. As I recall, 2020 SBT was virtual due to Covid, and then we both competed in 2021 and 2022. This past summer we both volunteered for course clean-up the day after the race, earning a guaranteed spot for 2023, and we both currently plan to race the Black Course.”
