Andre Louis was grateful for the dense fog that enveloped him in the Excelsior district of San Francisco on Tuesday morning, Aug. 9, even though his cycling shorts, short sleeves and helmet left him shivering.
The 59-year-old social worker was grateful because he knew this would be the only respite from the summer heat during the next 33 days.
Louis, from Queens, N.Y., was about to start cycling across the country in a fund-raiser for his employer, the Margaret Teitz Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Jamaica, N.Y., in what he’s calling “Ride for the Ages.”
For the past 24 years the French native has worked at the Teitz Center, which specializes in the care of Holocaust survivors. He first served as its director of psychiatric services and is now working in its hospice and palliative care program. Louis is not Jewish, (“Don’t I look Jewish, though?” he asked, to which this reporter had to admit that he did.)
Louis refers to his colleagues and patients as his family, an affection that is mutual, said Kenneth M. Brown, president and CEO of the Teitz Center.
A gray-haired, compact man with the bulging calves of an avid cyclist, Louis first came up with the idea to do a cross-country ride several years ago.
“The idea of going coast to coast is a typical notion a lot of cyclists dream about,” he said in an interview at the Jewish Home of San Francisco, which hosted the ceremonial start of his trip. (While Louis was dressed in his cycling clothes, he actually would begin his ride very early in the morning on Wednesday, Aug. 10, getting to Sacramento by nightfall and spending his first night there.)
“The tragedy we went through as a family and what we experienced in terms of support made me want to say ‘thank you.'”
The tragedy he speaks of was his daughter Michele’s struggle with leukemia four years ago at the age of 20. She was successfully treated with a bone marrow transplant from her brother, Jean-Daniel, and is now doing fine.
Louis first began cycling when he quit smoking about 30 years ago. He took to it immediately, he said, joining amateur races and clubs and becoming what’s known as a “weekend warrior.”
He has never attempted a ride of this length, and hopes to average about 100 miles a day. Along the way he will stop at American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging facilities and Jewish aging services facilities to speak to the residents about the importance of staying active.
“If you want to stay in good shape as you get older, you should do things for others,” he said. “This is the underlying theme of the ride. It’s more meaningful if you’re doing physical activity for a cause. The message for the old guys and girls out there is: ‘Stay fit. Do something. Get involved.'”
Louis’ daughter and son will accompany him by van and he will take an occasional day of rest. His daughter will post progress reports on his Web site, www.ridefortheages.com, where donations can also be posted.
He will be joined by a variety of cycling enthusiasts along the way. On Sept. 11, he is scheduled to end up in New York City, “which also makes me feel a lot of gratitude,” he said.
The money Louis raises will go to the Teitz Center’s 4-year-old Inpatient Hospice and Palliative Care unit, which is where Louis has worked since it opened.
Before heading off to the beach to immerse his rear tire in a ceremonial dip in the Pacific Ocean, Louis shared just one of the many stories that he said will motivate him on his journey:
When he shipped his two bicycles to a bike shop in San Francisco, they arrived in less-than-perfect form. Once the owners of Mike’s Bikes heard what Louis was doing, however, they had their mechanic repair the bikes at no charge.
“You get to see the best in people, and that’s what motivates me,” he said.
When pedaling over the Colorado Rockies or the hills of Pennsylvania, which cyclists know are the greatest challenge because of all the ups and downs, Louis said, “That’s what’s going to motivate my legs and put power in the engine. Those kinds of actions are my ‘PowerBars.'”