Cross-Country bike ride for Alzheimer’s

Bayside resident Lon Blais is preparing for a cross-country bike ride where he will raise awareness and funds for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, all in honor of a man he said he turned out to be just like – his father.
A former teacher at Middle School 67, Blais retired four years ago. When he did so, he started making of list of things that he had always wanted to do but had not accomplished yet. He and his wife of almost 22 years, Joanna, were influenced to do so in part by her parents. They had always said they would go to Italy but kept putting the trip off, eventually becoming ill and passing away before actually getting to go there.
“I plan to live for a really long time and I’ll work hard to do it,” said Blais, a native of Massachusetts who has lived in Queens since 1980. “I want to do the things I’ll have to give up some day, before I actually have to do that.”
One of the first things Blais did was start working with a personal trainer, requesting that the trainer let him know when Blais was healthy enough to climb the Grand Canyon, which he did. He started cross training on a bicycle and soon got the idea that he wanted to bike across the country.
However, he said that he knew he had to make it for some sort of cause to ensure he finished the ride. Blais said that the first thing to come to mind was to do it in honor of his father, Bob, who had Alzheimer’s and passed away in 2006. Although Blais did not grow up with his father, the two had started building a relationship in the mid-1980s.
“He didn’t have a funeral, he didn’t have a memorial service and those were his wishes,” Blais said. “I didn’t have any kind of closure with him. And I had just gotten to know him.”
Blais described he and his father as being “very much the same person.” Along with looking and sounding alike, they both became teachers. Due to how similar they are, Blais said that that might mean he will one day have to deal with Alzheimer’s.
Blais, who turned 50 in June, said that as soon as he decided to do the ride, which is being called “Lest We Forget,” in honor of his father, it began to grow. He talked to friends about what he was doing, who contacted other friends who would be able to provide Blais with a place to stay throughout his journey, as well as escort him. Some of the places include a fraternity house, a pygmy goat farm and a firehouse. He even has had a cousin of his wife trade in a time share with the Marriott in exchange for hotel stays for Blais throughout the trip.
On August 31, Blais will leave from Bayside Marina and expects to finish at the Santa Monica Pier on October 11. His goal is to bike between 85 and 90 miles a day, six days a week.
“My father would have sort of rolled his eyes and said ‘oh that’s too much’ and then at the same time he would have been secretly proud because that’s kind of who he was,” Blais said.
To contact Blais, e-mail LestWeForget2008@aol.com or call 646-996-6231. Donations can also be made through the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America at www.alzfdn.org.
Blais will also be keeping a blog, which can be seen at https://myspectaqlaryr.livejournal.