Andrew Fersch, a 2007 UNH graduate, is one of nearly 30 members of the American Lung Association’s Big Ride Across America, a bike ride from Seattle to Washington, D.C.
“All my teachers in school would say, ‘I can’t wait for summer so I can go to the beach,’” Fersch said. “That’s so lame. Not that I don’t like a break, but we have two months break as teachers. We should do something that’s worthwhile.”
So what is he doing about it? He’s biking across America.
Of course, part of Fersch will always say that his undertaking is far too difficult, but his passion outweighs the pain.
Fersch’s passion for biking is rooted deeply in his every day life. In high school, Fersch and his friends would often bike 20 miles from their hometown in Concord, Mass. to Cambridge, Mass., just to get out of the suburbs.
He describes himself as never being one of those bikers who dressed up for the occasion – it’s more casual for him.
"It’s something that never feels like work even though I’m the sweatiest human being ever,” Fersch said. “I’m gross at the end of a ride, but it was just fun.”
Fersch seems to take a laid-back, simple approach to most things.
After Fersch graduated from UNH with a master’s degree in Elementary Education, he took a job in Epping, teaching eighth grade English.
It was never a big dilemma for him – finding what he wanted to do – but Fersch knows how important it was.
“It shocks me that not everyone has just found what they really want to do and just do it, but hopefully everyone does eventually,” he said.
Fersch’s ability to see things simply has aided him in not only doing what he loves – but doing it well.
Teaching is Fersch’s passion, and just before he spoke with The New Hampshire, he had been at a conference with the New England League of Middle Schools receiving an award for promising teachers.
Fersch goes above and beyond simply teaching students. He hopes to inspire his students and talks to them often about his upcoming endeavor.
A quarter of his board, Fersch said, is dedicated to his training and fundraising and he finds endless support from his students.
“I think it’s a really good opportunity to show students that if you really want to accomplish something, you can,” Fersch said.
If anything were to inspire a class of eighth graders, it would be their teacher riding 3,000 miles.
“It is nice to be able to show them that if they want to do something, to make a difference, to help people, you can do it even if it seems like this crazy, huge thing,” Fersch said.
However, finding what inspires a person to ride their bike across America is something else entirely.
Fersch doesn’t have any family or loved ones affected by the American Lung Association. His motivation is rooted more in what could have been.
Fersch feels lucky that his mother and grandfather, long-time smokers, have not felt the effects of lung cancer. However, not everyone in Fersch’s life is so fortunate. One of Fersch’s high school friends had recently been diagnosed with emphysema due to smoking.
“It weirds me out that someone around my age that I grew up with can be so close to death,” Fersch said, leaning over the table, his face more serious.
According to the Centers for Disease Control’s last reported casualties from lung cancer for the U.S., statistics show that more people die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer. In 2006, 89,243 men and 69,356 women died from the disease alone.
“I just want to do something good for someone else,” he said.
Staggering statistics aside, Fersch’s only real motivation is himself.
“I mean, I’m willing to ride with whoever wants to ride with me, but I can’t find many who do,” Fersch said.
A training day includes a ride as long as 110 miles and if the weather is poor, Fersch has to decide if he will ride or go to the gym.
Fersch is also the track coach at his school in Epping, and there are days where his legs just need him to stop.
“The last thing I want,” Fersch said, “is to start the trip unprepared.”
Fersch and his riding mates will bike an average of 85 miles per day for 40 days. The riders have a total of eight resting days.
The only thing between Fersch and the ride is the required funds he needs to raise. A minimum of $6,000 is mandatory to make the trip and Fersch needs a little over $4,000 to meet his quota.
Fersch is confident that he will raise the money by June.
To donate to Andrew Fersch and the American Lung Association, go online to his arts and leisure review website and click the like to his donation page: AlrightImWrong.com.
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