A long way to go: fifty miles of biking is a regular weekend jaunt for Memorial Healthcare CEO Frank Sacco

South Florida CEO, June, 2007 by Marie Etzler

WHEN THE WEEKENDS roll around, Memorial Healthcare System CEO Frank Sacco trades his suit and tie for cycling shorts and jersey to join the Team Memorial bicycle club for a 50-mile ride.

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But the rides didn't start out that long, Sacco says in an interview from his office at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood. The cycling team started 15 years ago with Sacco, another Memorial executive, Jay Piriz, and a handful of other riders. "We'd ride about 20 miles and stop for a bagel in the middle," Sacco recalls.

Over the years, more people joined the ride and the speed and distances increased. "Now instead of relaxing at a bagel shop, we rush into a gas station and grab a Powerbar and water, if we stop at all," he says.

The group has grown to more than 60 people. "We split the ride into different speeds, giving people options," Sacco says. Speeds range from 22 mph to more than 26 mph. Maintaining the pace requires regular training, no short order for a busy executive of one of the largest public health care systems in the United States.

"What I like about the ride is the camaraderie and the teamwork," Sacco says. "The ride emphasizes safety and keeping everyone together. We'll regroup after sprints, stop at red lights, and help someone with a flat tire."

Teamwork ranks high with Sacco and many members of the cycling group who are also MHS employees. He says the bike group also gives them the chance to work together for causes such as the fights against multiple sclerosis and cancer, by training for and participating in fundraising events. Sacco has served for two years as chair of the Tour de Cure, a fundraising race to fight diabetes.

But fun and fitness can come with certain risks attached, Sacco says. Traffic, construction and avoiding potholes can be tricky. Crashes can happen. He had a few in his first three years of riding, but not since then.

"Knock on wood," he says, tapping the wood bookshelf decorated with baseball memorabilia and items he bought at auction to support Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, part of Memorial. "My goal is to stay upright."

Riding wisely also includes choosing a quality bike, and that can be expensive. Some high-end bikes cost up to $4,000, but Sacco has owned the same bike frame for more than ten years: a titanium Serotta.

"Before this bike I had a steel Serotta," he says. "I'd sent it to the manufacturer to repair a crack in the frame. I called to check on it, and the owner, Ben Serotta himself, picked up the phone. We talked for almost an hour, and by the end of the call, he'd upgraded me to a titanium frame for only $600."

The titanium bike, which is lighter than steel, helps Sacco tackle the hills of Mount Dora in central Florida, which he and the team added to their schedule last year. Sacco has also dipped his toe into mountain biking, climbing some of the ranges near his Georgia cabin, not far from the famed Brasstown Bald mountain that pros struggle to ride up in the Tour de Georgia.

"I'm not a mountain climber," Sacco says. And while pro bike climbers are usually tiny guys, he comes in at more than six feet tall.

"I'm happy just to ride," Sacco adds. "When the team gets going on a long straight road like State Road 84, heading west with an east wind at our backs, we pick up speed and everyone is moving in one smooth pace--that's a great feeling."