Raymond Fouquet was born into a working class family in suburban Paris on December 26, 1920. When he died 93 years later in Los Angeles, he left behind a generations-long legacy of healthy activity, camaraderie, and enthusiasm in the bicycling sport he fostered here. Because of Raymond, every Sunday morning for the past forty years, cyclists – sometimes in the hundreds – have gathered at Westwood Boulevard and La Grange Avenue for the 27 mile “Nichols Canyon ride,” following the path Raymond Fouquet laid out.
In 1956, Raymond Fouquet arrived in Los Angeles with his wife and two young daughters. Although he was a trained welder, he waited tables. Fortunately for him, he worked at some of the best restaurants: Chasen’s, La Scala (started by another Frenchman), and Matteo’s. In 1968, Raymond opened La Grange Restaurant, a fine French restaurant, at 2005 Westwood Boulevard, near the corner of La Grange Avenue and near his Westwood Hills home.
After getting the eatery on its feet, Raymond invited his coworkers to join him for a Sunday morning bike ride. Raymond had raced years before, and, in the Continental tradition, the Sunday ride was no casual pedal down to the corner. Raymond set a course from the restaurant, east to Hollywood, up Nichols Canyon Road, out Mulholland Drive, and down Sepulveda Boulevard. Soon, patrons were joining in the ride, so Raymond had La Grange jerseys made. In 1969, the group became Velo Club La Grange.