Mettle to the Pedal

Matt the Hat’s Coast-to-Coast Bike Ride Raises $24,000 for Charity

Matt DiNote completes his journey by dipping his bike in the Atlantic Ocean on the 65th Street beach.

Sea Isle City boasts an unofficial new hall of fame.

It resides in the 65th Street home of Lenny and Patti DiNote, and the March inductee was its first and possibly its last.

It’s a bike.

Or maybe that’s The Bike, the signature vehicle of their son, Matt the Travelin’ Hat, who completed an epic ride for philanthropy last year.

From August through December, starting at the Pacific Ocean in California and ending at the Atlantic Ocean in Sea Isle City, Matt DiNote completed a journey for the ages. Ninety days … more than 4,400 miles … through temperatures above 100 and below 20 degrees. All in one trip and all for a cause.

DiNote raised more than $24,000 via GoFundMe for Eden Autism Services, the Princeton-based organization that provides 24-hour care via homes and a school for more than 100 people with autism, among other services.

His father’s decision to preserve Matt’s bike “DiNotes” it as historic. It can never be used for something less. No casual ride down Landis Avenue or a trip to the store.

The Bike is a shrine.

“I decided late in February that this bike is going to be retired,” Lenny DiNote says. “Make it a hall of fame-type of piece and put it up in March. I got Matt another one just like it, but this one can’t be used anymore. I am going to put it somewhere in the house, maybe over the bar or a playroom.

“I am so proud not only that Matt can complete a journey like this, but that at age 29, he has an understanding of something so deep and complex. This display will be appreciated by more than the people who were involved in the ride.

“Children and grandchildren in our family, along with friends, can see the bike and it becomes a conversation piece. ‘Was this the bike of Matt the Hat? Did he really do this?’ ”

Yes, he did. And the pursuit had a personal twist. DiNote’s brother Michael was born with autism and Down syndrome. The smile he often wears reminds others of the importance of being happy.

Melinda McAleer of Eden Autism Services (left) and Scott Kent of Wawa (right) flank Patti, Michael, Matt and Lenny DiNote at the post-ride party.

Michael was the inspiration for the trip. And without knowing it, happy “Mikey” brought tears to Matt’s eyes as it ended.

THE HOMESTRETCH

It had been a grueling but exhilarating last push up the Eastern seaboard from St. Augustine, Fla., having taken a southern route from California to avoid highways and mountains. DiNote began the final 88-mile leg from Philadelphia to Sea Isle City on Dec. 19 with his brother Chris. A friend joined them in Somers Point. The trio rode down Route 9, where a landmark jolted DiNote.

“It was crazy that when I was coming down Route 9, I see this sign that says ‘Sea Isle City, 5 miles’ and I thought, ‘Wow, this can’t be, I just biked all the way here from California,’” he recalls.

DiNote knew that the trip could have concluded earlier in Florida, with a subsequent flight home. But that didn’t feel like the end. So, he had biked another couple of weeks up the East Coast, aiming for the shore town in which he has spent every summer of his life.

Suddenly, here it was.

“When I went over the bridge into Sea Isle, it was the coolest thing ever,” says DiNote, whose companions had peeled off, leaving him alone for the finish. “I saw there was a police escort, Mayor Len Desiderio was in a car in front of me, a firetruck was behind me.

“Off to the right, I just happened to see Mikey. He didn’t know exactly what was going on, but he knew something was up. He pumped his fist in the air and started shouting, probably something like, ‘Hi, Matt.’

“That’s when my tear ducts just opened. I couldn’t hold anything in anymore, I just let it flow. I still have that image of Mikey in my head. The rest of it seemed like a blur.”

The final moments entailed the escort to his parents’ home, DiNote dipping his bike in the Atlantic Ocean and Desiderio providing him a key to the city. It had been Desiderio who dubbed him Matt the Hat, due to the fedora he wore.

The final moments will exist as more than a pleasing collage in Matt’s mind. Before they vanish, Lenny made the memories permanent by preserving the bike.

THE PERSPECTIVE

DiNote gained high-level insight by completing the marathon.

Perseverance – He experienced a flat tire early in the journey and had to go back to California and restart. Which he did.

Compassion – DiNote met a fellow cyclist riding an East Coast-to-West Coast trip. She had broken down in Texas, a two-day ride from Austin. His own flat-tire delay had led to the installation of better tires and some spare tubes. He gave a couple to her, saving her from hitchhiking to Austin from the middle of nowhere.

The size of the country – Weeks into the trip, DiNote met a trucker in El Paso. He told the driver he’d started in San Diego weeks earlier. The trucker said he’d been in San Diego the day before. Weeks by bike, a day by truck.

Delays – The GPS occasionally took him to a large body of water. He couldn’t go through it. Instead, he had to turn around and add perhaps 30 miles to that leg of the trip.

The plane ride – DiNote stayed in the Sea Isle area a couple of weeks and then flew back to California, where he now spends most of his time. The area he had covered in 90 days took only six hours to fly over.

Proud parents Patti and Lenny DiNote with Matt at the end of his ride.

The sharing – DiNote chronicled his journey in the blog section of whereismattthehat.com. He gave a detailed account of the experience, prompting encouragement and donations from site visitors. The journal is a companion piece, much like Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods” guides readers vicariously through the Appalachian Trail. In his final blog, Matt summarized a life philosophy:

“Love never stops,
Love finds its way,
Love rides on”

– Matt the Travelin’ Hat

It was an appropriate message for one whose values mirror the Habitat for Humanity mindset rather than that of the corporate world.

Others appreciate his sharing.

Melinda McAleer, the chief development officer for Eden Autism Services, attended the post-ride party at the DiNote home.

“This is a testament to the sort of brother Matt is,” McAleer says. “What an outpouring of love from him for Michael. I have been involved in fundraising activities for 25 years and this is one of the most unique efforts I have ever seen anyone make. It was such a gargantuan challenge.

She adds with a laugh, “I don’t even know if I could bicycle around my block, let alone around the country.”

Lenny DiNote had a similar sense of comparison. He approached Matt’s brother Chris, who had accompanied him the last 88 miles.

“I asked him if there was any stack of money in this world that he would accept to do this beyond one day,” Lenny says. “Remembering that you get no days off. Snow, sleet, rain, heat. You have to see it through.

“He said there was no amount of money that could convince him to do it.”

That’s why the event will be commemorated.

That’s why there has to be an unofficial hall of fame. Even if it sits above a bar.

“I can understand why my dad wants the bike to be retired,” Matt DiNote says. “It’s a monument now.”

And a permanent memory.