Big wheels

Cyclists at Miles for Matheny 2013.

On Wednesday evenings from April through September, as many as 60 cyclists may show up at 2 Main Street in Peapack, NJ, to participate in the Bedminster Flyers Cycling Club weekly ride. The Flyers, a recreational cycling club, has been in the Somerset Hills for more than two decades.

For the 17th annual Miles for Matheny, to be held Sunday, June 1, at Liberty Park in Peapack, the Flyers will once again design five cycling routes, intended to offer every level of cyclist a rewarding challenge. From the Hills of Attrition 50-mile course with steep climbing hills, to the family-friendly, 10-mile ride, there is a perfect course for everyone. Thanks to the Flyers, and thanks to Peapack-Gladstone Bank for once again being the Cycling sponsor at Miles.

In addition to cycling, activities at Miles include the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk, a 5K Road Race, a Kids Fun Run and the Breakfast of Champions, provided by The Friends of Matheny. All funds raised at Miles support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to our inpatients and people with disabilities in communities throughout New Jersey. Other major sponsors, in addition to Peapack-Gladstone Bank, are: Partlow Insurance, Porzio Bromberg & Newman P.C.; WCBS-TV and WCBS Newsradio 880.

For more information, to register or to create a fundraising team page, log onto www.milesformatheny.org or call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260.

Cyclists prepare to take off on one of the courses in 2012.

The cycling routes at Miles for Matheny, our annual fundraiser and community event, have been designed by the Bedminster Flyers Cycling Club to offer every level of cyclist a rewarding challenge. The cycling courses range from a 10-mile family-friendly ride to the 50-mile Hills of Attrition course with steep climbing hills. In between are a 25-mile ride, 35-mile ride and a regular 50-mile ride.

For the 11th consecutive year, Bedminster, NJ-based Peapack-Gladstone Bank will be the Cycling Sponsor and will make two of its branches available for rest stops. “Peapack-Gladstone Bank,” says Denise Pace-Sanders, vice president brand and marketing director, “is proud to be a continuing supporter and Cycling Sponsor for Miles for Matheny. It gives us great pleasure to assist in raising money for such a worthy cause and for an organization that is very much a part of our community.”

The 16th annual Miles for Matheny will be held on Sunday, April 21 at Liberty Park in Peapack, NJ. The Cycling rides begin at 9:30 a.m. Other activities include the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk, a USATF-certified 5K Road Race, a Kids Fun Run and The Friends of Matheny “Breakfast of Champions” followed by luncheon refreshments in the park. All funds raised at Miles will help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to Matheny’s inpatients and to people with disabilities in communities throughout New Jersey.

Other major sponsors are: Poses Family Foundation, title sponsor; Partlow Insurance Agency; Porzio Bromberg & Newman P.C.; Affinity Federal Credit Union; and WCBS-TV and WCBS Newsradio 880. To find out how you can be part of the fun-filled and uplifting event, log onto www.milesformatheny.org or call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260.

Bill Simpson.

Bill Simpson has a message for all those planning to ride the Hills of Attrition cycling route at this year’s Miles for Matheny fundraiser and community event. Enjoy an “easy ride” this year, because next year, the course will be longer and harder.

Simpson, a Gladstone resident who has been designing this route for several years, reasons that, “We already have a 50-mile route. Next year the Hills of Attrition is going to be 66 miles. It will continue further west, and there will be no rest stops.”

Simpson has cycled all over the country and the world, including such places as California, Colorado, Ireland and Switzerland. “In this part of New Jersey,” he says, “the hills are small but challenging. This is great, great cycling country.”

Simpson has lived in Gladstone since June 2004 and, before that, lived in Pottersville. He remembers that in the early days of Miles for Matheny the Bedminster Flyers, a local riding group that he belongs to, was asked to design all the cycling routes, and he was specifically tagged for the Hills of Attrition. Asked if he has any advice for those tackling the Hills of Attrition, he says: “Most guys who ride it know what they’re up against. But remember, if you go up, you also get to go down.”

Miles for Matheny will be held Sunday, April 22, at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack. All funds raised will help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to Matheny inpatients and people with disabilities in the community. Activities include five different Cycling Routes, a 5K Race, a Kids Fun Run and the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk in which more than 100 participants in wheelchairs, with walking partners, travel 1.5 miles around town. Peapack-Gladstone Bank is the Cycling sponsor, and its Whitehouse Station branch will be used as a rest stop.

For more information about Miles for Matheny, or to register, log onto www.milesformatheny.org or call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260.

Cyclists line up in 2009, the last year Miles for Matheny was held in downtown Peapack.