By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Matt DiNote joked in a blog post for his cross-country bike trip that when he got to the top of the first hill he climbed in California, he hoped to catch a glimpse of Sea Isle City on the other side.
If life could only be so easy.
Since leaving from San Diego on Monday for a 5,000-mile fundraising journey from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, Matt’s already had a few flat tires and a problem with his bike.
His father, Lenny DiNote, said Matt is heading back to San Diego to get his bike repaired, but fully intends to hit the road again to finish his cross-country trip to Sea Isle to raise money for an autism organization.
“A lot of things start this way and end up beautifully,” Lenny said of Matt’s early setback.
Matt, who turns 29 on Sept. 22, surprised his father and his mother, Patti, two weeks ago by telling them of his cross-country plans. The money he raises will benefit Eden Autism Services, a nonprofit organization based in Princeton, N.J., that provides education and therapy for children and adults who have autism.
His inspiration for the trip is his brother, Michael, 25, who has autism and Down’s syndrome.
“At first, I was doing it for myself. To challenge myself and to continue to stretch my comfort zone. But I’ve realized I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for a lot of the people I’ve met in my life, one in particular. I’m lucky enough to call Mikey my brother, and if it weren’t for him, I’m not sure where I’d be in this life,” Matt wrote in his blog chronicling the trip.
He noted that although many people may choose to see living with autism and Down’s syndrome as a burden, Mikey continues to inspire him every day.
“He is a constant reminder that happiness and joy can be found in the simplest of things. Though he may not understand the positive impact he makes on everyone he meets, he will forever do just that,” Matt wrote in a touching tribute.
Matt and his family, including his two other brothers, Chris, 31, and Nick, 27, have strong ties to Sea Isle, although their primary residence is in Voorhees, Camden County. They have had a family summer home at 65th Street in Sea Isle since the early 1980s. They also have owned a vacation home in Ocean City since 1976.
In a symbolic gesture, Matt began his trip by dipping his back bike tire in the Pacific Ocean in San Diego. His journey will finally come to an end when he plans to dip his front tire in the Atlantic Ocean at the 65th Street beach in Sea Isle.
“I think it’s a great story. He’s leaving with his back tire in the Pacific Ocean and he’s not stopping until he hits Sea Isle City and the Atlantic Ocean and puts his front tire in,” said Mayor Leonard Desiderio, a close friend of the DiNote family.
Over the years, Lenny DiNote and his sons have worked at Kix-McNutley’s, the bar and nightclub owned by Desiderio. Lenny DiNote continues to work as a summer bartender at Kix.
It was at Kix that Desiderio gave Matt the nickname “Matt the Hat” because of the old plaid fedora that he always wore at that time. Now, he uses the moniker “Matt the Travelin’ Hat” for his bike trip blog.
Matt is taking the southern route across country to avoid mountains and highways. He hopes to arrive in Sea Isle around Thanksgiving.
“We’re still amazed by this,” his father said in an interview Wednesday.
Matt initially set a fundraising goal of $10,000 – $2 per mile – but attained that amount even before he pedaled his first mile. Now, he has upped his fundraising goal to $15,000.
His cross-country trip came about after his original plans to join the Peace Corps this year were interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Lenny DiNote said Matt and his brothers each became interested in humanitarian causes and philanthropy after spending one college semester at sea visiting 15 different countries and learning their culture.
“It changed their lives. It changed Matt’s life,” Lenny said. “All he wants to do is help poor people and underprivileged kids.”
Matt, his father explained, doesn’t fit the mold for a conventional lifestyle.
“He’s one of the guys who go to the moon in a rocket, ride their bike across country, or jump out of a perfectly good airplane with a parachute,” Lenny said.
When Matt left San Diego, he was joined by his girlfriend, Aslyn Mayhew. However, she plans to accompany him for only a short distance, leaving him to “trudge on solo” for the rest of the trip, he wrote in his blog.
Already, his journey is proving to be a daunting task. On the very first day, he and Aslyn ran over a patch of thorns and suffered three flat tires. Other problems with his bike followed, forcing him to head back to San Diego for repairs.
He is also dealing with the physical challenges of such an arduous trip. But so far, he is keeping his sense of humor.
“Everything was going smoothly until we hit our first real hill,” he wrote in his blog. “This journey turned into a ride/walk during these early stages while I get my legs in better shape. I’ll admit that at one point as we walked up the hill, I hoped to see Sea Isle when we reached the peak, but sure enough, it wasn’t there.”
Come Thanksgiving, though, the hope is that Sea Isle will be in sight.
To donate to Matt DiNote’s fundraiser benefiting Eden Autism Services (edenautism.org), visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/matt-the-travelin-hat-bike-tour-for-eden-autism. Updates on his journey are found at his blog, whereismattthehat.com.
