We had a great turnout for the second annual Matt Glover Memorial Ride on Saturday.
More than 20 people showed up for the event. Almost all chose to bike, but we also had two important hikers.
This is a ride to remember Matt Glover and all people who have been hurt or killed while cycling on roads.
Matt was an extremely dedicated cyclist and all-around great guy who died after being hit by a vehicle while cycling to work from his home in North Pole. The Matt Glover Bike Path, where we rode, is named for him. (More about Matt below.)
We gathered at one end of the Matt Glover Bike Path at the Fort Wainwright main gate. Cam Webb spoke about Matt and how Matt's dedication to cycling inspired him. Ariane, Matt's wife, gave moving comments about Matt and how his absence impacts her. We also ride in support of Ariane and all those left behind when someone dies in a bike-related incident.
Also remembered and/or represented at the event were Maxwell Lashinski, who died in 2024 at just 6 years old after being struck by a car while biking with his family, and Frank Soos, a long-time FCC member, who died in a solo bike accident in 2021.
After people offered their remembrances of Matt we had a moment of silence. Then we rode the Matt Glover Bike Path five miles to where it meets Badger Road, gathered briefly, and then rode back. People were encouraged to share their remembrances of Matt along the way.
Our two hikers included Jenny Cook from the Fairbanks Area Hiking Club. (Matt and Ariane were avid members of the club and first met on one of the club's hikes.) Also hiking was Theresa Wolstad, an aide to Sen. Robert Myers. Sen. Myers introduced legislation, suggested by Cam, to name the bike path after Matt. Theresa, the senator, and others from his office, shepherded the legislation through several committee hearings before the bill was finally adopted. Several individuals and the FCC offered testimony in support.
Besides being a ride of remembrance, this ride is also a time for the FCC and individuals to rededicate to the effort of make cycling and other forms of non-motorized transportation safer.
If you were not available to make the event, but would like to ride the path, you can see where the path is and how to get to the start HERE. (The start does not have a good parking area, but there are good places to park nearby.)
MORE ABOUT MATT
Matt was a dedicated cyclist who regularly commuted to work at the Alaska Railroad, more than a dozen miles each way. Weather rarely deterred him. As one admirer put it: "Rain, snow, hot, cold… the man was a monster rider!"
Even more inspirational, Matt would cycle to rides and races that started in Fairbanks, cycle the event, then ride back home. He even did this for the Nenana-Rama, a 100-mile ride on its own. He participated in many local rides including the Chena Hot Springs Bicycle Classic, the Tour of Fairbanks, the Brown Leaf Classic series, the Tanana River Challenge, SCUM rides, and the annual Women on Wheels “Butterfly Ride.”
Besides his dedication to cycling, he will be remembered for being kind, caring, quiet, a good listener, and fun to be around. As one admirer said, “His smile was absolutely contagious.” He is sorely missed.
In 2025, the newly finished bike/ped path between the Fort Wainwright main gate and Badger Road was named in Matt's memory. A dedication ceremony and ride was held on May 24. Thank you to Senator Robert Myers and his office for introducing legislation for the path name and shepherding it through the Alaska Legislature.