Saint Clair man finishes Eleventh in nationwide biking occasion from Philadelphia to Atlantic Metropolis

Jul. 28—John Matulevich had excessive hopes for the Ben to the Shore Bike Tour, however he hadn’t anticipated to complete in Eleventh place — out of a complete of 1,395 cyclists.

On Sunday, the Saint Clair resident took half within the thirty sixth iteration of the charity bicycle journey, which takes cyclists on a 65-mile route from Philadelphia to Atlantic Metropolis.

With a time of two:53:20, his Eleventh-overall end exceeded his already-ambitious purpose of putting throughout the prime 25.

“I used to be so glad,” mentioned Matulevich, 29. “All I needed to get was prime 25, and I needed my time to be beneath 3 hours and quarter-hour. All through the entire thing, I by no means checked out my stopwatch as soon as to see what my time was as a result of I knew I used to be doing all that I may do, for higher or worse.”

Ben to the Shore is a fundraiser for Households Behind the Badge Youngsters’s Basis. Matulevich has participated within the occasion since 2018 — however by no means at a totally aggressive tempo; his Eleventh-place end this 12 months represented his greatest efficiency but.

Subsequent 12 months, he has his eyes on an much more formidable purpose: He needs to complete in first place.

Matulevich, proprietor of Ruthless Efficiency Health & Mobility Studio in Pottsville, mentioned he enjoys competing in endurance occasions as they permit him to “use human energy to perform targets.”

“So usually, folks really feel so helpless and like they can not do something,” he mentioned. “I feel the cool factor is simply seeing should you prepare, put together and you set the trouble in, the outcomes will comply with.”

He mentioned his end time this 12 months would have put him in second place in final 12 months’s competitors, as the hotter climate at that occasion appeared to have slowed down the collective end time.

Matulevich is not any stranger to aggressive biking occasions. In 2019, he rode 2,802 miles from San Francisco to Pottsville, as a part of a fundraiser for Hillside SPCA and the now-defunct Again in Black Canine Rescue in Hegins. The occasion raised $11,000.

After 42 days on the street, he was welcomed by a crowd upon arrival Oct. 5, 2019, on the Humane Hearth Firm.

For Ben to the Shore, Matulevich made it some extent to journey his steel-framed Surly bike — the identical one he used to journey throughout the nation. He embraced the problem of using a heavier bike, as most of his opponents used lighter cycles with aluminum or carbon fiber frames.

“General, the charity (is) extra vital than the outcomes of anyone particular person,” he mentioned. “Nevertheless it’s one thing to assist me push myself.”

Trying forward, Matulevich plans to take a private biking journey by way of components of the Kentucky Bourbon Path.

In September, he’s collaborating in March for the Fallen, a 28-mile stroll/run at Fort Indiantown Hole.

A former aggressive swimmer, Matulevich additionally coaches swimming at Pottsville Space Excessive Faculty.

“I simply need to set a superb instance,” he mentioned.

Contact the author: hlee@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6085

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .