Princeton Freewheelers Bicycle Event marks 34th year
By Charley Falkenburg, Special Writer
When Al Porter came to his first Princeton Freewheelers Bicycle Event 13 years ago, an old man gave him a piece of advice that would change his life.
"He told me to do the 35-mile course because it was the prettiest. So I did and when I came back, I told him he was right — it was pretty," recalled the Ewing man with a smile. "He said come again and ride with us and I did until it became habitual — suddenly you discover this camaraderie."
That camaraderie — along with the picturesque roads — led him to become an avid cyclist and a Princeton Free Wheeler. Flash forward to last Saturday and Mr. Porter was at the Princeton Free Wheelers 34th Annual Bicycle Event — only this time it wasn’t to ride, but to help his fellow members and inspire others to helmet-up and pedal away.
And many did despite the early morning drizzle and persistent clouds. Between pre-registers and walk-ins, event officials were expecting around 1,000 cyclists to hit the pavement sometime during the daylong event. Participants had seven courses to choose from: the 100-mile, 65-mile, 50-mile, 35-mile, 25-mile, 16- mile or the 8-mile family ride. The routes, which mainly stuck to the east side of Route 130, were carefully mapped with markers and spanned as far east as Great Adventure in Jackson to as far south as Mansfield.
"This is way to give back to the cycling community and to get more people involved," said Princeton Free Wheeler Vice President Ira Saltiel, of South Brunswick. "People look forward to this."
Cyclists could also look forward to replenishing with plenty of sustenance — 900 bananas, 1,800 granola bars, 84 watermelons, 600 gallons of Gatorade and water to be exact. To keep cyclists energized, four rest stops stocked with food and drinks were put on the courses not including the barbecue feast that awaited them at the finish line.
"We like to ride and we like to eat," added Mr. Porter with a laugh. "We’re definitely in the happiness business."
As the morning inched toward noon, more people clad in brightly colored active wear, riding shoes and helmets pedaled up and prepared to complete their chosen courses. Everyone had their own reasons for signing up for the event and for Elucia Delopoulos, of Long Branch, it was a girls day out with the family. Before they embarked on the 25-mile course, they were fueling up on peanut butter slathered bagels. Between bites, Ms. Delopoulos emphasized that the event was a girls-only tradition that they do every year.
"And then we drink a lot of wine after," added Melissa Tabacchi, causing the group of ladies to nod and laugh.
For other participants, like Joe and Carolyn Huttermann, the event was a form of training for upcoming events. Both were doing the 35-mile course to help prepare for the two-day MS150 ride in September where they will ride from Philadelphia to Ocean City, Maryland.
"This is our seventh year doing this and it’s always really great," said Mr. Huttermann, of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. "The courses are well marked and well maintained and there’s the beautiful Princeton scenery."
While many cyclists pedaled in on their own bikes, Mike and Caren Binco, of Montville, opted to complete a course as a team on a burnt orange tandem bike. The bike is one of three tandems that the husband and wife duo ride everywhere, averaging about 3,000 miles a year.
"For us, this is natural — it’s just a good way for us to be together," said Ms. Binco, before they embarked on the 100-mile course.
Everyone who came out for the bicycle event had their own story of what brought them there and the Princeton Free Wheeler Club’s president Patricia Vanttise-Yeager was no different. A year after her husband passed away, the Hamiltonian grabbed a 10-speed Schwinn and rode with the Princeton Free Wheelers from Mercer County Park to Allentown.
"And when I got there, I laid out flat on the ground — I was zonked, I was pooked," she recalled, laughing. "But you know what they say, there’s nothing better than cycling, than cycling in a group."