New bicycle path connecting North Pole and Fairbanks honors beloved bike enthusiast

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU) - The “Matt Glover Bike Path” is ready to be unveiled in Interior Alaska, marking a years-long effort to honor a man who had a tremendous impact on the Fairbanks-North Pole cycling community.

The trail will connect North Pole and Fairbanks, offering a safer space for bicyclists to ride alongside the Richardson Highway between Airport Way and Badger Road.

“Matt was an interesting character,” recalled Sen. Robert Myers R-North Pole, who co-sponsored a bill that named the bike path after Glover.

“He lived out in my district in North Pole, but worked at the railroad in [Fairbanks]. And the crazy part is he would bike to work ... rain, snow, wind, sunshine, the whole nine yards,” Myers said.

Myers said the only reason Glover wouldn’t bike to work would be if road conditions weren’t optimal, as safety was always top of mind.

In October 2022, Glover was involved in a crash on the Richardson Highway while biking to work. According to his obituary, he died five weeks later “following unexpected complications” from the crash.

The 48-year-old was an avid member of the Fairbanks Cycling Club, according to Myers. The club reached out to the senator about naming the new bike path that was completed last fall, as a way to honor their fallen friend.

“[The path] would connect the Badger Road bike path to the Fairbanks system, which is the first time that that’s happened,” Myers explained.

“It would have been a little safer for a guy like Matt to be out there because he would have had a bike path rather than riding on the shoulder [of the Richardson Highway].”

Senate Bill 129 was unanimously passed last year. Myers said he also passed a bill in 2022 that allowed for the Department of Transportation to accept donations to put up signs when things received names.

“We contacted DOT, asked about it and DOT said, ‘Well, actually because the project is in construction, we don’t need any money. We can roll it in, just putting up signage and stuff ... we can roll that into an ongoing project.’”

It was welcome news to Byron Broda, a cyclist and longtime friend of Glover, who will be at the dedication. He said that the naming of the new trail was apropos.

“I always just picture him with this smile on his face when he’s riding,” Broda remembered.

“He’s a big, enthusiastic inspiration for a lot of the people in the [Fairbanks Cycling Club] because he was a commuter as well as a just a bike enthusiast.”

Being a bicycle commuter in Fairbanks is nothing to scoff at, experiencing extreme heat in the summer and cold in the winter, as well as other elements.

“I didn’t commute in the winter,” Broda stated. “I didn’t have the gumption to do what he did.

“You got to get up early. You got to plan your whole day and have everything you need on your bike and be ready to go. And [he] did it day after day after day.”

Broda said he couldn’t believe how Glover would bike from his home, 12-15 miles away, to meet up for their Sunday rides.

“We’d ride for a couple hours, 35 miles or something, then Matt would turn around and ride home,” Broda said.

“He’d, like, double our mileage all the time.”

Broda said that he helped spring clean the bike path this week in preparation for Saturday’s dedication. He’s ridden the path a few times and expressed that he feels much safer on the route from North Pole to the Golden Heart City.

Glover was a quiet man, a leader by example, according to Broda.

“I remember he and his wife, Ariane, used to ride their tandem [bike] all over and some of my favorite memories of them ... we used to have a Chena Hot Springs ride which is a 60-mile ride from here to the hot springs,” Broda said. “I just remember Matt pulling this whole train of people behind him and turning around with his big smile.”

Myers thinks Glover would be smiling now if he knew about the new addition to the Fairbanks trails.

“[It will] be a great reminder for folks that, you know cycling is still a good way to get around,” the senator said.

“Obviously [biking is] great for fitness, but we want people to be safe out there ... riding in the proper areas, wearing some [highly visible] clothing, things like that.

“This is a good time for us to help remind people of those safety guidelines.”

The bike path will officially be dedicated this upcoming Saturday at 10 a.m., near the front gate of Fort Wainwright. If you’re in the Fairbanks area, be sure to bring your bicycle, as there will be a community ride hosted by the Fairbanks Cycle Club immediately following the dedication.

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