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Chris Glazier

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Help me reach my goal of £10,000

Le Loop - supporting the William Wates Memorial Trust

Le Loop follows the official route of the Tour de France, one week ahead of the professionals and finishes 21 stages later in Paris

We start Saturday 27th June 2026 in Barcelona, it's 21 days averaging 110 miles a day.  In 2012 my first time it hurt!, in 2017 you'd think I would have learned - it hurt even more! In 2026 it's going to be really tough, it might be slow, it will be ugly! but I will be in Paris for the party.  

The event is run to raise money for the William Wates Memorial Trust (WWMT). Every pound you donate goes to the charity, yes, I have paid for the privilege and the pain separately! 

The William Wates Memorial Trust is a fantastic charity, their mission is to help the most disadvantaged young people keep away from a life of crime and violence and fulfil their potential. This is achieved by giving grants to charities that engage young people through the medium of sports, arts and education.

It's been a tough couple of years for charities and particularly for young people. This is my chance to give something back and help support young people who aren't lucky enough to enjoy the advantages in life that most of us take for granted.

Le Loop is no small undertaking - probably an understatement! Anything you can afford to donate to this great cause will be gratefully received, My family all hope this is the last time, getting too old apparently! I'd really like to hit a goal of £10K raised to retire from the event on a high...your donation will help some youngster somewhere, so thank you for whatever you feel able to donate.  It is appreciated. 


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£9,315 + £300.63 GiftAid

My Goal

£10,000

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My Updates

Four weeks and counting ...Gulp!

Tuesday 26th May
So, in July last year 'I did a thing' and entered this amazing event for my third time.  Little known to many I'd actually said I wouldn't do it again, it is that hard and wasn't sure I still had the ability to finish the whole event, a bit of peer enthusiasm, and I'll do it it if you do it! saw me enter, and with four weeks to the start in Barcelona I'm full of apprehension, much more than the last two times in 2012 and 2017.  Age doesn't come on its own and this time I get the feeling it's going to be ... 'messy'? My average speed has come down, my weight has gone up, my muscles are not what they used to be, and I'm not sure many would say my head has any more sense!!!
Bizarrely I've never felt on the last two events that I'd given it 100% focus, life, work and various all got in the way and certainly for the first time ignorance of how hard it is.  I love being in the bubble of the event, I love the challenge, I love the comradeship and lifelong friends you make.  It is hard to describe to someone how it feels to have ridden a hundred miles, it's five or six in the evening and you have another two or three mountains to get over before the day ends, these climbs can take up to three hours on a bad day, long steep relentless and with the sun beating down, it's great fun?
This time I cannot say I have not prepared, I have the benefit and support of a very considerate wife - thank you!  My first time I basically 'lit the fire and kicked the tyres' and just got on with it, ignorant enough but luckily fit enough to just get on and finish it.  The second time life was busy but I was still fit enough to get around without huge preparation, just lots of junk miles, it was however really hard and I'm not too proud to say I shed a tear after getting to the top of the very last climb, relief and elation of having cracked it emotionally overcoming.  Without doubt the biggest challenge at just shy of 60 years old was trying to recover every day to start the next day - when you have coach transfers at each end of the day life gets really really tough.
This year I've given it my all, I have a coach who has given me the plan plus the discipline to start the training back in Oct 25, basically a lot of strength and Yoga, lots of off bike gym stuff, accountability probably the biggest benefit that has meant six sessions every week since Oct, two on the turbo, two on the road and two in the gym, consistency the key.  I'm now sat on a ferry back from Spain, lucky enough to have spent the last 6 weeks riding 38 days back to back in the mountains around Denia, with just two non riding days.  2,000 miles and over a 100K feet of climbing, it's out miles in the legs! It's been tough with big climbs in high temps, a great acclimatisation for the actually event starting In Barcelona and very much a Southern based event this year.
Some stand outs since I started training? my body shape has changed - my kit fits again and my shorts are all too big, but my weight is only a couple of KGs down, I need to lose another three to five kilos over the next four weeks!  Touchwood I have managed to have no major saddle sores, and for those who know that history they'll understand!
The next four weeks are all about 'tapering', no fatigue on rides, a lot of turbo short sharp efforts, taking it really easy to let the body consolidate all the work that's gone in.  Final faffing on the bike, getting spares to take with me, two thousand plus miles takes a lot out of the bike as well as the body!
Of course on top of all this is the fact this is a fantastic charity event, the money this event raises - and every penny raised goes direct to the charity and ultimately young children, riders pay their own way and expenses to enter!  Please do donate, however small it all counts, It's my last time for this event...I promise!! and I'd love to go out having hit a target of £10,000 for this year.  
Thank you for reading the above, hopefully better than the constant ads and social media we all get bombarded with these days!

https://fundraising.wwmt.org/fundraisers/chrisglazier/ride-le-loop

How it started for 2026!

Thursday 31st Jul
Well, I may just have done a thing, after much soul searching, 10 day LEJOG reflection, some peer pressure (support! 😉) I've committed to Le Loop 2026 - that'll be 2012, 2017 and now 2026. Starting in Barcelona, 21 days around France, a few lumps to navigate, a party on the Seine in Paris to celebrate beating the pro's by a week🤞and collectively raising £500K for a brilliant charity. https://wwmt.rideleloop.org
In the meantime...362 days and counting!... just the small matter of 10kg excess baggage to lose, shed load of fitness to regain, saddle to sort...and a lot of tows from those that know! 😉
Excited and apprehensive!!...watch this space

Thank you to my Sponsors

£7.82k

Chris Glazier

£500

The Essex Glaziers

🚴‍♂️💨

£108

Chris Glazier

£107

Alan Goodacre

Enjoy (if you can?!) ...... and others benefit to boot!

£107

Charlotte

Last time Mr G! Make it a good one!!

£100

Rachel, Jamie, Theo & Harlow

Woohoo, go Chris! What an incredible feat - we’re all so impressed, and what a brilliant cause!

£100

Me, Myself And I :-)

What have I done!...gulp!

£100

Steve & Jacquie

Really admire your dedication . Top job old fella. Great cause too.

£75

Darren & Roxanne

Best of luck not that you’ll need it!!

£50

Graham And Jan

Well done Chris. Don't know how you do it!

£33.15

Ben & Sam Todd

Best of Luck Chris. Look forward to hearing all about it. Xx

£32.43

Ness B

Good luck! What a great charity to support

£28

Paul White

Good speed Chris

£28

Lorna Collopy

Good luck

£27

Sharon Marshall

A phenomenal challenge by a phenomenal person for a very worthy charity. I only hope you have a very padded saddle! Best of Luck x x x

£25

Mark Reed

Amazing effort, I really don't know how you do it day after day! Just think of all those children's lives and the difference you'll make. Kudos Mr Glazier!

£22.80

Mandy Elton

You are an inspiration Chris! Good luck. The Eltons xx

£22.80

Joy Hennessy

Chris you are amazing !!! 🤩

£15

Anonymous

£11.33

Anna Dunscombe

Very impressed Chris, Good Luck!