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Martin Colston

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Help me reach my goal of £3,000

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.

On Friday 26th June 2026 I will be one of around 100 riders who will gather in Barcelona for the 'Grand Depart'. I'm signed up for the Grand Loop which means I'm aiming to ride all 21 stages of France's most famous bike race. 

Every participant commits to raising a minimum amount for the William Wates Memorial Trust (WWMT); my target is £3,000. The fundraised money is entirely separate from the participation fee - donations do NOT pay for my Tour. 

All monies raised go directly to the William Wates Memorial Trust whose 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. I rode six stages in 2024 as a test which gave me the confidence to try for all 21 stages in 2026. It will be without doubt the hardest physical challenge I've ever attempted. I will be 61 years old eight days after the end and completing it and raising £3,000 for young people in real need will be the best birthday present I could wish for. 

Any donation you can give to support the William Water Memorial Trust will be really valuable and very much appreciated.

Vive Le Tour!

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

Raised

£2,581 + £585.95 GiftAid

My Goal

£3,000

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My Achievements

My Updates

Strade Bianche, and then illness

Tuesday 7th Apr
Well March started off brilliantly with a few days in Siena to first get inspired by the professionals, and the to ride the Strade Bianche Gran Fondo. Beautiful scenery, tough gravel climbs and great crowds out on the Via Santa Caterina on the way to the finish (see photo). Highly recommended.

Illness then kept me of the bike for almost two weeks which definitely wasn't in the plan... Back in training again on 31st March and hoping for a solid 12 weeks training now before the Grand Départ in Barcelona.

March numbers: 25 hours riding, 637km covered, TSS 1431

Sunshine at last

Sunday 1st Mar
Well, it was a long time coming, but I finally did my first ride of the year in shorts and fingerless gloves and it felt soooo good!

Training changed significantly this month: more intensity and reduced volume. At first my body didn't
cooperate with the demands, having been so used to straight Zone 2. But a series of maximal hill efforts jolted it back into action and I'm definitely starting to feel the benefits of those winter miles.

Less than four months now until the Grand Départ in Barcelona. Months that I hope will be filled with a lot more sunshine than the last two!

Soggy January!

Sunday 1st Feb
Well, the good news is that the sun shone at least twice this month while I was out riding!!! And it did make me whoop with appreciation - fingers crossed for less rain,  no frost and more sun in February.

Toughest day was a 5+ hour turbo session in full winter kit in the shed with icy roads outside... Still I learned a lot about archeology and buddhism from BBC iPlayer!

My biggest training month ever: 1,816km over 64.25 hours with a total TSS of 3,000. And I hit my target of 100 hours at Z2 during the foundation stage. Overall about double everything vs my training for Mountains Week in 2024. So helping to build confidence for the Grand Loop this year.

Cold December, still training!

Tuesday 6th Jan
Well, December training is in the bank, despite the cold. Happily not too much ice about so have been able to do the long rides outside rather than on the turbo. Not always though, and even though I was inside (in unheated space) I still had to don overshoes, bib longs, gloves, hat and multiple layers to keep warm!!! Roll on the spring I say.

For those interested in numbers, in December I managed just over 42 hours in the saddle, adding up to 1,111km with a TSS of 1,920. The really heartening thing about this is that it's almost twice what I managed 2 years ago when training for the Mountains Week of LeLoop which gives me some confidence and motivation to keep on going through the rest of the winter. Winter miles, summer smiles!

Training well under way - first month done

Wednesday 3rd Dec
Well, the 2026 Le Loop is firmly in my sights and has been my motivation for the first month of training (which actually started on 27th October!)

So far I've completed 15 sessions on the turbo (see photo of my set up) and 5 rides out on the roads of West Berkshire totalling 40 hours and 15 minutes, 936km; with total TSS of 2,153. Very happy so far.

Also had the agony of being in the Dolomites, only 50km from the Passo Giau, without my bike. Roll on the mountains I say.

Also started pilates to strengthen my core so I'm better able to cope with 21 stages come June & July next summer. Enjoying it so far, and previous yoga experience has helped me get into it quickly.

Thank you to my Sponsors

£259

Mark Coker

Amazing project, all the best for this.

£207.20

Colin Colston

Good luck with your Great challenge Martin.

£106

Ken Macisaac

£106

Will Stileman

All the best for your cycle. Let us know how you get on.

£106

Nigel And Sarah Foot

Best of luck Martin! ‘Chapeau’!

£106

Peter Thacker

Awesome challenge and great cause! Looking forward to photos with Hermes tie visible

£106

Simon & Melanie Williams

Good luck in pursuit of a noble cause.

£106

Nige Hargraves

£106

Martin Colston

£106

Eduardo Gutierrez

Good luck Martin. I look forward to hearing about it. Best wishes for 2026

£103.60

Edith Colston

Good Luck Martin! We’ll be cheering you on all the way!

£103.60

Ian Oliver

Martin - what a challenge for a brilliant charity, go for it !!

£103.60

Paul Blackwell

Wow! What a challenge. Best of luck Martin!

£100

Dominic Colston

Have the best time! Chapeau!

£53.32

Erik Pattenden

Good luck Martin, from Diana and Erik

£53.32

Colin Brown

Great work Martin well done!

£53.32

Paul Spark

£53.32

The Daces

Enjoy the ride!

£53.32

H-j

Go bro. You’re up there with the pros and doing an incredible challenge for a great cause. Very proud of you.

£53.32

Cate Colston

You’re amazing and inspiring! I know how much effort you’re putting in. Enjoy the ride!

£50

Alaistair Bushby

Impressive achievements and aspirations- you’re showing us the way. Good luck Martin. And yes to the Hermes tie - around the top bar will suffice.

£32.23

Elspeth Mcmanus

You are amazing Martin. The best of luck to you x

£32.23

Chris Stebbing

Vive le Tour! Go MC go!

£32.23

Mark Crooke

Smash It & Enjoy, if you can ! 😁 If Leeds stay up, I'll double it 👍

£32.23

Simon Benson

Such an incredible effort Martin, good luck with your challenge and fundraising. I look forward to hearing all about it in July! 🚴

£27.05

Emiliano Espinar

Madness but very inspiring Don’t change- Enjoy

£27.05

James Stuart

Best of luck Martin !

£27.05

Rhian Salmon

Wow what a challenge!

£27.05

Gareth Davies

£27.05

Alex Colston

£27.05

Helen Dillingham

Good luck Martin

£27.05

Philip Cowhig

£25

Mr P Mckenzie

Good riding and best of luck. Had a great time with you guys last year in the Outer Hebrides but this is just a touch further 😅 cheers Paul

£25

Brendan Mcgarvey

Wow!

£21.84

James Avison

Martin this is beyond ambitious. It’s terribly terribly ambitious. Naturally, you’ll be fine and will take some incredible pictures en route looking as fresh as a daisy. Bravo.

£20

Seany B

Follow your dreams Martin!

£20

Vaughan Miller

It will be an astonishing achievement. Go Martin!

£16.56

Liz Verrall

Am great cause and a massive challenge.

£16.56

Lucy Colston

Bonne chance!!

£11.33

Dawn Sellick

Great cause, and amazing achievement - I know you can do it, Martin.

£11.33

Tim Davies

Good luck with this amazing and extraordinary challenge .