Le Loop - supporting the William Wates Memorial Trust
Welcome to my fundraising site and training blog for Le Loop! I'm excited you're here and more excited to be getting ready for the Tour de France. Over the next year, I'll be training hard and working to support the William Wates Memorial Trust who is making my attempt at Le Loop possible. This event can only happen with your support of the organization. I've set a goal of £3,000 (yes, you read that right, this is fundraising in British Pounds). Thank you in advance for your support, and please check back over the next year to see the latest updates. I plan on posting training updates on a weekly basis.
-Matt
More about the event and fundraising:
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 27th of June 2025 around 100 riders will gather in Lillie, France for the 'Grand Depart'. Some cycle a few days, some ride further. More will join us over the following 3 weeks of the tour.
Riders tackle one of a selection of "Loops" riding anything from 2 to all 21 stages of the Tour de France route. My goal is to go for all 21 stages of the route. Every participant commits to raising a minimum amount for the William Wates Memorial Trust (WWMT). 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.
Le Loop is no small undertaking. Riding even ONE stage of the Tour de France route is going to hurt! Please reward my pain by giving generously.
Merci!
My Updates
Super Bowl means Super week of training
Tuesday 11th FebI'm still really happy to be back on my bike for another week. My coach removed days off and replaced them with easy days for the time being, so that's been a small adjustment. The intensity of intervals has been increased, and the long rides are still long. It's even longer when you are stuck on a trainer. I cannot wait to get to Florida in a few weeks and be able to get outside. I've already started route planning to be ready once my training schedule is set for that week.
I felt like my normal tempo was off this weekend. I didn't get in my Saturday session until the evening. It was different feeling tired after a day and trying to get in a session, known that in 12ish hours, I'd have another session to do that's even longer. But I guess that's what the Tour is going to be like. So maybe it was a good change of pace. A lot of these rides test your mental strength, and I've had countless times asking myself why I'm doing this and can I really finish. But Thursday, everything seemed to click. I felt really good, power output was right where I needed it, and everything became easy. It was one of the few times I felt really positive about my abilities. Here's to hoping that feeling comes around more often
This week is looking like higher intensity intervals and the same long rides. These days it seems like the daylight is sticking around a little later each day, and if we could get the temperatures up a little I'd happily be outside.
I'm starting to reach some critical points of the year. Fundraising is becoming front and center. While I've been working hard, the hard work is to support a great cause. I'm putting the time and effort it, as well as the travel expenses, so that everyone's support goes to WWMT. Clicking the donate button and and selecting any amount means the world to me that you are helping to support the organization I've partnered with. Outside of fundraising, the hotels are finalized and all that's left is to arrive in Lille then get ready for a celebration in Paris.
As always, thank you for reading and see you next week.
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Performance Testing Week
Monday 3rd FebThis was what I think was one of the hardest weeks of training so far. It was my second round of performance testing and I was really happy to see an improvement from December's baseline. Intervals became harder, and long rides continued to be long. I did make a fueling mistake on my longest session of the week and took in either too many carbohydrates per hour or added too much caffeine at the same time. I guess its better to make those mistakes now than in France.
In tour prep, my travel to and from Paris is booked, and I'm looking at a few hotel options for before and after the race. If I can finish up travel planning over the next week, that will be a big relief.
And my bike is back from service with a small overhaul and tune up as the event gets closer. Pretty much all consumable parts were replaced on the bike, and then re-turned. On the trainer it feels perfect, so I can't wait to get outdoors when I head to Florida for training in a few weeks.
Training this upcoming week looks challenging again and I'm looking forward to see how far I can push myself. And if you are happening to read this, please consider pushing the donate button to support a great cause (William Wates Memorial Trust).
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More Indoor Cycling...but not on my bike
Tuesday 21st Jan
Another week closer to Le Loop and the Tour, and another week where the weather is way too cold to be outside. At my current pace, I'm going through Netflix shows like water. I'm just about done with The Fall of the House of Usher, which was a great add for 2 days of long workouts (3.5 hours, then 4 hours). But I'm back to the question of what to watch next as I have more hours on the bike.
Last week was a challenging high intensity work week that really pushed my limits. Vo2 intervals were longer, zone 2 long days got longer, everything just seemed to be harder. But the week ended and I hit the metrics needed which means this week is a little easier.
Also this week, my setup has changed slightly. My bike is in the shop for its first pre-tour tune up and to get ready to go with me to a warmer weather location in March for a week. I can't wait to get it back, but until then, I'll be on Peloton doing rest week sprints and spinups.
It also feels like everything is starting to become real. I'm finalizing my travel to France, figuring out routes from the airport to Lille (and asking a lot of questions to the amazing LeLoop team) and going over what supplies and spare equipment I need. I can't wait to get back outside with warmer weather,and I'm sure June will be here before I know it.
As always, please consider clicking the donate button on this page to show your support to the William Wates Memorial Trust. This event is all for the charities they support and I'm excited to be supporting them on my bike.
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2024 Recap
Monday 13th Jan
Well 2024 is officially in the books. While Strava released their Year in Sport in early December, I actually made it to 7,060 miles for the year. I didn't think I would make it to 7,000 miles for the year after seeing my numbers in early December, and was really happy when I added up all my workouts in January. Also, 7,060 miles is more than I drove my car in 2024.
The biggest highlight of the year was easily getting into LeLoop for the 2025 tour. Since I got my bike, everything I have done has been with a goal of getting into Le Loop, and then being in the best position I can be in to finish le Tour.
I also started racing again, which became a big part of my weekly routine. I'm really fortunate that Pittsburgh has a great weekly race series all summer and enough cyclists to support racing from late April into August. While that was definitely a difficult experience (especially the first few weeks), I had a few good finishes toward the end of the year.
I also became comfortable doing long distances on my own in 2024. My first century ride in 2023 did not go so well, and I wasn't comfortable attempting those distances without a riding buddy. This year I can't even count how many times I pushed up to 100 miles, maxing out at 120 miles in 1 ride this summer.
Now that I'm two weeks into 2025, I'm not focusing on this years goals. Finishing le Tour is clearly on my mind. I don't think there is a day of the week where I don't think about the race, or look at the course map or individual stages.
If you haven't yet, I'd ask you consider donating to WWMT, the organization that created this amazing event. I'm just shy of 50% of my goal, and anything you can do help. If you haven't yet, check out the website wwnt.org to learn about how your donations are helping enhance the lives of children. Thanks for your support!
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What to Watch
Tuesday 7th JanSorry for being MIA the last few weeks. Between the holidays and training, it's been a busy period.
I've been logging hours and hours on the bike....by watching TV. So far I've watched all of Parks and Rec, Based on a True Story, several football games during Sunday Sessions, Squid Game season 1. Season 2 is in progress. And given the current weather, I'm going to need some recommendations. Please feel free to send over some shows that might keep me entertained for indoor rides.
On the training front, I think things are going well. My days consist of a lot of intervals, with a few long days each week. I'm settling into my schedule and managing time as best as I can for now. I cannot wait to get outside again, and hopefully I'll head south to Florida soon.
On the Tour front, I've started to solidify travel plans. I'm about 6 months out, so logistic planning is underway. I'm excited a few friends will be joining me along the way in Lille and Paris.
As always, thanks for the support and catching up with me. I promise I'll post more now that its after the holiday season
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Kicking Training Up a Notch
Tuesday 10th Dec
Last week my coach started to increase the training load. It was not a good week training wise. Intervals were hard. Long rides were long.
When riding with Peloton, the longest intervals I've seen Matt call out were 12 minutes zone 3 (2 in 2 hours). Last week, I was up to three 30 minute zone 3 intervals over 3 hours. And I know harder is coming. This weeks intervals also pushed me close to a breaking point. Zone 5 and 4 intervals designed to put your longs to the test.
For those not familiar with cycling, there are 7 zones to track your power output. Zone 7 is all out, everything you got. Something you won't be able to maintain for long. On the other side, zone 1 is warm up, and zone 2 is an all day pace. Zone 4 and 5 start to really push your body. And to do repeat efforts is not an easy task. My long rides on weekends right now are all around zone 2, but the week days is high intensity intervals with zones 3,4,5 and all out efforts (zone 3 in today's picture)
After a long week, it ended with two long weekend rides. And unfortunately my body did not want to cooperate. My long ride on Sunday was cut short after it was extremely uncomfortable on the saddle after 50ish miles.
This week needs to be a reset. I'll repeat the same cycle again and know what results I need to achieve. Not every week can be great, and I'm sure my coach will be able to work with me to correct the course and ensure I'm ready to go in 6 months
Also IN 6 MONTHS I'M RIDING THE TOUR DE FRANCE!!
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Oops, its been a while
Sunday 1st DecWell the first holiday crept up on me and I forgot to put a few weekly updates in place. The last few weeks have all been about adjusting to my new schedule being set by my coach. I feel like I'm finally getting into a grove after 3 weeks.
All of my workouts have been indoors as its been way to cold in Pittsburgh to be riding outside. So I've spent a lot of time on the trainer. It was a nice change of scenery to move everything to my parents house for a weekend before Thanksgiving to avoid the light up night crowds. That gave me a chance to try out my new travel case (its a winner) and see how much I can fit into the new box. The bad part was my parents house was way too hot for indoor cycling and I ended up in their garage to attempt to keep somewhat cool during a 4 hour ride.
The holidays are fast approaching, and I'm spending more time thinking about Stage 1. My 2025 calendar now has all 21 stages listed out on it, making this event seem like its all coming together. I've got some training updates to send out to my donors over the next two weeks, so keep an eye on your mailbox.
Back to the bike for me to finish up another strong week.
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Another week closer to Lille and Stage 1
Tuesday 12th Nov
Now that my coach is on board, I’m starting to focus on what I need to do to be prepared. I’ve done countless 5k and 10k runs, a marathon, numerous sprint and intermediate distance triathlons, even a half ironman, but nothing compares to prep for 21 days of intense cycling in France. In all of those previous events, I knew I would finish. It might not be at the time or performance I wanted, but I still knew I would cross the finish line.
Le Loop and the Tour are different. I’m looking at about 2,083 miles of cycling over 21 days. I could do everything perfectly, and still potentially not make the finish line. So I’m getting ready by surrounding myself with the best people I can that will give me an edge to finish. From my new coach at ATP Race Consulting, to Peloton (looking at you Matt Wilpers), and the people I know in athletics, medicine, and nutrition, I’m surrounding myself with the best team possible to get to the finish line in Paris. And then there’s the Le Loop crew. These guys are true experts at managing all of their “Grand Loopers” to ensure we have the best care and experience possible (and I cannot wait to meet them in person). But in the end, I have to prepare for a race that’s beyond anything I’ve ever done before, and beyond what most people will ever attempt to do in their amateur careers.
I think I’ve found all the right people, and now its putting all the practice in place week after week. I’m not thrilled that means indoor training, but I’ll escape the colder weather later this winter to get a week outside. All that’s important is that the training is in place and I’m as ready as I can be come June.
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Training has Officially Begun!
Tuesday 5th NovI know have a map of the tour, a day by day guide, list of climbs to get ready for, and now a new training plan from my coach. I'm excited to kick off training this week and start building towards Stage 1 (and then stages 2 through 21) of the Tour.
I am not excited for the loss of daylight due to the time change. My after work rides may be getting cut short now that the sun sets around 5:30pm. Hopefully I can still sneak a few in here and there with the new training plan.
Last week had a few nice days to ride, and then some power zone workouts. It's been a nice few weeks to reset after the summer season and getting back to into racing. At least the weather was still (mostly) nice out.
We'll see how this week goes. I think I have my workouts in sync to Wahoo for getting outside for a few of them.
Thanks for reading this week and for your continued support.
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Training at Peloton!
Tuesday 29th Oct
What a crazy week I had. For the first time, I had the opportunity to join a class at Peloton Studios New York (PSNY) with Matt Wilpers. For the last 4 years, Matt has been my go to instructor with his longer power zone rides as I worked to improve my endurance and raise my functional threshold power (FTP). I was able to join him in studio on Saturday morning for a 60 minute power zone endurance ride (all zone 2). Even more exciting, in the middle of the ride, Matt turned to me to ask if I'm really training to attempt all 21 stages of the Tour de France. I think I may now be his craziest rider :)
I'm still enjoying a lighter training load of a short period as the temperatures drop. I'm going back and forth between some shorter outdoor rides, and mixing in Peloton when I'm busier at work. I am still not ready to be on my trainer 6 days a week indoors, but at least erg mode should help keep me entertained.
You can find out more about my ride at Peloton by visiting my Instagram (SteelCityCyclist).
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Enjoying the offseason for a few weeks
Tuesday 15th Oct
I accidentally deleted this post before pressing save changes so this is my second time trying to post an update tonight.
We are two weeks out from knowing what the 2025 Tour course will be. I still have my fingers crossed for Alp d'Huez. It would be a dream to make an attempt at climbing the famous mountain. LeLoop has been keeping me up to date with the rumors and its looking like we may be heading there.
I've officially moved into off season miles (just under 200mi a week) as I start to prepare my training plan for next year. I'll have a few days off later this week (something I am not used to) and then once we have the October 29th announcement, I'll be finishing the training plan and starting to build volume again.
Last week we had some decent weather for October in Pittsburgh. I added a follow me drone to some of my rides, and it was able to capture some of the fall scenery on the Gap trail. Friday was a warm day which was great for a quick 30 miles after work. The early sunset makes it harder to go more than 30 miles though.
This week I've moved indoor on the training. It's not my favorite, but its a good option to maintain my current fitness and start to prepare to build miles to get Tour ready. Hopefully there are a few more good days out there before I'm really stuck inside for winter.
Thanks for reading this week and all the support
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Falling behind
Tuesday 8th OctOops, forgot to make my Monday update! Here we are a day late
Training has definitely changed with the weather. What used to be 2-3 hour after work rides are down to 90 minutes and they are COLD. Last night I was freezing riding along the rivers to avoid traffic and any potential low light conditions (yes, I use lights, but still prefer to ride when its bright enough to be visible).
I had a huge training week last week with refreshing my performance metrics, FTP or functional threshold power. I haven't tested since before the summer race season, so I was long overdue. I was really happy to see a nice jump in my FTP to 274 watts. For those that don't understand power numbers (and it took me a year to get it), that is the amount of power I could sustain for 60 minutes if you tell me give you a 100% effort.
The days after the FTP test were rough. I was tired. My legs hurt. Everything that you would associate with a hard workout was occurring to me. But I'm happy I have a new baseline as I go into the colder months, and can use this to continue to maintain my fitness before the next build cycle.
As always, thank you to everyone who has donated to WWMT already. I'm so close to reaching 50% of my goal already which is amazing. I couldn't do this without the support of everyone around me.
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It's fall, and I'm not ready for it
Tuesday 1st OctThe weather has officially changed in Pittsburgh and I'm not ready for it. It's been cool, rainy, and getting dark way too early. Not to mention, the humidity was up all week.
I'm finally feeling better and starting to ramp up my mileage again. During the week I was a little rushed to get in some miles after work before it was too cool to ride. The GAP trail is at least a great resource after work where I can ride without worrying about too much. This week though, when I was just about to pass Kennywood, a new visitor decided to run by me. Going right down the middle of the trail was a deer running at full speed. Can't say I've ever experienced that before during a ride.
Saturday I got in about 60 miles on one of my favorite routes north of the city. I was tempted to stop at Oakmont Bakery for a snack, but decided to to keep going and get home for a late lunch instead. Hopefully there one or two more nice weekends to get in a cafe ride.
Miles continue to add up this week! It looks like I'll be indoors for a few days due to the rain, but hopefully I'll be able to sneak outside for some miles later this week.
Thank you to everyone who's supported WWMT so far. I can't believe I'm almost to 50% of my goal this fast. Thanks for reading and I'll see you again next week!
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Down with the Sickness
Monday 23rd Sep
After having a fairly normal weekly routine to keep my mileage up, I ended up having an off week. I cut my ride early last Tuesday after feeling "off" and then ended up with a sinus infection. I had to cut my mileage down to almost 0 (maybe 70 miles overall for the week) to take some time to recover.
Today I'm finally starting to feel back to normal, and pending the weather, I'll head back to outdoor training and outdoor miles tomorrow. I finally have an open weekend, so I'm hoping I'll be at 100% by Friday so I can put in some big miles all weekend. The temps look like they will be in the low 70s, which should be perfect for some extended sessions.
In the mean time, I've been enjoying short session on Peloton to keep my legs moving while I feel up to it. I'm excited to get back outside again while I still have some daylight left after work. Here's to another week :)
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H2P and more miles
Tuesday 17th Sep
I am not ready for fall. It's getting darker early, which means less time for cycling after work. And its time for Football on Saturday's which takes away an opportunity for a long ride. But it's also an opportunity for a short day, or a rest day (which I am not good at taking).
Last week I went to support my friend and pro triathlete Nik in an attempt to break the one hour record on our "velodrome" of Pittsburgh. At least its a paved oval that no cars can get onto. It's also a spot where I spent all summer racing on a weekly basis. This was a great attempt to use the GoPro and try to get better at this whole social media thing. The video results looked good (@steelcitycyclist on Instagram) at least to me. In the end, Nik was just shy of making the record.
The rest of the week was easy miles on the GAP trial to keep pushing volume. I felt like my volume was too low with an easy day Saturday for the Pitt football game, and an off day Sunday, but off days can be ok. Before the football game I did a 75min interval class with Matt Wilpers of Peloton, and it just so happened he was talking about taking rest days to allow your body to recover so you can build fitness and push harder in the future. It made me feel a little better, but I still get anxious to take a full day off the bike.
This week I'm trying to keep the mileage up while I still have daylight in the evening hours. I finished up around 6:30pm today and it already felt like it was getting dark too early. Hopefully I can get a few more weeks of after work rides before its too late.
Fundraising is also going great. I cannot thank my friends and family enough for their support of WWMT as I continue to prepare. Thanks for reading this week and I'll have another update next Monday.
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Week 6 - No pain no gain
Wednesday 11th Sep
I'm a day late...sorry
Last week was a tough week. It was great to start out strong with a century ride on Monday that went really well. As the week went on through, I started to feel tired with heavy legs. I still managed to push out over 200 miles, but between work and trying to recover, it was rough.
My original plan was to go for a 100 mile ride on Saturday on a more challenging course, and then a flat 100 mile ride on Sunday. I find it hard to change from the schedule I set, but I was beyond tired on both Saturday and Sunday so I decided to reduce mileage.
I'm back to normal after today's ride and starting to plan out a few longer rides before I'm forced indoors. Earlier this week, LeLoop posted that there is a rumor Alp d'Huez may make a return to the tour. This would be beyond a dream as its my favorite mountain, and a legend of the Tour. I'll find out on October 29 with what the course will be.
Until then, I'll try to remember to take more pictures when I'm training. And as always, I couldn't do this without your support of WWMT. Thank you :)
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Another week, more miles
Tuesday 3rd Sep Hi everyone,Thank you to everyone who's supported WWMT so far. I'm almost 50% to my goal for LeLoop. I truly appreciate everyone's support.
I'm back to regular training this week. And with the long weekend, I pushed up the endurance miles. Saturday was a rest day (Hail to Pitt) so I could catch the Pitt football game. Sunday was an early start to get in 70 miles with about 3800ft of elevation change. With how hot and humid it was outside. I followed up the ride by going to see my favorite band (smashing pumpkins) on the Green Day saviors your.
Monday was back to it with 101 miles on the Gap. The trail really looks like fall now with leaves falling and starting to change color. It was also nice to have a break from the heat given our temps really cooled off.
Now it's back to out this week to keep logging more miles. With 100 already logged, it could be a great week to really push the bar if the weather cooperates.
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Week 5 - Back in action
Monday 26th Aug
Hi Everyone,
Last week I was out on a work trip, and my bike was in for repair. Luckily, my bike is back and I had a packed weekend of events and training.
Saturday was Run Around the Square, a Pittsburgh 5k that is one of my all time favorite courses. Its extremely hilly, but the support of the neighborhood makes this a must-run event. It also helps that the finish line festival has beer and hot dogs. Who wouldn't want to run a few miles in the summer heat and then cool down with a ice cold beer :)
Sunday was the annual Pedal Pittsburgh event to show off the city! My friend Chris joined me for the 62 mile challenge. We took off around 7am and spent the rest of the morning going through many of the city's neighborhoods (so many that I would have been lost without GPS). It ended with a big climb from the South Side to Mount Washington, where we had a photo op to remember the ride by (Check out my Instagram @SteelCityCyclist for some pictures).
Now its back to Monday and back to adding base miles. I'm looking for a few more events before the weather starts to turn, and something to replace Tuesday racing with. Big Thanks to the ACA (Allegheny Cycling Association) for putting on so many weekly races over the summer. I'm going to be lost without my regular Tuesday night race.
Thank you to everyone for the continued support. LeLoop is going to be the biggest challenge I've ever faced, and I couldn't do it without your support of WWMT.
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Week 3 - Work in progress
Monday 12th Aug
Well this was an eventful week. The weather rained out my race day (Tuesday). Thursday I had a mechanical issue where my rear derailleur wouldn't shift. I'm using a SRAM electronic shifting system that has worked perfectly up to this week. I've needed next to no maintenance on the system or tune ups on my bike. After following some guidance from SRAM, Friday I was able to get a few miles and and feel better about getting out for a few longs rides over the weekend.
Saturday did not go well. About 10 miles into 100 mile loop, my derailleur stopped shifting again. Nothing would connect to the SRAM app for me to be able to attempt to diagnose what part of the system wasn't working. Luckily, my friend was able to pick me up mid-ride, just like if I had my own support vehicle. We got back to my place and my bike will be a the shop for hopefully only a few days.
I'm cross training with some running (Run Around the Square is coming up), and using Peloton to get some miles in while I'm waiting for the bike to come back. I'm bummed out I'll miss my last ACA bike race of the year, but there is always next week.
Thanks for reading this week, and for the continued support of my journey to the Tour de France.
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New week, another bee sting
Monday 5th AugAnother week in, and for the third weekend in a row I've been stung by a bee on a long ride. This new trend is getting old and hopefully I can break it next week.
The weather finally decided to not cooperate for a full week of what I had planned. My normal racing day (Tuesday) was rained out, so I had to move indoor with Peloton. I did get an upgrade to USA Cycling Category 4 for future races, which would also allow me to race Wednesdays with the ACA group.
Work emergencies on Friday nightSaturday morning messed up that training day. I had already planned to be indoors based on the weather report, but I probably could have gotten in a few miles in the AM hours.
Sunday I FINALLY had a training buddy when my friend Chris decided to join in for 40ish of the 64 miles. We had a great ride north of the city with a few nice climbs. I forgot to take a picture to add to this blog thing, so hopefully I'll be better in future weeks.
This week I want to mix in some cross training so I can get ready for Run Around the Square, as well as Pedal Pittsburgh. We'll see how some lunchtime runs go
Thank you to everyone who has already started to show support for WWMT in my first full week. I'm really excited you're here for the long haul over the next 11 months.
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One Week In
Monday 29th Jul
My official first week of training is in the books. After a long week, I was able to log 244 miles, including 1 large (104 mi) ride. I'm excited to be able to use this platform to share updates with you along the way as its going to be a long year of prep to get ready for the Tour.
This week should be another great week to get in a few miles. Tuesday continues to be "race" day, and if the weather is good on Saturday I'll be looking at another long day in the saddle.
Hopefully I'll figure out what I want to share on here over the next few weeks, and I encourage you to visit my Instagram account to check out what some of these rides look like. Thanks for joining on the journey and I look forward to seeing you from Paris in 2025.
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Thank you to my Sponsors
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We r do proud of you
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Keep going with the training!!
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Go Matt!
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We continue to support you, be proud of you with all your hard work!
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You got this, Matt!
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Good luck!!!! -Evan and Carly
