What did we do in the summer of 2023?

This was both a honeymoon and a memorial. When your fiancé decides that a Tour de France bike trip is a good idea, you make it happen.

Unfortunately, I also lost my daughter Serena to suicide later that year, and instead of canceling, I decided to make a Trevor Project memorial fundraiser to her memory and for all the trans youth still out there who may need help. People pledged based on the amount of iconic Tour de France climbs I completed and picked a badge level. It was be fun and meaningful.

31/07/2022 – Tour de France femmes avec Zwift 2022 – Etape 8 – Lure / La Super Planche des Belles Filles (123,3 km) – VOLLERING Demi (TEAM SD WORX), VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek (MOVISTAR TEAM WOMEN), NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna (CANYON // SRAM RACING)

The tour

Long before last July we were looking at a once in a lifetime Tour de France bike tour. Brenda really liked Thomson Tours, and then we found they had a Tour de France Femmes tour. This would support women’s cycling and we could see the whole race from start to finish. I think Serena would approve. It’s a 10 day tour and climbs several iconic summits: Tourmalet, Pla d’Adet, Peyresourde and more you may recognize. I don’t have to climb any of them if I don’t want to, but I thought that if I climbed all of them it could inspire the sadistic glee of people who want me to suffer, and the tender hearts of all of us who do not want our children to.

The coach

As the elevation is actually epic, we decided at the suggestion of Thomson to get a coach. Aidan Charles Coaching and Nutrition has the most experience for these events as their partner, so we looked there. There was one woman coach, who also had been a teacher, so that made our choice easy. Katrina Niez was the perfect choice as she fits the best blend of pushing our limits and and understanding of our fun loving lifestyle as well.

Katrina at a muddy New England cyclocross event.

Of course another cool thing is that her husband makes these very yummy and healthy Real Energy Bars. My favorite is White Chocolate Pistachio and Brenda’s is Apricot Almond.

To ensure Katrina got good numbers, I bit the bullet and got a power meter crank. She trains with power which is the only reliable measure of work. Speed, heart rate and cadence are all super variable, but watts always tell what you’re doing. Gosh have I become a “go fast” guy? No, I just want to be comfy when way up in the mountains this summer.