The above photo is of Matt winning stage 4 of the Giro del Piceno. Unfortunately he had crashed on stage 1 and broke his bike, which was fixed in time for stage 3 so a GC finish was out. 

Matt has been riding road races and gran fondos, which are mass participation events but very much a race at the front. As well as one win he has had some 2nd and 3rd places and got 4th in a crit recently. 

He thinks he is also Abruzzo regional U23 champion but sometimes it can be difficult to work out the results!  

All events are on closed roads and have from 80 to several hundred riders. Earlier in the year he had a three day trial with an elite under 23 team who have offered him a place on their team for next season. There are only 9 or 10 riders on the team and they compete all over Italy and further afield, mostly at U23 races, but they include several 5/6 day giros and the two week Girobio, which is the U23 version of the Giro d'Italia. 

Training is usually 2hrs on Monday with his 70 yr old landlord, 150km on Tuesdays and Wednesdays usually with next year's team and including hill efforts and motor pacing, Thursday is hilly 200km with a group, Friday is rest and weekends are for racing, so Matt covers around 650 to 750 km per week depending on the races. 

This year has really been about adjusting to the heat and the harder racing, and obtaining a place on a good team for next year, but the whole lifestyle has been really enjoyed. When not training most time is spent on the nearby beach!

Good luck with the next season, Matt!!!