Matt’s page first caught my eye because it got so many donations in the first week after it was made.  When I went to look at it I could see why: 16 months ago Matt broke his hip, and now he’s riding a bicycle across the state of Maine!  Here’s how he explained it, in his own words, when he wrote to family and friends about his new adventure:

"As many of you know, 16 months
ago, I broke my femur in a bicycle race at the Tuft’s Criterium.  The break was
serious, requiring immediate surgical repair and hospitalization.   I used a
walker for six weeks, crutches for three months, and endured fourteen months of
physical therapy.  As we all do in difficult times; I needed a carrot on a stick
to get me through the rehabilitation process.    During the months that
followed, an idea began to crystallize; a mission: to set the first-ever
cross-state cycling record for the state of Maine.  I am writing you to ask for
support with my mission."

This past weekend, Matt followed through on this idea that he had during his recovery: 

"I completed my ride on the bridge to Porstmouth, NH on Sunday morning at 3:35
AM, after starting it in Fort Kent on the border of New Brunswick, Canada.  In
spite of a nasty headwind, 22,000 feet of climbing and 96-degree temperatures,
I rode 382 miles in 22 hours and 25 minutes… averaging 17.63 mph with stops
and a rolling average of 18.6. "

I think my cyclist friends will be as impressed with that as I am.

What I think makes Matt a perfect FOTW is not just the magnitude of the task he took on, though, but also the cause that he supported.  After spending months working with a physical therapist, going from not being able to walk to being able to tackle this kind of strenuous ride, he knows as well as anyone just how important physical therapy and rehabilitation can be.  The money he’s raising will go to the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital so that they can help more people who face the same need he did. 

How many people do you know that would, after suffering such an injury, not only tackle such a huge task but turn it into an opportunity to help other people suffering a similar plight?  At least now you know Matt.