The Home for World-Class Sports & Adventure Experiences · Milky Way Park CEO Matthew Lloyd-Thomas

Matthew Lloyd-Thomas led the acquisition of The Athletic at The New York Times. He helped turn the paper into the essential subscription bundle in the English-speaking world. He earned his first partnership by hanging with a founder's fittest guide on a brutal climb outside Barcelona. Now he is building Milky Way Park.I sat down with Matthew on site at his New York office to walk through the whole arc. We get into the model behind Milky Way Park, why authenticity in the field cannot be manufactured, and the third thing that defines a person's identity. Matthew also breaks down what he learned from the Sulzbergers about thinking in decades, why this is fundamentally a people business, his read on the offline economy as AI accelerates, and where he wants to take this next, from surfing to fly fishing. A clear-eyed look at building the home for the world's best sports and adventure experiences. Listen on Spotify and Apple. Read the full breakdown on Substack.Chapters:00:00 Milky Way Park in one sentence00:34 The essay that started it01:11 The Athletic deal at the New York Times02:26 Building the Times bundle04:22 What he learned at TCG and the third thing about identity07:49 Relentless curiosity and the firm's DNA09:02 Meeting Greg Mazlin and finding the right backers10:51 The Milky Way Park model12:34 Becoming a cyclist for life13:34 Earning his stripes with Peter Thomson17:20 Speaking to the avid athlete18:52 Leveling up with Alpenglow and Adrian Ballinger22:00 The five-year plan to Everest23:51 Backroads and thinking in decades25:27 Bike in Italy or Italy by bike26:54 Healthspan, longevity, and affinity groups28:02 A convergence of mega trends29:30 It is all about the people30:51 What is next: surfing, fly fishing, trail running33:30 Family-run businesses and keeping the soul36:23 Long-term stewardship and earning a founder's trust38:55 Rapid fire: scuba diving40:28 The one must-do bike climb41:23 The most awe-inspiring place he has seen42:14 Inside a top-tier tripSubscribe to Under the Number:→ Substack: https://underthenumber.substack.com/→ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UndertheNumberPod → Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4mj9Z1nJZabBH88AZr2lBp→ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/under-the-number/id1730764733#UnderTheNumber #SportsEconomy #SportsBusiness #MilkyWayPark #ThePresencePremium #ExperienceEconomy #AdventureTravel #Cycling #Climbing #ExperientialHospitality