“The loser” is a regular staple for comedy films, yet often celebrated in cycling as the lanterne rouge. Add on scenes from retro Belgium circa 1970, insert a comic actor with good timing and an elastic face and things get better.
This Belgian film dates from 2001 and is widely available, complete with English subtitles. If cycling films are rare, this is a gem.
There’s usually only one winner each day in a race and only a few contenders meaning most of the peloton have a different job to do. Their daily self-sacrifice is the basis for this film.
It’s got explosions, near accidents, sprints, anger, tears and more yet this a documentary film that invites meditation on the state of pro cycling. If you’re the type who acts first and thinks later then you might find yourself on a flight to Colombia very soon with your bike sitting in the hold below.
“The loser” is a regular in comedy films yet celebrated in cycling where the lanterne rouge can be a hero. Add on scenes from retro Belgium circa 1970, insert a comic actor with good timing and an elastic face and things get better.
This Belgium film dates from 2001 and is widely available, complete with English subtitles. If cycling films are rare, this is a gem.
Sporting rivalries make great stories, a binary contest that’s easy to grasp even if the underlying story can be more sophisticated. This summer we expected to see Alberto Contador vs Chris Froome but this didn’t go far. We also had Froome and Bradley Wiggins, a rivalry by distance sporadically conducted in public via book launches and interviews. “Slaying The Badger” is the story of Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond, two riders on the same team each trying to win the Tour de France. Or were they?
You might know the story of Marco Pantani: an early sensation in the mountains and then injuries, race expulsions, humiliation, absence from the sport and then his lonely death in an out of season beach resort. But here’s a documentary film to tell the story? Does prior knowledge spoil the film? Not necessarily because it’s a well-told tale featuring archive footage alongside new interviews and narration from his family, journalists and peers.
Later this year I’ll probably review a few highlights of the year. Stage 9 of the Tour de France is likely to make the cut because it started with a bang. It was the day Chris Froome was isolated as constant attacks from Garmin-Sharp ripped up the race from the start. The video by humansinvent.com above tells how it was done.
It’s not often you see the Tour de France in the cinema so when a film arrives it can be default viewing for many cycling fans. La Grande Boucle is a newly-released French film and the tale of one man down on his luck who attempts to ride the route of the Tour in a bid to prove he’s worth something.
Sadly it’s a stinker of a film. Watch it if you must but be warned, this is the cinema equivalent of a ride on the indoor trainer, you’ll do it because it’s cycling but it takes mental strength to finish the session.
Can’t make it to the Ronde van Vlaanderen this Sunday? Well let this superb video take you there.
It’s 15 minutes of filming on and around the Paterberg, one of the two crucial climbs on the race route, from last year’s race. It’s as good as being there, all that is missing is the smell of fried food and the peaceful squelch of Flanders fields under your feet. You can find some beer for yourself.
The Last Kilometer is a documentary film featuring Davide Rebellin and Ignazio Moser, two riders with over 20 years of age in between them. It also features press room legend Gianni Mura, sometimes known as one of the few journalists to still use a typewriter but hopefully better known for his prose and knowledge.