Movies about cycling

Hi
Does anybody know about any good movie on cyclists or cycling. I dont mean about races or competitions, but sort of adventure cycling trips, very long tours or something like that. I guess there must be some If anybody knows pl tell the name.

 

Hmm.. doesn't sound like something Hollywood would produce. If it's not a race then they can't have the dramatic ending where the underdog just barely beats his rival. I would immagine that about the closest they would crank out would be a movie were a couple of the characters just happened to be riding bikes on a cross country tour and whatever event the plot focuses on happens in some town where they stopped to rest.

If its not a competition of some kind then most American audiences just won't "get it". Movies have to appeal to the widest possible audience, so nothing too far away from mainstream MTV/FOX generated culture can be central to the plot.

I just rode back from class on a road bike with a backpack and street clothes on. A car pulls up next to me at the light and some kid hangs out the window and shouts: "Hey where's your license plate." For reasons I fail to grasp, this must have been extremely funny judging by the laughter in the car. This was followed by "What kind of mileage do you get on that thing." and "Hey isn't it time to change your oil?."

Finally the light changed... of course they pealed out and darted into my lane right in front of me as they took off.

Now if I had been wearing painted on spandex and not had the backpack, they would have "got it". Then I would have been riding because it was hip/cool/athletic/bla bla bla.... If I had been riding on a mountain bike or a BMX on the sidewalk I would have been ignored completely since that is 99.99% of cyclists. But because I was on "their" street obvously using a bike for transportation... this was not something within the range of their understanding.

This is the audience that Hollywood has created and creates for. Behold: Dumb and Dumber, X Men, Fast and Furious, etc. etc. etc.

 

There are some good movies about cycling, but they will all be about races. Try watching "Breaking Away", it's really a good film for when it was made.

 

I don't know of any movies produced by studios like that, but some of the bike tours in the U.S. have videos made of them that you could buy. One of those is Ride the Rockies. You can order videos of that ride (for several years).

http://www.ridetherockies.com (click on Merchandise for the links to the videos)

 

American Fliers with Kevin Costner
Breaking Away

Those are the only two that i know of that got any sort of attention

 

I believe there is a movie called "quicksilver" with kevin bacon as a bike messanger... its a good flick.

-percious

 

I saw this film at the Banff Festival of Mountain Films. It's shortish, but a great ride across America. A true romantic quest. Perhaps a little Don Quixote-esque, but that's why I like it.

--Pat.

The People's Choice Award
True Fans

USA,1999 Director/Producer: Dan Austin
True Fans chronicles an epic, one-hundred-day bicycle tour from Venice Beach, Los Angeles, to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Although the three cyclists travel through the Rockies in order to reach their destination, this cannot honestly be called a mountain film. However, the spirit of adventure and the genuine humour that permeate their journey make the film an absolute must for this audience. True Fans is truly original!

 

I remember that one... can't remember much about it though... was it racing related or not?

I know the ones listed in the messages above are all disqualified because they are all racing.

 

Quicksilver is about a stock trader that loses his job and chucks it all to be a bike messenger. It's a small taste of messenger culture. Supposedly, it's SF, but it feels more like NYC. I guess the guy could work at the PSE. It's got some cues to some really cool messenger culture if you really pay attention to the equipment and stuff.

 

I just got "American Flyers" on DVD off of e-bay for $5.00US.

I used to watch it all the time when I rode for motivation.

 

Ive seen this one 20 times. He plays a stockbroker gone bankrupt and turns into a bike messenger to get him thru the low points. Its a good flick and he even rides a fixed gear.

Edited to make note of the fact I didnt know Pat Lee had said basicly the same thing,,,oops.

 

There was a BBC type serial which was pretty cute calle "The Missing Postman". He just gets the pits about being a postie, so instead of putting a letter in the post, he decides to ride off across the country to deliver it himself, and becomes a celebrity.

Not too much about the riding, but the idea is pretty inspiring. Don't know if it's available on video or dvd, but I think just about all BBC stuff has been now?

 

there's a couple of Tour de France dvd's out ...2002, 03.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...//102-3323019-6325706?v=glance&s=dvd&n=494020

and the discovery channel eco challenge (adventure racing) videos are pretty motivating, not specifically cycling though.....

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/102-3323019-6325706

 

Quicksilver

Features a bit of Freestyling on a Road bike/messenger bike

American Flyers

Gives a lil bit dicussion on the technical side of road racing. Breaking away. Remaining ang eating of the pack. Gives information without the technical hassle, specially to those whos not into cycling.

 

THere is a French-Canadian film called 2 seconds. It is about a retired downhill racer being a bike messenger in Montreal. THere is also an Italian racer in the movie that owns a bike shop.
Probably not exactly what you are looking for, but it does revolve around bikes.

 

I have recently seen both Breaking Away and American Flyers but personally, I liked American Flyers better. It had more to do with racing and life. Breaking Away was a more adolescent film which I found somewhat boring with the movement. American Flyers is a much better movie with more focus on cycling as a sport.

Thomas Davis

 

No one has mentioned "RAD". Breaking Away and American Flyers are classic road movies, but "RAD" takes you back to the BMX days, when many cyclist first got into bikes at an early age. Not to leave out mountain biking there is also "Tread" with Hans Ray and Greg Herbold, somewhat dull but very motivational to get you riding in the woods.

 

Check this out:
http://www.lestriplettesdebelleville.com/
or English version:
http://www.sonyclassics.com/triplets/

As for bike adventure films, I think the recent UK release "28 Days After" should rate a mention, one of the main characters is/was a bike courier.

Not as much fun as Les Triples de Belleville though.