Davey Crockett
2016-03-29 18:43:32 UTC
Breaking Away (1979)
Small-town boys versus college jerks, a cyclist obsessed with
Italians, and some of the best fictional road-bike action ever
committed to film. It'll make you want to find an old Masi Gran
Criterium, chase lorries and start talking Italian. "Ciao, Papa!"
A Sunday In Hell (1976)
Jørgen Leth's stunning follow-up to 1974's The Stars and the Water
Carriers is a documentary about the 1976 Paris-Roubaix, one of the
cycling calendar's legendary fixtures. Leth captures the drama,
heartbreak and torturous conditions alongside an atmospheric
score. Most of road-racing's '70s elite are present and correct,
but if you're looking for a demonstration of the all-conquering
Eddy Merckx at his locomotive best, Leth's earlier film will
appeal more.
American Flyers (1985)
Although Kevin Costner's moustache is the undoubted star of the
show, the cycling action comes a worthy second. Brothers David and
Marcus (Costner) do some bonding by competing together in a road
race through the Rockies. If you're turned on by such things, Rae
Dawn Chong's super-fast wheel change is another highlight, as is a
fleeting appearance by racing legend Eddy Merckx.
Les Triplettes de Belville (2003)
A French cartoon comedy with no dialogue? Er… Quelle surprise,
this is utterly charming and engrossing. A young boy, brought up
by his grandmother to race in the Tour de France, is kidnapped
partway through the race. Granny and her dog enlist the help of a
trio of old-time entertainers to track him down. Far more bonkers
than it sounds.
2 Seconds (1998)
Professional mountain biker Laurie gets fired from her team and
becomes a cycle courier. This being a French Canadian movie,
you'll have to put up with subtitles – but the quirky story is
well worth paying attention to, and there's plenty of cycling
action to fill the rest of the time.
BMX Bandits (1983)
Surely that's not Nicole Kidman tearing up the streets in pink and
yellow with matching pads? After Bob Haro's biking prowess in
E.T., this was the movie that sold a thousand Raleigh Burners. The
storyline, featuring bungling robbers and some stolen
walkie-talkies, is truly terrible, but this is still essential
viewing for the BMX brigade.
Höllentour (aka Hell On Wheels, 2004)
An insight into the modern-day Tour de France, this documentary
follows the (mis)fortunes of the T-Mobile team as they struggle to
compete on cycling's biggest stage. It heavily focuses on the
relationship between Erik Zabel and team-mate Rolf Aldag. The
moments where Zabel talks frankly about how he can't compete with
his rivals are heartbreaking – he looks and sounds like an
also-ran rather than the man who'd previously won the green jersey
for six consecutive years from 1996 to 2001. Shame about a
soundtrack that's straight outta the '80s.
The Flying Scotsman (2006)
The true story of Graham Obree, growing up from a bullied
childhood to become a champion cyclist, by way of designing his
own bikes and innovating in body-position aerodynamics. Jonny Lee
Miller as Obree does a good line in paranoia and things don't
often get too cheesy, thanks to a decent supporting cast. Sadly
it's missing Obree's more recent revelations, which help explain
why he tried to commit suicide on three occasions.
The Greatest Show on Earth (1974)
At times it looks like an advert for the Italian tourist board,
but this documentary about the 1974 Giro d'Italia makes up for it
with some stunning chase shots down the mountains. Just listen to
the tyre squeal from the support cars as they try to keep up!
Rad (1986)
At the height of '80s BMX fever, along came Rad. The ridiculously
monikered Cru Jones battles to compete in a race known as
Helltrack, so he can defeat his nemesis and win the love of a
fellow racer (Lori Loughlin). It's just a shame that by the time
Rad made it to VHS, BMX wasn't so rad any more.
Small-town boys versus college jerks, a cyclist obsessed with
Italians, and some of the best fictional road-bike action ever
committed to film. It'll make you want to find an old Masi Gran
Criterium, chase lorries and start talking Italian. "Ciao, Papa!"
A Sunday In Hell (1976)
Jørgen Leth's stunning follow-up to 1974's The Stars and the Water
Carriers is a documentary about the 1976 Paris-Roubaix, one of the
cycling calendar's legendary fixtures. Leth captures the drama,
heartbreak and torturous conditions alongside an atmospheric
score. Most of road-racing's '70s elite are present and correct,
but if you're looking for a demonstration of the all-conquering
Eddy Merckx at his locomotive best, Leth's earlier film will
appeal more.
American Flyers (1985)
Although Kevin Costner's moustache is the undoubted star of the
show, the cycling action comes a worthy second. Brothers David and
Marcus (Costner) do some bonding by competing together in a road
race through the Rockies. If you're turned on by such things, Rae
Dawn Chong's super-fast wheel change is another highlight, as is a
fleeting appearance by racing legend Eddy Merckx.
Les Triplettes de Belville (2003)
A French cartoon comedy with no dialogue? Er… Quelle surprise,
this is utterly charming and engrossing. A young boy, brought up
by his grandmother to race in the Tour de France, is kidnapped
partway through the race. Granny and her dog enlist the help of a
trio of old-time entertainers to track him down. Far more bonkers
than it sounds.
2 Seconds (1998)
Professional mountain biker Laurie gets fired from her team and
becomes a cycle courier. This being a French Canadian movie,
you'll have to put up with subtitles – but the quirky story is
well worth paying attention to, and there's plenty of cycling
action to fill the rest of the time.
BMX Bandits (1983)
Surely that's not Nicole Kidman tearing up the streets in pink and
yellow with matching pads? After Bob Haro's biking prowess in
E.T., this was the movie that sold a thousand Raleigh Burners. The
storyline, featuring bungling robbers and some stolen
walkie-talkies, is truly terrible, but this is still essential
viewing for the BMX brigade.
Höllentour (aka Hell On Wheels, 2004)
An insight into the modern-day Tour de France, this documentary
follows the (mis)fortunes of the T-Mobile team as they struggle to
compete on cycling's biggest stage. It heavily focuses on the
relationship between Erik Zabel and team-mate Rolf Aldag. The
moments where Zabel talks frankly about how he can't compete with
his rivals are heartbreaking – he looks and sounds like an
also-ran rather than the man who'd previously won the green jersey
for six consecutive years from 1996 to 2001. Shame about a
soundtrack that's straight outta the '80s.
The Flying Scotsman (2006)
The true story of Graham Obree, growing up from a bullied
childhood to become a champion cyclist, by way of designing his
own bikes and innovating in body-position aerodynamics. Jonny Lee
Miller as Obree does a good line in paranoia and things don't
often get too cheesy, thanks to a decent supporting cast. Sadly
it's missing Obree's more recent revelations, which help explain
why he tried to commit suicide on three occasions.
The Greatest Show on Earth (1974)
At times it looks like an advert for the Italian tourist board,
but this documentary about the 1974 Giro d'Italia makes up for it
with some stunning chase shots down the mountains. Just listen to
the tyre squeal from the support cars as they try to keep up!
Rad (1986)
At the height of '80s BMX fever, along came Rad. The ridiculously
monikered Cru Jones battles to compete in a race known as
Helltrack, so he can defeat his nemesis and win the love of a
fellow racer (Lori Loughlin). It's just a shame that by the time
Rad made it to VHS, BMX wasn't so rad any more.
--
Davey Crockett says Check out the Online Cycle Racing Action
<http://algarveservers.com/sportsite/>
<http://inconnu.freeshell.org/sportsite>
<http://bellacanela.com>
Davey Crockett says Check out the Online Cycle Racing Action
<http://algarveservers.com/sportsite/>
<http://inconnu.freeshell.org/sportsite>
<http://bellacanela.com>