Nothing against the cadre of American cyclists who compete in the Tour de France, but it's refreshing to see the bicycle race from another perspective in Hell on Wheels.
I finally got around to renting this documentary by German filmmaker Pepe Danquart the other day and was immediately smitten by its non-American feel. This is what the Tour de France is to the rest of the world.
Granted, there had to be the obligatory scenes of Lance Armstrong that year (2003) — coasting off-road through a field, going down after snagging a fan's musette, and a nut-crunching slip out of the pedals.
But the film is mostly focused on T-Mobile that year and the suffering by the cyclists. While the film captures the 100th anniversary of the 2003 Tour and the beautiful scenery it passed, there's historical footage and commentary by French scholar Serge Laget to put it into context.
Famed sprinter Erik Zabel speaks at length during the film. Early on he's all full of himself and his cycling abilities. That's all stripped away after a long, mountainous individual time trial during which he almost doesn't make the cut and there's nothing but weariness in the comments about his limitations.
He talks about himself and his roommate of 11 years, Rolf Aldag, and how they're almost like a married couple.
If you can't enjoy the Tour de France without Phil Liggett describing someone dancing on the pedals or Bob Roll's “Tour Day France,” then you won't enjoy this movie. But if you want to see the elation and suffering of the Tour cyclists without an American influence, I'd recommend it.
See other bike movie selections at the Bicycling Movie Page.
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