Blood Sweat and Gears: Racing Clean to the Tour de France

Oct 22 2009 N/A NA
Documentary, Sport

From Colorado to Qatar, California and France, this documentary follows a year in the life of the U.S.-based professional cycling team Slipstream -- a group that's made it their mission to restore the good name of cycling. Sure, the guys -- including Swede Magnus Backstedt and Brit David Millar -- wouldn't mind a Tour de France invite, but they're even more passionate about inspiring the next generation of cyclists.

Plot

I like this movie. It follows a young bicycle racing team through the perils of its fragile existence: finding a sponsor; competing in various races with an eye toward getting invited to the Tour de France; choosing which riders go to the Big Dance, etc. There are various sub-stories going on simultaneously: the team is actively anti-doping (yet has former dopers on-board, both admitted and later-to-admit); one rider seems to shift his focus onto track racing; etc.Lots going on. Ultimately, it's a time capsule movie that should only get more fascinating with time. 10 years on, already so much has changed.If I could change any one thing, it would be that the movie would focus a little more on the nuts and bolts of the bikes and strategies involved. Oh well, there's only so much time; and the director chose to look at team dynamics more than the racing itself. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of racing footage, but I'd have liked even more, along with talk of what gear the riders were using and why, etc...RECOMMENDED

Written by

N/A

Directed by

Nick Davis

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Nick Davis Productions

Languages

English

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
31
Average Rating
7.5 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA