Hell on Wheels
I've just got back from watching Hell on Wheels, a stunning feature-length documentary about the 2003 Tour de France, at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. Apparently the director, Pepe Danquart, knew nothing of professional cycling before making this film but he lucked out with the 2003 Tour, which proved by far the most nail-biting I can remember. The cinematography is breathtaking at times (trailer here, in RealPlayer format) and the film sneaks behind the scenes (interviews as riders are shaving their legs in the bath, sweaty debriefings on the team bus, hanging with the Lanterne Rouge in the Alps) to give a compelling insight into one of the most arduous sporting events imagineable.
Speaking of bikes, my beautiful Cannondale F1000 mountain bike has been stolen. I found out this evening – there were two D-locks and a motorbike chain securing it in the (usually locked) garage below my flat, so I'm wondering if it was stolen to order. It was too valuable to be listed on my contents insurance so, as with my Apple PowerBook a few days ago, it's back to square one. Still, if I can get all of my bad luck out of the way before Antarctica, that's fine by me.
As of tomorrow morning, I'm looking for a bike sponsor.
— Filed under Cycling, Inspiration