In a message dated 11/28/2003 12:41:29 PM Eastern Standard Time, Philcycles@aol.com writes:
<< Sorry to burst your bubble but the racing scenes in American Flyers bear absolutely no relation to real bicycle racing. and the movie was regarded as a big joke when it came out >>
Oh poop! Don't be so cynical! Sorry to burst your bubble, Phil, but I was at a premier of the film during the Coors Classic race. The film was shown to a invitation-only crowd consisting of primarily cycling folk. Anywho, most of we cycling folks expected to see quite a bit of hokie Hollywood excess and misrepresentation, but most there that night felt it was not bad at all. In fact, the scene in which RayDawn Chong changes the rear wheel resulted in a spontaneous standing ovation right during the film! The few non-cycling savvy folk in the audience just sat there and looked bewildered as 90% of the crowd hooted their approval. Hey it isn't perfect but in my opinion it was the best yet, Hollywood style!
Dale Brown
Greensboro, North Carolina