I totally agree with the hope that new riders are inclined to wear helmets!! Here in Chicago it's also legal for motorcyclists to go without and I simply can't understand the logic. That said, I attended the Chicago Bicycle film fest and along with the films with an outlaw element were these two (among many others). ROAD TO ROUBAIX and THE SIX-DAY BICYCLE RACES (descriptions below). I also really enjoyed Millar's Tale - I thought it told the doping story in a very frank way that most anyone can understand and relate to.
One last tidbit, I'd guess that most of these filmmakers are art school grads (do not read anything bad into that statement) and for better or worse the current bike appeal for these types is usually more messenger / hipster / trackracer than tour de france stage racer. However, I firmly believe this is where the current return to lugs is coming from and I'm happy for that. Time will tell what this current interest turns into... a fad or a new generation with high respect for custom craftsmanship.
regards Ken Willow Chicago
MILLAR\u2019S TALE USA 2007 | DV 11min. Dir. Nigel Dick David Millar, one time prologue winner of the Tour de France, talks about his fight against doping and his future with Slipstream Sports.
ROAD TO ROUBAIX SEE THE TRAILER USA 2008 | Video 75min. Dir. David Deal and David Cooper This film features the most difficult and prestigious one-day cycling
race in the world: Paris-Roubaix. First held in 1896, now more than a
century later the race is still a grueling contest over 160 miles of narrow, cobbled farm roads in Northern France with a finish in the historic Roubaix velodrome. Long known as the \u201cHell of the North\u201d,
this film is a visual narrative of an old school clash of the finest athletes in the world. The filmmakers tell the story of the riders, the fans, the mechanics, and the unpredictable landscape that is the setting for the Paris-Roubaix.
THE SIX-DAY BICYCLE RACES USA 2006 | DV 60min. Dir. Mark Tyson Discover the original American form of bicycle racing. Relive the excitement of movie stars, gangsters, and the best-paid athletes in the US on a journey that takes you from the glory years of American cycling through to the last throes of a once-great sport. This film traces the history of this completely forgotten sport from its early days in the 1880's through its sad demise in the 1950's. Over 40 hours of interviews with riders, supporters, family members and historians bring life to the rich tapestry that was the Six-Day Bicycle Race. This film shares the color and excitement of an era when a bike rider could make in six days what his father might earn in six years. More than 10 years in the making, the \u201cSix-Day Bicycle
Race\u201d is a film that brings together the largest known collection of
photographs, archival footage and personal recollections by and of people long since passed away.