I defer to nobody when it comes to the love of cycling. I adore riding around town, love going out in to the countryside, and enjoy cycling with friends, or on my own. I believe in cycling in the sense that it makes the world a better place, and regard it as about the most fun thing on earth to do. Sometimes I cycle in a dignified and proper fashion, and sometimes I cycle like a maniac - it's all good. And, what few people know is that I sort of owe my adult life to cycling - the surgeon who looked after me when I was a sick little kid with Stills Disease prescribed a bicycle where others had therapies that shortened their lives.
So I live in hope of finding the pleasure I gain from cycling represented in some way, and, given the range of my own pleasure I'm not too fussy how it's represented.
And here's the rub - there are films that are built around cars that I adore despite despising cars, but bikes on the small screen or the large screen just don't do it for me. There's a certain charm in the coverage of the Tour de France, and I will watch track cycling, but, if I'm honest, that's more about winners and losers than it is about the grace and power of pro cycling. Occasionally there's a bit of footage that takes my breath away - some of you will remember the Cancellara descent that was briefly on Youtube - and the sprint finishes are fun, but that's about it.
There's cycling programmes that exhort us to take to the open road. Clare Balding is great when she's talking about horseracing but her little series on touring was, when all is said and done, a bit on the dull side. The camera was plonked by the side of the road as Clare whizzed round the corner and.....well, that was it, really. Could there have been more to it? Could the sensual pleasure of cycling, the freedom, the heightening of the senses, have been conveyed, or is it simply beyond the power of film to capture.
Can it be done? You'd think that, given bikes are so personal, that they would find their slot in drama, but Peter Yates, responsible for two of the greatest car movies of all times turned his hand to bikes and failed miserably. Then again, the motorbike in Motorcycle Diaries is part of the cast, and a good deal of the entertainment.
There's a small collection of moments. The opening of Grosse Point Blank (the cyclist dies) and some sequences in Andy the Furniture Maker, an inspirational piece about a young man whose post-punk skip-sourced furniture. Just snippets. That, for me, is about it.
Your thoughts....
So I live in hope of finding the pleasure I gain from cycling represented in some way, and, given the range of my own pleasure I'm not too fussy how it's represented.
And here's the rub - there are films that are built around cars that I adore despite despising cars, but bikes on the small screen or the large screen just don't do it for me. There's a certain charm in the coverage of the Tour de France, and I will watch track cycling, but, if I'm honest, that's more about winners and losers than it is about the grace and power of pro cycling. Occasionally there's a bit of footage that takes my breath away - some of you will remember the Cancellara descent that was briefly on Youtube - and the sprint finishes are fun, but that's about it.
There's cycling programmes that exhort us to take to the open road. Clare Balding is great when she's talking about horseracing but her little series on touring was, when all is said and done, a bit on the dull side. The camera was plonked by the side of the road as Clare whizzed round the corner and.....well, that was it, really. Could there have been more to it? Could the sensual pleasure of cycling, the freedom, the heightening of the senses, have been conveyed, or is it simply beyond the power of film to capture.
Can it be done? You'd think that, given bikes are so personal, that they would find their slot in drama, but Peter Yates, responsible for two of the greatest car movies of all times turned his hand to bikes and failed miserably. Then again, the motorbike in Motorcycle Diaries is part of the cast, and a good deal of the entertainment.
There's a small collection of moments. The opening of Grosse Point Blank (the cyclist dies) and some sequences in Andy the Furniture Maker, an inspirational piece about a young man whose post-punk skip-sourced furniture. Just snippets. That, for me, is about it.
Your thoughts....
So never gained any confidence as an adult. My Hubby bought me my first mountain bike for my 35th birthday, after we'd had a holiday at Center Parcs. I got pretty good on and off road, then I embarked on a degree so cycling took a back seat. Just didn't have the time to fit it in. All my friends seemed to overtake me on skill, stamina, whatever, to the point that I felt I just couldn't compete and used to beat myself up when I went out with them. ( I was approaching it all wrong) This year has been a big turning point for me I have a new Bike and doing it for me, not to compete against others. So you see very personal, I can't describe the euphoric feeling I get before and after a ride, but I'm sure many of you have experienced it on a personal level. Maybe this is what your expecting from 'on screen cycling' but it's just not hitting the spot.
