The
rules of the TransAm Bicycle Race are simple enough. Each rider is
equipped with a GPS that shows his or her location, letting the
organizers and other competitors know who is where. There is no
support allowed; no stages; no checkpoints; no drafting. The path
followed is Adventure Cycling's Trans America Bicycle Trail, a route
developed for the American Bicentennial in 1976, that runs from
Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virgnia. It is 6,800 km (4,200 miles)
in length and crosses 10 states.
The
film focuses primarily on two riders. British ultracycling legend
Mike Hall rode the mountain bike ultradistance Tour Divide, from the
Canadian border to the Mexican one in 2011, and finished 11th
in spite of a knee injury. He went on to win the inaugural World
Cycle Race in 2012, racing around the world in only 91 days, and
going on to win the 2013 Tour Divide. That same year he organized
the Transcontinental Race, another unsupported event that crosses
year with a different route each year and quickly attracts its 350
rider limit. In 2016 Hall won the Tour Divide again.
Mike Hall |
The
other rider highlighted is Juliana Buhring, who owns the record for
the fastest circumnavigation of the world by a female cyclist. She
accomplished this in 2012, two years after learning to ride a bicycle
at the age of 30. She had a bruising childhood, growing up in a cult
environment, and is proud of her self-sufficiency. Crashing on the
second day of the TransAm, she shrugs off her bruised knee and
painful ribs and heads east at a remarkable pace. She casually
explains that she really needs five days to get warmed up properly.
She typically rides 14-16 hours each day of the event.
Juliana Buhring |
There
is a funny subplot featuring two Italians who Juliana Buhring is
obsessed with beating to the finish. One of them cannot believe that
a woman who has only ridden for such a short time cannot possibly be
going faster than him, a racer with years of experience, and he
accuses her of cheating somehow. Needless to say, she has the
personality that thrives on this kind of outrage.
The 45
starters in Oregon are a mixed group of riders, with people who could
not afford the steep expense of RAAM, or wanted to accomplish
something special. The greatest challenger to Mike Hall is Canadian
Jason Lane, who is delighted that he can do this and travel around
the world, “pretending to be an athlete and not having to grow up.”
Lane appears to ride with minimal sleep, stopping at post offices
where he has mailed the ingredients for his liquid diet. Jovial
actor Brian Steele is 6 foot 7 inches tall and specializes in playing
monster roles for Hollywood.
The
Trans America Trail does not appear to go through towns of any
significance for the entire stretch. The cyclists face rain as they
ride along the Pacific Coast, then turn inland to cross mountains.
There is sleet and snow although the race is in June. Horrific winds
greet the riders as they come into the Great Plains and make their
snail-like progress across Kansas. Unlike RAAM, the cyclists need to
arrange their own accommodations and find supplies or mechanical
help. This often means sleeping at the side of the road and eating,
well, pretty much anything they can get. Considering the scale of the
enterprise, nobody is carrying all that much on their bike. Jason
Lane says that the time for arranging food and shelter is much more
time-consuming than he had expected. As the race unfolds the
cyclists become gaunt and a lot less coherent than in Oregon. Mike
Hall cannot recall what day it is—but then the organizers in their
van can't either.
The
filmmakers give us little vignettes of others on the road—a Vietnam
war veteran on his bike; an Australian lady riding the Trans America
Trail to honour the memory of Martin Luther King; two friends, one
from Oregon, the other from Virginia, just riding the Trail for fun,
with no plan; a bartender proud of his smoking and drinking and
honest approach to life.
There
is much of the kindness of strangers. A little bike shop in tiny
Newton, Kansas, is open at all hours to help the riders; a lady
forces money on Juliana Buhrling to buy food; a pair of enthusiasts
in a small town offer Brian Steele a free dinner, which he is happy
to accept. But even help from friendly people is not enough to
overcome health or mechanical issues or just total exhaustion. In
the end 25 of the starters make it to Yorktown. Mike Hall,
unsurprisingly, has led almost from the first day and rolls up to the
monument that marks the end of the race a full day ahead of his
closest competitor. It has taken him 17 days and 16 hours. The 25th
rider comes in at 116 days.
Sadly,
the road can take its toll. The Australian lady doing her tour never
reached the end, becoming another traffic fatality in America. And
Mike Hall himself died in a collision in March 2017 after having
completed 5,000 kms of the 5,500 km Indian Pacific Wheel Race in
Australia and holding second place at the time.
“Inspired
to Ride” shows what determined people can accomplish and the joy of
each finisher as they come into Yorktown, no matter when, is
infectious. The filmmakers have chosen to feature not only the
scenic delights of the route but also the rather grim flatlands, with
their endless winds and straight roads, to show the diversity of the
race landscape. The riders are in their world during the TransAm and
it is worth joining them through this well-made documentary.
“Inspired
to Ride” is 128 minutes in length and may be purchased as a digital
download at https://watch.inspiredtoride.it/.
The website also has information about how to host a screening of
the film, along with a selection of merchandise.
Learn
more about the TransAm Bicycle Race at: https://transambikerace.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment