Road To Roubaix DVD on sale now! (Spoiler)

by Ruthann on Sep 23, 2008 2:01 PM EDT

Hi, everyone, I got my Road To Roubaix dvd yesterday and had to come here and gush wildly about it! I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but had to put a warning in the title, in case there are some people that don't want to know anything about it before they buy it.

Now, let me continue: buy it, buy it , buy it.

Per our previous discussion about this documentary in last Friday's "Housekeeping" thread, watch the trailer at www. masterlinkfilms.com . You can buy it from this site, too. There are reviews there, as well, and under the Cycling Weekly review there is even a UK website address where you can buy the movie on the other side of the pond.

From what I can gather, I think this film started out as a Discovery Channel-produced piece about George Hincapie's journey to the '07 PR race, but was derailed by his wrist injury at the TofCA that year. It then morphed into a project about the race, & what it means to the racers and cycling fans everywhere.

A few comments:

In case you were worried that this was a pro-Lance vehicle, fear not: the short LA interview in the trailer is the only LA in the film, no worries.

Rider interviews: Boonen, Van Heswijk, Van Der Flecha, Cancellara, O'Grady, Sean Kelly, Benna, Ballan, Steegmans, Levi and Basso (remnants of the early interviews of Team Discovery, I assume?) and Van Petegem.

Lots of insightful commentary from Johnny Green about the history of the race (love his book Push Yourself Just A Little Bit More.)

There are mechanic interviews, footage of pre-race training rides, race-day sign-in activity, then coverage of the actual race, and the post-race goings-on at the velodrome. Amazing shower scenes (v. nicely done.) Haunting, bass-driven music. Crowd scenes, kids riding the cobbles, oh, it is a thing of beauty for any bike race fan.

The still photgraphy of the current riders is masterful, and there are a few photos that just take your breath away (Backstedt, Brard, Flecha in the shower, Hincapie, oh, you will see what I mean when you watch the movie - they are simply outstanding.)

More later, after more people have seen it. I have a couple of nits to pick, nothing too serious. But again, I say: buy it. Watch it, over and over. It is almost as good as Hell On Wheels, which is quite a compliment, indeed :-)

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Comments

Almost as good as HoW? Ok, I'm in.

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."

by Drew Davis on Sep 23, 2008 2:22 PM EDT reply actions

My copy

is in the mail.

I was going to wait for the torrent to show up on the interwebs, but I decided that some artistic endeavors should be supported.

by Hons on Sep 23, 2008 2:34 PM EDT reply actions

thanks for the pointer!

btw — looks like it’s masterlinkfilmS.com, not masterlinkSfilm.com.

We’ll check it out!!

-Greg

by gregm on Sep 23, 2008 2:39 PM EDT reply actions

Thanks, Greg; I corrected it.

by Ruthann on Sep 23, 2008 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Ruthann...

you better hope mine arrives in the mail soon now. You’ve got me totally wanting to see it and like right now. I think I ordered mine around the same time so hopefully in a day or two.

"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."

by nikki on Sep 23, 2008 2:44 PM EDT reply actions

Woo hoo... and my copy was in the mailbox tonight!

I so can not wait to watch it!

"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."

by nikki on Sep 23, 2008 10:19 PM EDT up reply actions

I ordered it yesterday.

Even more excited now! Thanks! And there’s a Benna interview? Well now that’s a nice little bonus…

by Albertina on Sep 23, 2008 2:50 PM EDT reply actions

That section

is going to get worn out on a lot of copies I’m betting…………..

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."

by Drew Davis on Sep 23, 2008 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions

It will probably be similar to those of us that are brinking

on wearing out the Jens! sections of Overcoming. :-)

"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."

by nikki on Sep 23, 2008 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh I've done that too :-)

by Albertina on Sep 23, 2008 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Did he even ride Roubaix?

Not that it matters obviously.

Carlos Sastre - Tour de France winner - Born From Jets

by Jens on Sep 23, 2008 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions

A quick Google search has yielded the fact that he's ridden it at least once:

he’s down as a DNF in 2007. This page has a little piccie of his bike for the occasion (amongst some other delicacies!):

http://static.blogstorage.hi-pi.com/sport.fr/m/me/mesphotosvelo/images/gd/1184143337.jpg

I’m sure he’d have figured in it more without all the injuries he’s had which often seem to have ruined his spring.

by Albertina on Sep 23, 2008 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Make sure to go over and check out CycleTo

for those of you still needing to order it or interested in trying to get it for free…

"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."

by nikki on Sep 23, 2008 3:14 PM EDT reply actions

I saw the film at the Chicago Bicycle Film Festival this summer

It’s definitely worth the purchase. The movie does an excellent job capturing why people like in the States get up at 4:30am to watch a bike race. It also has some excellent interviews, including Lance saying how hardcore it is, and then almost embarrassingly admitting he never raced it. The still photography in the movie is absolutely amazing. From the early races to the shower block, all super impressive.

My only beef was the lack of race video footage. They had 2007 covered, but not much, if any that I can recall, beyond that. 2007 was wicked hot and dusty, so you hear riders talk about the cold and damness, and see the stills of terrible conditions, but no video footage of these conditions. I was dying for footage of riders slipping and sliding on the cobbles.

Despite that beef, it’s a great movie and definitely one that is going on the Christmas list.

by PopUp Rolen on Sep 23, 2008 3:35 PM EDT reply actions

+1 It could have been at least 1/2 hour longer, with more scenes from the race itself.

But I loved how the movie went to Black & White during the race.

And there could have been more historical references to specific stretches of cobbles (say, Arenberg, Mons en Pavele, Orchies, etc, etc that we bike geeks so crave.)

The still photography is still giving me shivers; I had to pause the dvd several times to absorb the incredible beauty of some of those shots….

by Ruthann on Sep 23, 2008 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Great minds thing alike!

Your assessment is spot on with what made this movie great, but also what us cycling die-hards would have liked to see more of in the movie.

by PopUp Rolen on Sep 23, 2008 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions

buy it!

I saw this at the initial opening here in NYC and loved it. It was well received by all. I wrote a review of it on my site and received a “thank you” email from dave cooper. definitely a class act. buy it, buy it, buy it!

Save The Legs!!!

by jack376 on Sep 23, 2008 3:52 PM EDT reply actions

Ha ha! Just had an email to say they sent it today.

That’s my tomorrow evening sorted :-)))

by Albertina on Sep 23, 2008 4:03 PM EDT reply actions

FYI : Paris-Roubaix: A Journey Through Hell

Is an exceptional Hard Cover history of the race. The photos are fantastic

It’s a translation of a French book published by Equipe.

Here’s an amazon link

by cyclingchallenge on Sep 23, 2008 4:11 PM EDT reply actions

oooops and thx for the DVD recommendation :)

by cyclingchallenge on Sep 23, 2008 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Dang it!!! PRE-ORDER NOW....

Pre-order again, for the very first time:

Greg,
Thank you very much for your order. We have temporarily run out of stock of Road To Roubaix DVDs. We will ship your order immediately after we receive the next shipment, which we expect before the end of September. Again, thank you for your order.
David

by gregm on Sep 23, 2008 9:42 PM EDT reply actions