AWESOME BIKING MOVIES (Cheri)

Not too long into this year's RiverRun Film Festival, I realized that almost all of my choices featured either road trips or civil justice themes.

SHADOW OF A WHEEL:  Can One Bike Ride Change Your Life?

Summary:

In the summer of 1982, 31 teenagers from North Carolina attempted a
daunting coast-to-coast 3,600-mile bicycle journey across the U.S.
These “Spokesmen of America” riders set out to raise money and awareness
for multiple sclerosis and experienced a coming-of-age summer filled with
intense challenges, humor, mishaps, personal discovery, and tragedy.

I absolutely loved Shadow of a Wheel! 

The movie follows 31 teenagers - ranging the gamut from 13 to 18 years of age - as they ride from Long Beach, California to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in 1982.

Mark and I were getting ready to leave today for our trip through Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky, and we have seen a lot of long-distance bicycling documentaries, so he didn't make seeing this movie a priority.  Not to worry.  Even though it won't be easy to find another showing immediately, because the RiverRun Festival was the documentary's worldwide premiere, I will absolutely find it and watch again with him.

The ride was intended to be the first of an ongoing series of trips in support of funding for multiple sclerosis research.  Due to a tragedy which occurred later in the year future trips did not develop, but the movie shows the thread between the 1982 trip and later fund-raising by the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

I watched this movie online.  The upside of doing that was that I was able to immediately start taking one-line notes for this post.  I loved it, so EVERYONE SHOULD SEE IT!  (Of course, isn't that how it works?)

One thing that really drew me in was that Mark and I are virtually the same age as the older participants were.  The hair styles, the music (lots of it) . . . it was that moment in time all over again.  Some of the first scenes, of the teenagers lounging in groups, reminded me of pictures from our own senior class trip.

Beyond that, seriously, this is an example of really great film-making.  Documentary-maker Paul Bonesteel lucked out in that not only was he one of the participants, but he also found a trove of previously unwatched video made by the ride's organizer.  40 years after the ride, Bonesteel gathered at least 10 of the participants to reminisce about their own physical and emotional experiences, other participants,  and the effect the ride had on their lives.

Each teenager had to raise over $5,000 to participate.  This in itself was the beginning of the character-building experience.  They learned to approach people they didn't know, and some barely reached this substantial goal before the deadline.

None of the teenagers had ridden more than 30 miles in a day before the summer began.  Soon they were riding mind-boggling distances every day.  They describe the distances, but I'll let you learn on your own.  (Again, you really need to see this movie.)

The section of the movie that describes the time spent at the Grand Canyon was some of the most moving footage I have seen.  (I have my own, truly stupid Grand Canyon story to tell, but that's for another day.)

Most epic bicycle-ride documentaries focus almost solely on the necessary physicality.  There is plenty of that here:  riding through the Mojave Desert in the summer during the day - then at night - traversing mountains, etc.   What makes this different, however, is the element of the participants' age, and ride leadership.

The man who conceived of this event, and led it with only a handful of adults, wasn't available for filming.  The riders speculated then, and in their interviews, about why he led the way he did.  Parenting, mentorship, and pushing oneself to take risks are ongoing themes in the movie.

The other major theme was life-altering illnesses.  The leader had a grand dream, but was young and inexperienced, and many of the riders apparently didn't know much about multiple sclerosis until partway through the ride.  Nevertheless the movie very effectively addresses the impacts of cystic fibrosis, Parkinson's, and AIDS on different riders' lives.

If I had influence over any teenagers, I would definitely urge them to see this movie.  In fact, I've been thinking about contacting the principal of the high school that we attended, who happens to be a classmate, to suggest a showing there.

You can learn more about the movie here, and visit Bonesteel Films' Facebook page for more information.


0530:  Riding in the Dark

Summary:

Cyclists all fall in and out of love with their grueling sport many times in pursuit of
individual glory. But in the 0530 cycling group, the bonds among riders – both on
and off the bike – sustain lasting friendships and offer life-giving support when it’s
needed most. Take a peek inside 0530 as they navigate the Covid pandemic together and
see their founder through the toughest uphill battle of his life.

I can't add much to the description of this movie about a group of about 25 Winston-Salem bicyclists that have met at 5:30 a.m. for two decades to ride together.  Since it hyper-local, and only about 25 minutes long, you may have difficulty finding it, but you can watch a trailer here.  If you can find it, it's worth watching.