Mood:  hungry

I've been meaning to recommend this movie for a while, but it kept slipping my mind. Fortunately, there was an ad for the DVD over on VeloNews, so that was a good reminder. Anyway, I saw this film when I was flying back from Tucson last month, and I'd never heard of it, nor the movie's subject. It's called The Flying Scotsman, and is the story of Graeme Obree, a Scot cyclist who was a world champion and record holder in the mid-'90s, before Lance-mania struck the U.S.A., back when cycling news was relegated to those hardcore fan's and enthusiasts who tracked down printed information in the days prior to the interweb.

It stars Jonny Lee Miller (of Aeon Flux, Trainspotting, and Mansfield Park fame) as Obree, who came from a rough childhood and battled with depression throughout his life and used cycling to escape from both. Billy Boyd (Pippin from Lord of the Rings) plays Obree's manager, and Brian Cox (of Rushmore, Adaptation, X2, Match Point, and dozens of others) handles the role of Obree's accidental, but life-changing, friend. 

Obree was a successful local amateur cyclist, but a failed small bicycle shop owner, who decided to go for the record in the one-hour measured ride. That is, you ride around an indoor track for an hour, all out, and see how many laps you can get. The record stood at around 51+ KM, or over 30 miles. There's no one to chase, no one to draft off of, no hills to coast down - it's all out pedaling for 60 minutes. The great Eddy Merckx, who held the record previously, was rumored to have said that the training for the one hour record took three years off of his life. 

Obree had to overcome not only his depression, but also the challenges of cycling's governing body, which was less than thrilled that a rank amateur riding a homemade bike was setting records and winning championships. 

All in all, it was an outstanding movie to watch. Being a cyclist, I'm probably a bit prejudiced, but I think there's enough there for most people to enjoy this uplifting bio pic. Well worth adding to your Netflix queue.

Oh, and if you're a hardcore cycling fan, I also have to recommend Hell on Wheels, the documentary of the T-Mobile team in the 2003 Tour de France. Thanks to Jay for that tip.