
On the 19th of July 1903 60 cyclists left Paris for the maiden stage of the very first Tour de France, racing 467km through the night to the line in Lyon. 116 years later, two modern-day riders attempted to recreate the feat of endurance using bikes and equipment from the early 20th century to fully experience the highs and lows of the early Tour pioneers. Endurance cyclist Mark Beaumont and GCN presenter James Lowsley-Williams are pushed to the limits of their physical and mental ability, struggling with the midsummer heat, bikes borrowed from museums and a lack of sleep. How did they compare to the Tour’s first heroes?
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8.1Year after year hundreds of thousands of fans line the route of the Tour de France, cheering on their heroes and willing them to victory, while millions of viewers worldwide tune in on their televisions. Academy Award-winning director Pepe Danquart, fascinated by the spectacle of the three week race, chose to focus on the courage, the pain and the fear of the riders of the Tour. Training his lens on German superstar sprinter Eric Zabel and his loyal domestique Rolf Aldag, Danquart captures the thrill of the race and the teamwork behind the stars of the peleton. He also shines light on the Tour's supporting cast - the director sportifs, masseurs, and, of course, the wildly enthusiastic fans. Reveling in the stunning landscape - from the Alps to the Pyrenees to the Massif Central to Paris - and with a nice dollop of Le Tour's history, HELL ON WHEELS transcends the sport it celebrates to reveal an astonishing human endeavor.
6.9In 1967, experimental filmmaker Jorgen Leth created a striking short film, The Perfect Human, starring a man and women sitting in a box while a narrator poses questions about their relationship and humanity. Years later, Danish director Lars von Trier made a deal with Leth to remake his film five times, each under a different set of circumstances and with von Trier's strictly prescribed rules. As Leth completes each challenge, von Trier creates increasingly further elaborate stipulations.
7.2A humble and simple Takezo abandons his life as a knight errant. He's sought as a teacher and vassal by Shogun, Japan's most powerful clan leader. He's also challenged to fight by the supremely confident and skillful Sasaki Kojiro. Takezo agrees to fight Kojiro in a year's time but rejects Shogun's patronage, choosing instead to live on the edge of a village, raising vegetables. He's followed there by Otsu and later by Akemi, both in love with him. The year ends as Takezo assists the villagers against a band of brigands. He seeks Otsu's forgiveness and accepts her love, then sets off across the water to Ganryu Island for his final contest.
7.3A portrait of the man behind the greatest fraud in sporting history. Lance Armstrong enriched himself by cheating his fans, his sport and the truth. But the former friends whose lives and careers he destroyed would finally bring him down.
7.3The year is 1893 and India is under British occupation. In a small village, the tyrannical Captain Russell has imposed an unprecedented land tax on its citizens. Outraged, Bhuvan, a rebellious farmer, rallies the villagers to publicly oppose the tax. Russell offers a novel way to settle the dispute: he challenges Bhuvan and his men to a game of cricket, a sport completely foreign to India. If Bhuvan and his men can defeat Russell's team, the tax will be repealed.
0.0As an athlete with an impairment drives his 7-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son to run one of their first triathlon races, he recalls the most difficult challenge he ever faced: an Ironman; one of the most strenuous physical and mental races involving 3.8 km of swimming, 180 km of biking and a run of 42 km, in a single day. The movie explores how children perceive this crazy idea.
0.0The untold story of the halcyon era of women's professional cycling. For six glorious years during the 1980s, the Tour de France held a women's race alongside the men's race. These women raced over the same cobblestones, conquered the same mountains, and were cheered by the same throng of adoring crowds as the men.
7.0Follows the Education First (EF) Cycling Team as they navigate a turbulent 2020 season through the Tour de France, telling the individual stories of the riders, from Colombian star Rigo Urán to rising up-and-comers and veteran teammates.
8.7Manish is a talented and athletic street dancer from Mumbai who dreams of becoming professional against the wishes of his struggling parents. He meets a curmudgeonly Israeli ballet master who gives him the determination to keep going. But when he is pitted against another boy who’s got the attention of the top school in the world, Manish realizes he must push himself to his physical limits if he has any chance to succeed.
0.0Combining the author's poetic voice with those of Bernard Hinault, Antoine de Caunes, and Daniel Mangeas, the film offers a passionate journey into the heart of the history and imagination of the Tour. It captures the spirit of the great epics, the Anquetil-Poulidor duel, Yvette Horner's accordion, the popular fervor, but also the physical and spectacular reality of the dangers of racing. Women's cycling plays an important role thanks to the testimony of Cédrine Kerbaol. The contemporary scene is represented by cyclist Guillaume Martin.
0.0Aboard a specially decorated motorhome made by Lulu, they will travel the roads of France for the first time, following "an itinerary as twisted as Lucie's spine" (sic). From the French Riviera to Mont-Saint-Michel, via the Arcachon basin, Hauts-de-France and Lot, before reaching the Champs-Elysées for a finish as prestigious as the Tour de France. On the agenda: a reunion with a fourth-grade class, funny gypsies, a haunted castle, oysters and white wine with the most famous oyster farmer, but also a few activities strongly discouraged for people with muscular dystrophy... and above all, big-hearted French people, as funny as they are generous, who offer us the best of their country through their hospitality.
6.8A short documentary about the 1962 Tour-de-France. Topics covered include: crowds of people and motorcycles, drinking raids and feeding, pileups, doping, "the charge," and the mountain stages.
6.0Simon Richardson and James Lowsley-Williams head to the Himalayas on a quest to discover Nepal’s mysterious ‘Forbidden Kingdom’, the remote mountaintop city of Lo Manthang. Breath-taking views, lung-busting climbs, and incredible encounters with locals; Si and James are in for an unmissable gravel bike adventure! Their once-in-a-lifetime expedition begins in the chaotic streets of Kathmandu before embarking on a gruelling five-day ride up the ancient trade route that forges a path between Nepal and Tibet. Their epic ride sees them dicing with kamikaze trucks, enduring freezing rainstorms, taking a 228m bungee jump, and even a heroic attempt to beat a Himalayan KOM.
3.0Biniam Girmay’s recent successes have shown that African cycling is on the up, ready at last to follow athletics and football into the big time. But why has it taken so long, and what’s needed to take it all the way? Set against the beauty and battles of the Tour du Rwanda, we explore the past, present and future of riders from Eritrea, South Africa, Rwanda and more, meeting Girmay and the rising stars hot on his heels, as well as the people passionate about giving these riders the opportunities they deserve. This is the story of the next great continent in cycling - Africa.
0.01969. July the 15th. Stage 17 of the Tour de France. A brutal stage from Luchon to Mourenx covering four of the toughest mountains in the Pyrenees. On this fateful day, Eddy Merckx catapulted himself into the history books with one of the greatest solo breakaways the sport has ever seen. Fast forward over half a century, and GCN’s Simon Richardson is in the Pyrenees to pay tribute to The Cannibal by recreating his ride. To make the 220km epic even more challenging, Si will do it aboard his 1969 spec Faema team bike and wearing their iconic red and white jersey. Eddy Merckx made this ride look easy, but will Si even make it to the finish line?
A series of short films where 32 Mr Beast contestants are hired by two hopeless MI5 Agents to track down and catch international terrorist Harry Bedi.
0.0Andy Schleck & Alberto Contador. A pro cycling rivalry that ignited the Tour de France in 2009 and 2010. The fiery Spaniard and the level headed Luxembourger only went toe to toe at the Tour on a few occasions; but their rivalry has gone down in history as one of the most explosive, entertaining, and controversial the sport has ever seen. Dan Lloyd is joined in the studio by Nicolas Roche and William Fotheringham to dig into what made this rivalry so compelling. They’ll re-live epic battles, and debate who is the greatest.
6.0Samen Winnen follows Team Jumbo-Visma behind the scenes of the Tour de France 2019. With four stage wins and Steven Kruijswijk finishing on the podium in Paris, the only Dutch cycling team was one of the most succesful teams.
0.0In the Arctic Circle, Jason Fox and an elite team of military veterans open up to each other about men’s mental health while taking on one of the world’s toughest ultramarathons.
7.6The incredible story of the greatest cycling race in history, the 1989 Tour de France, and how American Greg LeMond faced down betrayal, childhood sexual abuse and death completing one of the most inspiring comebacks in history.
