Books, Movies, Music & Entertainment - Are there any major release movies made about cycling?

Something like Bruce Brown's "On Any Sunday"( motorcycle racing) or "Endless Summer" (surfing), "Downhill Racer" w/ Robert Redford (skiiing), "Vision Quest" (wrestling), etc. etc...



Someone at work mentioned that Dennis Quaid portrayed a bike racer in some 80's or 90's movie but he couldn't remember the name. Anybody? :)

Any truth to the Matt Damon as Lance Armstrong project rumor?

The movie your coworker was referring to is "Breaking Away". Quite a cult classic.

There was also Quicksilver -- I haven't seen it but I think it was about bike messengers. I don't know of any in the "two guys bumming around the world on bikes, " Endless Summer vein.

American Flyers is the only other one I have heard of. No comment on the realism or quality.

Have you heard about the Hell On Wheels doco/movie?

It features a few of the pro German riders of the German T-Mobile team during a race

It's not a major release, but it was in the cinemas down here

Hmm...won an academy award for best screenplay in 1979? Look's like a downtube shifter's classic ;) !
At least the box cover looks interesting. :)
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00003CX96.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Breaking Away was a good movie, very entertaining. I didn't like American Flyers as much. Wasn't Kevin Costner in that one?

The only thing I didn't like about Breaking Away was the scene where Dave supposedly hits 60 mph on a flat while drafting a semi. I mean come on.

Breaking Away is a great movie!

Hmm...won an academy award for best screenplay in 1979? Look's like a downtube shifter's classic ;) !]

you haven't seen Breaking Away??!!

It's a bit cornball, but enjoyable, and a "must see" for a cyclist.

I started doing sit-ups after I saw that film because I thought I could get abs like Dennis Quaid:p

For memory, in American Flyers, Kevin Costner had a "legs double" for the closeup shots of the bike because his legs were too puny and squishy :D

let's see: Quicksilver (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00006S4O5) (Kevin Bacon as a bike messenger), E.T. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00003CX9Q), The Bicycle Thief (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6305081034), The Triplets of Belleville (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001IN0MQ), Pee Wee's Big Adventure (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0790749408) and Better Off Dead (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005JKFA).

i realize that E.T. and Better Off Dead aren't about bicycling per se, but they do have bicycles (or people on them) as central elements...

Better off Dead - "I want my 2 dollars"

Breaking Away - The best scene is when he is drafting the semi and they do the closeup and he doing 60mph in his small ring..

Hmm...won an academy award for best screenplay in 1979? Look's like a downtube shifter's classic ;) !

Saw this for the first time a few weeks ago. Loved it. No, it's NOT a downtube shifter's classic. Try fixie :D Either way, highly entertaining.

American Flyers is also a fun watch, Kevin Costner and a young Rae Dawn Chong (drool)

There's The Triplet's of Belville that has strong cycling themes (son is kidnapped by French Mafia during le Tour to 'race' for money, though there is so much more to this animated French indie)

A little bit of Google turned up this page (http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/5.7.html) ...

Beijing Bicyle -- it's actually quite good and the bikes are interesting -- cheap junk ATBs made in China (Peoples Republic of, alanbikehouston :rolleyes: ) and old singlespeeds.

The movie was terrible, but there was also Rad (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091817/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxteD0yMHxsbT01MDB8dHQ9b258ZmI9dXxwbj0wfHE9cmFkfGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=1;ft=49;fm=1) , a 1986 BMX movie.



Beijing Bicyle -- it's actually quite good and the bikes are interesting
I've got this one in my NetFlix queue.

Breaking Away is a classic! "Refund? Refund?

American Flyers is good to. The Hell of the West race is cool.

I've been meaning to see The Triplets of Belville, I know it was nominated for an Oscar or two.

Any truth to the Matt Damon as Lance Armstrong project rumor?

A few months back while I was working at Access Hollywood we interviewed Matt Damon about his doing LA's bio. He said that he bought the film rights and is shopping it around. The big question is will anyone (aside from us gear heads) care enough two years from now after Lance has left the scene to get the film off the ground.


BTW the best part of the Breaking Away is the dad. As a cycling film it's fair but as a coming of age drama/comedy it's first rate!

Best part of American Flyers was when Kevin Costners stunt double rode the wheelie. That ain't easy on a road bike (Robbie McEwen not withstanding)


Anybody know where you can buy/see Hell on Wheels?

"Breaking Away" was the first movie my daughter ever saw... :) One day old and the movie was on one of the channels in the hospital cable. As I recall, she slept through most of it in my arms, but it will always be the first movie she ever saw! :p

Gosh, if only you had some sort of computer connection that was hooked up to some sort of web of other computers, world wide.

You could look up movies on bicycling, or even Dennis Quaid's career.

wouldn't that be great?

Hey, it's your little buddy :) .

The only thing I didn't like about Breaking Away was the scene where Dave supposedly hits 60 mph on a flat while drafting a semi. I mean come on.

That's not that unrealistic for a competetive cyclist. What was unrealistic was the shot of him shifting into the small ring to do it. :lol:

Breaking Away is a classic, but I can't help thinking there is some nostalgia involved with that. I don't know how it would come across to a first time Viewer.

Two Seconds was a good movie up until the ending. (French with subtitles but widely available).

American Flyers is crap.

(All of the above, IMHO of course ;) )

"Messenger", 1999 Japan

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/pictures/l/12/07/PCBG-50396.jpg http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/pictures/l/12/07/PCBG-50396_2.jpg

Nice romance/drama/comedy/action movie, you can see that they're sometime pedaling on a platform but heck it was enjoyable :)

Review (http://www.ponycanyon.co.jp/intl/new/right_messenger.html)
Another one (http://www.asianfilms.org/japan/messenger.html)
http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/pid-1002800587/

Another one (haven't seen yet):
"2 Secondes", 1998 Canada
A romantic/drama comedy eh
Happens right in my city too (Montreal) :)

http://www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=242_0_6_0

"Breaking Away" was the first movie my daughter ever saw... :) One day old and the movie was on one of the channels in the hospital cable. As I recall, she slept through most of it in my arms, but it will always be the first movie she ever saw! :p

That's awesome! I love it! Yay for dads and their cycling daughters <cough cough>. :D

Pee Wee's big adventure.

Another one (haven't seen yet):
"2 Secondes", 1998 Canada
A romantic/drama comedy eh
Happens right in my city too (Montreal) :)

http://www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=242_0_6_0
Just saw it, quite good
I identified almost all the streets in the movie :D

Breaking Away was a good movie, very entertaining. I didn't like American Flyers as much. Wasn't Kevin Costner in that one?


Agreed! How could a guy Who did Dances with Wolves have done that terrible movie. A bunch of us natives were extras (for free) in that one. It was an embaressment then and still is. Guess Kevin Costner had to start somewhere.

sun