Road Bike Racing - Wired to Win

Remember the Imax move that was to have starred Tyler Hamilton? Well, it is starting to makes it's debut, slowly, as Wired to Win (http://www.wiredtowinthemovie.com) starring FdJ riders Cooke and Caspar.

Interesting switch.

The link has a trailer and also a list of theaters that are taking the movie so far. My local Imax is not on the list, so I emailed them. The trailer looks like the whole film will be interesting. I can imagine those motorcycle shots, and helo pictures in the Imax format.

In Boston it's showing at the Museum of Science. I just bought tix for tomorrow; I'm psyched for it!

In Boston it's showing at the Museum of Science. I just bought tix for tomorrow; I'm psyched for it!

Give us a review!!

So I saw "Wired To Win" this morning at my "local" IMAX theater, which is the Museum of Science in Boston. First off, I don't think all IMAX theaters are like this one with some godawful number of speakers and a 180 degree wraparound -- it makes anything look awesome.

My first impression is that somewhere, there is a huge amount of footage with Tyler Hamilton on some cutting room floor. There was one shot of him for about 15 seconds where he is riding into the camera and you can see the bandages around his shoulder through his jersey. Other than that and his name in the credits as a rider, nada.

The somewhat disappointing thing is that the film is about 40% Mr. Science with lots of graphics on the brain and the nervous system. I'm not sure if this was how the original theme started, or a way to get the pharmaceutical sponsors for it to ante up. It wasn't bad -- but I would have liked to see more cycling. The general theme of the movie is about the brain's role in something like the TDF as seen through Jimmy Caspar and Baden Cooke (both rode for TDJ). Caspar crashed in an early stage, so lots of opportunity to discuss how the brain adapts, feels pain, MRI's, etc. Cooke won the green jersey, so some discussion of how the brain can overcome pain, make decisions about what is worth it, etc. Interesting, but I thought they were reaching a bit.

On the other hand, using this angle allowed them to make this movie which did have some awesome footage. It's definitely not play-by-play although there is a lot of voiceover from Phil and Paul (Liggett and Sherwin). There's not much that you haven't seen on TV if you watched OLN, but you get a *much* better perspective on some of the climbs (particularly on the Col de Galibier) about how steep they are, and how fast these guys are really going. And then there was the obligatory descent -- like a roller coaster (or Bullit, if you remember that film). Of course at one point, they "go over the edge".

On the whole, I would definitely see it again, but if you are expecting a 100% cycling orientation you will likely be somewhat disappointed. If you are a cycling **** like me, then you will enjoy the great scenes that it does have.

I'm jealous of my eleven-year-old daughter, who saw "Wired to Win" at the Museum of Science with a friend last week -- before I get to see it!

I can't help to feel what might have been with all of the Tyler footage now in the trash...so to speak, to have to scramble and save their investment in this project. Tyler, why oh why did your twin raise it's ugle head :rolleyes:

However, I am looking forward to the movie and should get to see it in the next week or two... cycling + Imax screen = :beer:

Yeah, our team is going to go see that at the Union Station Imax in KC, MO next week. It sounds really interesting, especially for a group of junior racers (and seniors, too) to see what exactly is going on in your brain during a race.

Attended this at a benefit showing in Kansas City this week. One of the "makers-of-the-movie" was in attendance and answered questions about the film. He said there are over nine hours of film that they didn't use. Considering an IMAX camera can shoot 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes of film before reloading, they did an awful lot of work for their 40-minute film.

He also indicated that the Hell on Wheels movie about CSC uses some of their footage.

Good movie, although it would have been better if there was less brain and more bike.

Saw it today. Awful movie, don't even bother.

It's strewn with non-Imax footage and has the look of being cobbled together at the last minute.

The 'brain' sequences are nothing but pretty graphics and the transitions between those sequences and the cycling are pretty bad.

The fact that they didn't focus on Tyler is certainly what ruins the movie, since he would have given good interviews since he speaks english (unlike casper), and his story was clearly the highlight of the '03 tour. Hell they fail to even show Armstrong very much, except for some handbag-incident non-IMAX OLN footage.

I saw it at the MOSI Imax in Tampa... I enjoyed it but it was very school special with the Science/Medical cutscenes. I would have liked to see more Lance and definitely more racing highlights!

I saw it in Chicago a few weeks back, i have to admit that cycling aspect wasn't what i was expecting. but the majority of imax films are supposed to be some what scientific and/or educational, so i was at least glad that they picked cycling to explain the brain.

What a waste. I saw the movie last week and I was thoroughly dissappointed. . .it is obviously a last minute hack job. . . there is virtually no real TDF footage of the 'stars' cooke and jaspar as they appear in reshoots. No story line, no real content. Some pretty sweeping scenes of the whole peloton on some mountains but wow, what a joke.

IMO they would have been much better to stick with Hamilton and have a story line and just mention he was later banned for illegal doping and make that part of the story. Seriously, some of the best footage is of Lance's crash when his handlebar got tangled in 03 and that is not even IMAX.

I went to the premiere deal a few months ago and was quite dissapointed. Some great scenes of the mountain passes, but that was 5 minutes out of the 45 that was worht it.

The science was terribly dull and quite pointless. The cycling was visually a slight cut above OLN or cycling.tv, but it just wasn't worth it.

Yeah. It wasn't supposed to be as much a movie about cycling as it was about the pain factor of cycling and how people overcome or push beyond pain to perform. It's a science film first, not a special on the Tour.

Koffee

I thought it was lame.

Good movie, although it would have been better if there was less brain and more bike.They could have accomplished this by spending more time on the individual athletes.:p

I'll see this movie. But, in general, Imax movies piss me off. There's never enough ACTION -- which totally does not take advantage of Imax's strength.

When I saw it here in Denver a couple months back they had the bike that Bradley McGee rode in the 2005 Tour de France on display.