Paris-Brest-Paris (2023)

Pantani: The Accidental Death of a Cyclist

In 1998 Marco Pantani, the most flamboyant and popular cyclist of his era, won both the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, a titanic feat of physical and mental endurance that no rider has repeated since. He was a hero to millions, the saviour of cycling following the doping scandals which threatened to destroy the sport. However, less than six years later, aged just 34, he died alone, in a cheap hotel room, from acute cocaine poisoning. He had been an addict for five years. This is the story of the tragic battles fought by the most important Italian cyclist of his generation; man verses mountain, athlete verses addiction, Marco Pantani verses himself.

Nico Valsesia - From Zero To Monte Bianco - Summit

In the early morning of a middle summer day of 2013 the ultra-athlete Nico Valsesia reached the summit of Mont Blanc (4810 metres). But Nico wasn’t an alpinist like the many others with him that morning. He conquered the highest summit of Europe after a no-stop riding almost 17h long, started the day before by bicycle from a beach in Genoa. The first Mont Blanc 24 hour record was beaten by Marino Giacometti in 1997 (23hrs) and subsequently by Andrea Daprai in 2008 (18 hrs 58’). From that day on, Nico launched the project “From Zero To…” and continued to add records and summits (Aconcagua, Elbrus, Kilimanjaro). ”Summit” tells all the efforts that Nico and his team have made for making possible this epic challenge.

Tigersprung

An animated short documentary about Ernst Berliner, a Jewish track cycling manager from Cologne and his quest to launch a post-war criminal investigation into the death of his friend Albert Richter, a former amateur track cycling world champion who was killed by the Gestapo in 1940.

Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story

A 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.

Channel Crossing

The English Channel. The iconic 35 and a half km body of water separating Britain and mainland Europe. It’s the busiest shipping lane in the world; prone to dangerous swells and treacherous weather conditions. You can sail it, fly over it, and even catch a train under it, but only a handful of hardy souls have attempted to pedal across! The Guinness World Record stands at 6 hours and 39 minutes and endurance cyclist Jon Shubert and triathlete Mark Threlfall have it firmly in their sights. Their training schedules are in place and a crack team of engineers at Oxford Brookes University has built them a kayak/tandem craft that they hope could just be a record breaker. Can pedal power conquer The English Channel’s mighty waves?

The Fast Lane

Tulsa Tough is one of the hardest, fastest, most prestigious criterium races in the United States of America. This high-octane, action packed film follows the Miami Blazers, and hears from sprinter and fast rising talent Dante Young, as they go toe-to-toe with the likes of L39ION OF LOS ANGELES on the downtown streets of Tulsa. It’s NASCAR meets bike racing as we see the best criterium racers in the world battle for supremacy.

Legend Of The Rainbow Jersey

The Rainbow Jersey is the crowning achievement of any cyclist’s career, proof that they are the very best in the world. GCN stats guru Cillian Kelly heads to Belgium in a lighthearted jaunt to chat to ex pros, pros and journalists about how the Rainbow Jersey undoubtedly brings with it greatness, but also the pressure to live up to the win. In 'Legend of the Rainbow Jersey’, Cillian uses his statistical nouse as he crunches the numbers and speaks with a selection of former world champions including Michal Kwiatkowski, Rui Costa, Philippe Gilbert and Johan Museeuw about riders wins and losses after winning this famous jersey. Finally, Cillian watches from the roadside as current world champions Remco Evenepoel and Annemiek van Vleuten take on the Ardennes hills in Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Will they crown their season as world champions by winning in rainbows? Or will the jersey weigh heavy on their shoulders?

Himalayas

Simon 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.

Stelvio

Standing proudly amongst the pantheon of cycling’s most revered mountains, the Stelvio boasts some of the longest and most challenging climbs in bike racing. Relentless switchbacks over impossible gradients beneath extremes of weather. It is on the relentless, technical, and often treacherous slopes of the Stelvio where the most famous and revered battles have decided the fate of the Giro d’Italia’s coveted Maglia Rosa. Jon Shubert explores the history and legends of the Stelvio and the surrounding regions, meeting people whose lives have been shaped by the mountain, and ex-professional Adam Hansen joins him as he makes his own attempt to conquer the coveted mountain.

The King and Beers - A Gravel Epic in Vermont

Ex-pro cyclist, Ted King has a lot of love for his home state of Vermont. With its rolling landscapes, rugged gravel roads and its fantastic craft beer scene, he was never unhappy to return home after his time spent in pelotons around the world. As beer and bike enthusiasts, Ted and elite road and CX racer Regina Legge, are taking their gravel bikes down the road less travelled, touring brewery to brewery and learning what puts Vermont’s craft beer ahead of the bunch. As they head north to south, we'll take in some of Vermont's challenging climbs and learn a thing or two about beer along the way.

Return to Earth

A cinematic mountain-bike film. Featuring some of the sports biggest athletes. The ninth feature from award-winning adventure filmmakers Anthill Films. Return to Earth proves that when we lose track of time, we can make the most of it.

BMX Bandits

Teens P.J. and Goose get their thrills on BMX bikes, performing hair-raising tricks all across Sydney, Australia. Along with their new friend Judy, they discover a box of walkie-talkies -- and find out that a gang of criminals intends to use them to monitor police signals during a bank robbery. When the young trio snatches the devices, it propels them on a hair-raising adventure in which their pedaling skills might just save their necks.

For the Love of Mud

The fourth film in a line of successful documentaries by the photographer and film-maker Benedict Campbell. For the Love of Mud is a feature-length documentary Illustrating the beauty of cyclo-cross. A curious hybrid of winter racing that came long before the mountain bike. It’s played out in muddy fields and practically a religion in Belgium. Rapidly expanding in the rest of the world, this film captures the tight-knit ’cross community, from Sven Nys, Katie Compton and Britain's own Helen Wyman. Experience the energy and enthusiasm enjoyed by the riders, from the rookies to the rock stars, as they participate in the renaissance of this sport.

Slaying the Badger

Before Lance Armstrong, there was Greg LeMond, who is now the first and only American to win the Tour de France. In this engrossing documentary, LeMond looks back at the pivotal 1986 Tour, and his increasingly vicious rivalry with friend, teammate, and mentor Bernard Hinault. The reigning Tour champion and brutal competitor known as “The Badger,” Hinault ‘promised’ to help LeMond to his first victory, in return for LeMond supporting him in the previous year. But in a sport that purports to reward teamwork, it’s really every man for himself.

the INDIAN PACIFIC WHEEL RACE

What if you temporarily took leave from the safety of everyday life to battle through a challenge that scares you? What if your only worries were riding, finding food and water and a place to sneak a few hours of sleep? What if you forgot your self-imposed limits just to see what you were truly capable of for once? What if you were a racer at heart? Why wouldn't you want to take on the toughest races on the planet?

Quicksilver

Jack Casey used to be a hot-shot stock market whiz kid. After a disastrous professional decision, his life in the fast lane is over. He loses his nerve and joins a speed delivery firm which relies on bicycles to avoid traffic jams of San Francisco, is attracted to a fellow bicycler, Terri, and befriends Hector, a budding entrepreneur. Can Jack regain his nerve and his self-respect, and rebuild his life on a more sound basis?

Won't Back Down

From his humble beginnings in his hometown of Sheffield, England, Steve Peat has established himself as one of the worlds most iconic cyclists. Peaty has been competing at the top level in his chosen sport of downhill mountain bike racing for the past 23 years, longer than the lifetime of many of his current competitors. Through 20 years of archival footage and photos and intimate interviews with Steve, his family, close friends and competitors, Won’t Back Down takes viewers on a captivating tour of the history of the sport of downhill mountain bike racing and offers a never-before-seen view into the life and legacy of this enduring icon.

Fat Chance

Fat Chance is a grassroots Australian story of physical conquest that will change the way you feed your family forever. This new documentary follows Warren Hepsworth who sets out to ride a pushbike from Perth to Melbourne on a low-carb, high-fat diet. You’ll see Warren’s preparation for the ride as well as highlights and lowlights from the journey, and the diet change. The movie attempts to debunk the notion that athletes have to carb load and that you can’t get your energy from fat. In the process we learn that much of what we’ve been told about a healthy diet is wrong.

WW1 - War on Two Wheels

A fascinating insight into the role of the bicycle in the First World War - from reconnaissance to transporting ammunition, historian and cycling enthusiast Jeremy Banning explores stories from the battlefield. Ollie Bridgewood discovers the role cycle scouts played in the Army Cycling Corp and rides the original bikes used in the conflict. Mark Beaumont meets the grandson of a WW1 soldier who rode for the Highland Cyclist Battalion and survived brutal combat on the front line.

Tommy Godwin: The Hardest Year

In 1939, driven by a desire for fame and fortune English amateur Tommy Godwin cycled a world record 75,065 miles in one year setting out from home each day through bitter winters and the blackouts of World War Two. He became the fastest person to cycle 100,000 miles in just 500 days. After this epic feat of endurance, Tommy had to learn to walk again and uncurl his hands! The madcap record has only been attempted by a handful of determined souls and Tommy’s record stood for 76 years making it one of the greatest, but also most overlooked sporting achievements. Ultra endurance athlete and round the world cycling record holder Mark Beaumont is on a mission to shine a light on Tommy’s ride. He delves deeper into Tommy’s story and finds out if he has the physical and mental stamina to take on Godwin’s record.

Superteams: La Vie Claire

In the mid-1980s, one team dominated the cycling headlines: La Vie Claire. Despite a ferocious internal power struggle between two of the sport’s biggest stars, they racked up more than 100 wins. Wearing their iconic Mondrian jersey, Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond won two of the most infamous Tour de France victories of all time. Bankrolled by the controversial businessman, Bernard Tapie, La Vie Claire rewrote the rulebook on both bike racing and fashion. Dan Lloyd is joined by special guests Pippa York and William Fotheringham to discuss how the team turned a recipe for disaster into a period of complete dominance.

A Sunday in Hell

A chronology of the 1976 Paris-Roubaix bicycle race from the perspective of participants, organizers and spectators.

All For One

United by their renegade spirit and a determination to win against substantial odds, these riders take on the international circuit. The film offers unique insights into the first five years of their journey, bearing witness to the ethos of the team as embodied by all – from the strongest to most embattled members. Out of a culture that embraces a deeply human approach to sport, unlikely champions are born, and seemingly improbable team and personal goals are achieved.

Lost Races: Bordeaux-Paris

Bordeaux-Paris was the best bike race you’ve never heard of: a midnight start, 550km-long, and ridden behind motorised ‘dernys’, with winners including Jacques Anquetil and Tom Simpson. More than thirty years since Bordeaux-Paris was last raced, pro cyclists Mitch Docker and Sam Bewley are aiming to recreate the infamous 1965 edition. How will they fare at the ‘Derby of the Road’?

1969 - Following Merckx

1969. 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?

Giro 88

It created one of the most memorable days in grand tour history. Riders such as Andy Hampsten and Franco Chioccioli share their extraordinary experience of a day they'll never forget.

Mount Lawrence

Chandler Wild, A New York based filmmaker, travels 6,700 miles to the end of the road in Alaska to honor his deceased father by naming a mountain after him.

The Weight of The Peloton

Does the pro peloton have a problem with food? Are cyclists eating enough to be healthy? Former pro cyclist and GCN presenter Conor Dunne investigates how the pursuit of low weight has been the fixation of professional riders for generations. He finds out if his own weight loss programme has caused lasting damage, and asks if pro teams are now changing their approach to weight management Conor heads to Italy to meet former teammate Davide Cimolai to hear how his weight obsession ruined his early years. He also hears from Gabz Cullaigh whose recent experience at the top of the sport presents evidence that despite advances in coaching and science-led meal plans, under-eating is still a problem.

Lance

A personal examination of the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong.

Vive Le Tour

A 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.

The Last Rider

The 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.

Behind the Lens: Giro d’Italia

Witness cycling’s top photographers in action at the world’s most beautiful bike race, as we go behind the lens with Ashley and Jered Gruber, Luca Bettini, and Zac Williams at the 2023 Giro d’Italia. Filmed during the race’s three epic final stages, learn how the photographers chase the action, doing their best to capture the pain and glory of the riders, and document the beauty of the mountains and towns across Italy. This is a thrill-a-minute, front row seat to the stunning finale of a race that will live long in the memory – and in the photographers’ beautiful imagery.

Galashiels and Braw Lads' Gathering

A big day in the Scottish Borders is captured with astonishing clarity in this remarkable film commissioned by the local cinema.