Five non-biking series to watch for inspiration

The drive to pursue excellence is a common thread tying all athletes together. Whether that’s on a bike, on snow, a field or in the seat of a highly engineered F1 car, the passion of athletes in all sports have for achieving their goal can inspire us in our own riding.

Here’s five of the best non-cycling series online – or on Netflix right now. Some are new, some have been going for a few seasons already. All share the drive and determination that makes sports so exciting to watch.

Formula 1 – Drive to Survive

Drive to Survive premiered in 2019, but I was tipped off to Netflix’s Formula 1 series by Peter Disera. Canada’s elite cross country national champion was watching the series while stuck in self-isolation. Fast cars, big money and life or death drama. With the producers of Senna and Amy behind the wheel for this series, Dirve to Survive will have you on the edge of your seat right from Episode 1.

The Fifty Project – Cody Townshend

Cody Townshend is documenting his project to ski all 50 lines in the classic guide book, “The Fifty Classic Descents of North America” by Chis Davenport, Penn Newhard and Art Burrows. Townshend has given himself a three-year timeline to ski The Fifty. Each episode, he’s joined by friends as he skis the best North America has to offer. Adventure, aesthetics, and the inherent pleasure of taking on, then completing a major and complex goal.

Plus, The Fifty is like sitting in the passenger seat for a roadtrip through North America’s parks.

MX Nation

Ken Roczen and Ryan Dungey, two top MX riders showdown in the fast-paced world of U.S. motocross. Riding for opposing teams, and competing for championships, MX Nation dives into the narrative that develops between races, not just on track. I may be new to motocross viewing and not know the background, but I watched two and a half episodes before I remembered I was supposed to be writing this article. Throw MX Nation on and trainer time will fly by.

Bonus, MX Nation features Eli Tomac, the son of legendary mountain bike pioneer John Tomac.

Last Chance U

Season One of Netflix’s Last Chance U follows East Mississippi Community College. The school is no player’s first choice, but it may be their last chance at football. There are no live team sports to watch right now, anywhere. Last Chance U is a good back-up, and an excellent take on the drive to compete that is common across sports.

Cheer

Bring a bit of drama into your life with the 14-time national championship-winning Navarro College cheer team. Before you slag it, these college kids seem to be injured more than your average slopestyle star. And the moves aren’t that different than you might see at Crankworx. Every athletes cheer career ends after college, so Cheer captures the passion of a group that knows this is their last time on the mat.