Top cycling films of the decade

Sometimes it’s nice to take a little break from cycling. Relax, grab some popcorn, cuddle up with a loved one and watch a film about the activity you spend 90% of your free time doing. Here is a list of some top cycling films we’ve watched this decade.

Blood Road

This moving documentary follows Rebecca Rusch and Huyen Nguyen as they pedal 1,931 km along the Ho Chi Minh Trail to reach the crash site and final resting place of Rebecca’s father, a U.S. Air Force pilot who was shot down over Laos 40 years earlier.

The Moment

This film is the origin story of a small movement of B.C. mountain bikers who were part of the birth of freeride. The small movement launched its originating athletes into the mountain bike canon, and influenced millions of mountain bikers today.

The Armstrong Lie

The 2010s were the decade in which Lance Armstrong admitted to doping throughout his career. Unsurprisingly this sparked a number of documentaries on the topic. This particular one documents his fall from grace and subsequent attempt at a return to cycling.

Tour de Pharmacy

It’s not often that those outside of the cycling world will put this much research into a comedy parody of this sport. This film stars a powerhouse cast with a number of celebrity cameos, including from (minor spoiler) Lance Armstrong himself, poking fun at cycling documentaries.

Pantani: The Accidental Death of a Cyclist

Marco Pantani’s death from cocaine poisoning happened six years after his Tour de France and Giro d’Italia wins in 1998. This documentary covers his battle with addiction after winning the major titles.

Where the Trail Ends

This film follows a group of professional freeride mountain bikers as they push the boundaries of extreme mountain biking a and explore remote natural landscapes to take on some of the globe’s toughest untouched bike trails.

Wonderful Losers: A Different World

An intimate and emotional look at riders like Canadian Svein Tuft whose stories impact professional cycling but often go about their jobs in the background.

Half the Road: The Passion, Pitfalls, & Power of Women’s Professional Cycling

Half the Road the issues of financial sponsorship and media attention in women’s cycling. Directed by Kathryn Bertine, it’s an insightful view into the highs and lows of fighting for equity in a male-dominated sport.

Marinoni: The Fire in the Frame

75 year old master frame builder Giuseppe Marinoni  attempts a world record.  The film explores his his early life as a racer in Italy and his subsequent career as a Canadian frame builder.

Thereabouts

Lachlan and Angus Morton, two pro-level cyclists step back and try to reflect on the reason they got into the sport in the first place. They re-discover the magic and wonder of cycling on a 2500km journey from Port Macquarie to Uluru in just twelve days. The film sparked a number of sequels and a Rapha sponsored series called Outskirts.

Icarus

This fascinating film won the 2017 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. In it, filmmaker Bryan Fogel began by experimenting with doping to see if he could win an amateur cycling race. The film then takes a turn and transforms into a much bigger project when he gets tied up in the Russian doping scandal.

Bonus: Premium Rush

In this film you love to hate, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Wilee, a mess kid riding around New York on a brakeless fixed gear. He accidentally gets tangled up with some corrupt police officers and wild chase scenes ensue. Good trainer riding content for those long weekend rides.