For the love of mud

PuttyKnees

For the love of mud/Benedict Campbell. Anyone seen it and have a view?

I bought it via vimeo - the trailer somehow seemed to encapsulate cyclocross. The full version though seems to strive for epic and focuses too much on big names. For most of us I'd say if you're racing, it's about participation in your local league, or if not racing, finding fun in the trails, so I think the film misses the point a little. And I find the american style and the rapha supercross efforts to emulate it a little tiresome - the beer throwing incidents at the vegas races seemed to sum it up. I can't help feeling disappointed.

cyclingsheep

I'm yet to see it and had been looking forward to it......that seems a little disappointing

andyp

I thought it was excellent. I was at one of the London screening's where Benedict Campbell was in conversation with Helen Wyman and Ian Cleverley (Rouleur editor and long standing cx racer) and he was keen to stress that he was showing three aspects of the sport; the Belgian experience, the grass roots UK scene and the American style.

I thought that came across very clearly.

bryanm

andyp wrote:

I thought it was excellent. I was at one of the London screening's where Benedict Campbell was in conversation with Helen Wyman and Ian Cleverley (Rouleur editor and long standing cx racer) and he was keen to stress that he was showing three aspects of the sport; the Belgian experience, the grass roots UK scene and the American style.

I thought that came across very clearly.

Good review - I agree. I particularly enjoyed Keith Bontrager talking about the 3 Peaks, which is a great day out, even just as a supporter.

PuttyKnees

I thought that the best bit was by far was the section on 3 Peaks. I don't think it captured the nature of grass roots cx though, mainly because Rapha supercross is a minor aspect of CX. More interesting would have been a view of the many local leagues running week in week out and why x000 turn up to those. Of all cycling disciplines, CX is the one that captures mostly closely the old spirit of cycling, but I'm not sure that was presented well.

There were interesting snippets - the old Belgian guys and the Beeline shop owner's passion. I was curious though about the drug cheat who moved to the US scene, telling us it was because it was easier than racing in Belgium!