There has never really been a mountain bike movie like this before. And it may be a long time before anyone else can capture a wisp of the feeling Life Cycles has captured. Derek Frankowski and Ryan Gibb, the creators of this masterpiece, have my respect.

Life Cycles exhibits a paradigm shift in the way mountain bike movies are made. Every scene offers an explosion of color, a lack of color, a thought provoking idea, and then it’s visually stunning again. The cinematography is truly awesome.

But that’s not all that Life Cycles is about. Depending upon your stage in life and what experiences you have had, you relate to the movie in different ways. Growing up around bikes my entire life, I totally get the story–almost as if the movie was playing what someone had read in my mind.

After watching it, all of a sudden a few doors in my mind opened up. Things from the past that were buried under cobwebs and day-to-day life started to emerge again–a purer way of thinking. Getting back to the day when things were simpler, less tech-oriented. As of late, people (myself included) are/were all about the latest and greatest, all about what’s new, what new technology we’re exploiting. It gets to the point where you’re not satisfied unless you have the latest and greatest between your legs when you’re riding… like the lack of a boostvalve or tapered bore piston is going to diminish your ride for whatever reason.

Well, Life Cycles brings you back. Remember that time when you first learned to jump as a kid? That moment when your bike left the earth behind for the first time, that first fleeting second off that rickety soap-box-and-plank jump? Remember that? How about those tracks you left behind in the black earth of the berm you just railed. Other words like “ebb” and “flow” come to mind as well.

Life Cycles provides new ways of looking at that trail: who created it and what they were thinking when they cut the path. Look at the care that was taken to not disturb most of the landscape so that they and you could enjoy the countryside. Appreciate the immensity of the outdoors and some of the epic visages that await you.

All this lies in store for you when you watch Life Cycles. The list of featured riders is impressive as well. Icons in their own niches of riding styles are here: riders like Hunter, McCaul, and Semenuk, to name just a few, will blow you away. Just seeing how big they are and at the same time how small we all are as we ride along the landscape before us is almost indescribable.

Check out Life Cycles: get yourself a copy. It sells for about $35.50 for your Blu-ray player, or you can download it on iTunes for less than $10. Either way, you’re getting something special.

Official Trailer

(here’s the link for those who can’t see the embedded video above)

If you have already watched Life Cycles, what are your thoughts?

I’ve often wondered: are documentaries and shred films like the Collective series the only way to get mountain biking on screen? I mean, sure mountain biking makes a cameo in regular movies from time to time but it’s never been a central part of the backdrop in an on-screen drama. Until now.

The Potential Inside is an independent film about a mountain bike racer named Chris Carmik who experiences a tragedy in his personal life and works to piece things back together while (reluctantly) agreeing to coach a mountain biking prodigy named Jake. In a way it’s sort of a classic sports movie plotline but because it’s centered around mountain biking the story has a fresh feel to it.

Director/producer/writer/lead actor Scotty Curlee is a mountain biker himself and he took real pains to keep the mountain biking action authentic in this film. Curlee even enlisted pro riders like Jeremiah Bishop to appear and act as technical consultants on the project while sponsors like Giant, Shimano, and Champion Systems provided props for even more realism. In one scene Chris pulls up in a Ferrari at which point I chuckled to myself: pro mountain bikers don’t make enough money to drive Ferraris. But sure enough, during the commentary Curlee says the Ferrari belongs to pro-rider Hunter Allen who appears in the film. Nice. Of course that realism can go a little too far – isn’t the name Chris Carmik pretty similar to another cycling coach who uses cutting-edge techniques to train elite athletes?

Much of the racing action takes place on mountain bike trails in and around Lynchburg, VA and the visuals are amazing thanks to the RED camera the crew used for filming. Some may recognize the technical side trails at Black Water Creek and the steep Candler’s Mountain trails at Liberty University making cameos in the film.

Beyond the rich visuals and exciting mountain bike racing scenes, the plot centers around the idea of individuals reaching the full potential that exists inside them. The message is explicitly Christian which might make some viewers feel uncomfortable but more broadly the theme is about dealing with tragedy and pushing oneself to his/her maximum potential. This message can be seen throughout the film; early on in Jake’s training there’s a scene where the rookie rider takes a VO2 max test and his coach explains how everyone is born with a certain VO2 max but they have to exercise to unlock that potential. It’s a cool concept I hadn’t thought about before and it’s a great parallel that mountain bikers and other athletes can easily understand.

If you’re tired of the same old MTB documentaries and shred films or are looking for a movie to share with your non-biking family members and friends, The Potential Inside is an entertaining flick. While it’s not exactly a big budget movie, the visuals are great, the action is believable, and the story is definitely uplifting.

The Potential Inside releases on DVD April 19, 2011 and you can pre-order it at Amazon.com today. Thanks to Scotty Curlee for providing an advance copy for review.

Last year’s Race Across the Sky was a great mountain bike movie that seemed to have it all: star power (Lance Armstrong), an epic clash between an outsider and a local hero (Armstrong and Dave Wiens), and a beautiful and harsh natural backdrop (Colorado, 10,000 feet above sea level). To top it all off the movie was shown in movie theaters across the country to sold out crowds of mountain bikers. Rock on!

Despite having such a tough act to follow, the Citizen Pictures folks decided to make a movie about this year’s race. Armstrong has been replaced by his slightly-lesser-known teammate Levi Leipheimer while Dave Wiens, still a local hero and an amazing rider, no longer has a winning streak to defend. Of course the incredible scenery is back for 2010 and course records were set on both the men’s and women’s sides but it’s not obvious where the drama will come from, especially since the results have been known for months now. The website alludes to personal challenges faced by “citizen riders” but that almost sounds like a remake of “Spirit of the Marathon” which wasn’t that great.

In any event, Race Across the Sky 2010 will be shown in theaters November 4 with an encore scheduled for November 9. Tickets go on sale October 1 but IMBA members have the chance to purchase tickets now before the general release. Trailer is embedded above.

These days mountain bike movies seem to come in two flavors: documentary and music video montages. Both formats seem to work well, though we’re a little bummed no one has found a way to make a scripted mountain bike film that isn’t completely cheesy. Anyway, this week we came across two mountain bike films that deserve your attention.

Ride the Divide

Following three riders as they attempt to complete the “world’s toughest mountain bike race,” Ride the Divide promises to be an epic film. Even if it isn’t the toughest mountain bike race, it’s certainly the longest and the self-supported riders who complete the route join an elite club. The race has no sponsors, no prizes, and just one checkpoint (the finish line). This should be a good film to watch if you’re considering an epic bikepacking trip next summer.

Screening in Denver Grand Junction this week: Thursday, Sept. 16 @ 7:30pm, Avalon Theater. Tickets are just $10 and the filmmakers will be on hand to talk after the show.

Life Cycles

Lame title aside, based on the preview this mountain bike movie should be pretty fun to watch. The Life Cycles film was shot using a RED camera which is a super portable high-def camera that seems to be all the rage in Hollywood. The DVD should be shipping sometime in mid-October and pre-orders are $5 off. Too bad more stuff like this doesn’t show in theaters…

Ok, so this is interesting and not just because my hero from 90210, Jason Priestley, is involved. Rolling Stone ran an article titled “Death of a Freerider” a couple months ago about Sam Brown, a promising mountain biker who was leading a double life as a drug smuggler and ended up committing suicide in a Spokane jail back in March (we also wrote about this on the blog). Priestley recently bought an “option” on the article which basically means he now owns the rights to create a screenplay and perhaps (fingers crossed) a movie. Variety says the plan is to start filming by the end of next year.

I haven’t had a chance to read the Rolling Stone article yet but this whole thing sounds kinda like Into the Wild, the Jon Krakauer book (then movie) about Chris Candless and his wandering adventures across the US. Candless was ultimately found dead in the Alaskan wilderness and the movie sorta explores the mysterious circumstances around his journey. Similarly, Sam Brown’s story has many unanswered questions like how he got involved in drug smuggling, why he was flying a helicopter without a license, etc.

In any event, I’m hoping the movie opens with a suitable amount of freeride footage, including the “Deconstructed Wheel” Brown built for himself. After seeing Race Across the Sky in theaters I can’t wait to see more mountain biking on the big screen, even if it’s not the star of the show.

Two videos below: Sam Brown showing off his skills and a news clip about Brown’s life

In case you hadn’t heard yet, there’s an encore presentation of Race Across the Sky, the movie about Lance Armstrong’s epic battle with Dave Wiens in the Leadville 100 MTB race this year, on Thursday, Nov. 12 at theaters across the US. Check out our recap of the movie if you want to know more and buy your tickets online now!

Last night I watched Race Across the Sky, the movie about this year’s Leadville 100 MTB race and I gotta say it was pretty awesome. I was surprised the see the movie theater auditorium mostly full and I’d estimate there were at least 200+ people at my showing. The movie started off a little weird with a panel discussion with the riders (Armstrong, Wiens, Brown, etc.) but once the movie started it was all about riding.

Although I already knew the outcome of the race after watching it live online, I still found myself surprised at many parts and there were definitely some interesting take-aways:

• Lance Armstrong is a boss. At the beginning of the film, Lance is on a MTB training ride with his coach, Chris Carmichael and you see the two grinding it out on a rocky doubletrack climb somewhere in Colorado. Following close behind is a guy on a dirt bike with two spare wheels and probably an entire bike tool kit on board. Must be nice to not worry about your equipment failing. Getting used to that level of support may just come back to haunt Lance in the race
• Travis Brown rode the entire 100 mile race on a mountain bike with drop bars. During the panel discussion afterward Brown said he’s convinced that’s the way to go and it sounds like he’ll do it again next year. It was also interesting to note that none of the top 5 riders rode 29ers.
• Dave Wiens is a super nice guy and you can see it throughout the movie.
• Armstrong makes the comment that no one has approached the Leadville 100 as a team race (yet). Will Lance’s pro cycling team assist him in breaking the 6 hour mark at Leadville in the future?
• I loved the old school rider from Denver who had probably the funniest line in the entire movie: “I’m riding the same bike I bought in the 1990s. Same front tire too.” (I’m paraphrasing)
• Second funniest moment: the overweight woman in the yellow shirt running beside Lance during his ascent of the powerline climb, trying to photograph herself with Lance.
• The third place finisher, Matt Shriver, had a pretty remarkable race. Yet another amazing rider from Ft. Lewis College in Durango.
• Saddest moment? Seeing riders stopped at the 4 hour cut-off and not being able to finish the race.
• Did anyone else notice that Lance just chucked the CO2 cartridge after attempting to fix his flat tire? I suppose a fan rushed over to pick it up and now it sits in a glass case in a rec room somewhere but still… pack it in, pack it out.

If you didn’t get to see Race Across the Sky last night, definitely put it on your to do list. It’s an inspirational film and I definitely left wanting to ride more and move back to Colorado. Stay tuned for word about an encore presentation in theaters and/or the DVD release date.

… or today, depending on when you read this

The movie is playing for one night only in movie theaters across the country and a quick check shows there are still plenty of tickets available. Surprising, especially since the movie features Mr. Dave Wiens himself (oh yeah, and also Lance Armstrong). My hope is that if this movie does well we’ll see more MTB short-run features in theaters. The Collective in IMAX? I can only dream…

I’ve got my tickets to watch the movie at Perimeter Point here in Atlanta at 8pm tomorrow in case anyone else is going. I’ll also post a quick review Friday for the Netflixers out there.