The Flying Scotsman (2006)

I hadn't heard anything about The Flying Scotsman, but when I read the DVD box about some cyclist that used washing machine parts in a bicycle and succeeded, I was curious enough to see what this was all about. It stars Johnny Lee Miller as Graeme Obree, a world class cyclist.

Obree is a Scottish amateur cyclist who decides to go after the world one hour distance record. This is not for the faint of heart as these guys in prime shape can go around 32 miles in one hour pedaling on their bike! In order to break the record, he needs a custom made bike. With some assistance, he gathers parts, including the ball bearings from his washing machine, and constructs a bike to take advantage of his unique cycling position. What makes it even more unbelievable is that he is up against teams that are using engineers and composite materials that are costing loads of money more. While he does break the record, it is bittersweet as his new record gets broken shortly thereafter by another.

To think that The Flying Scotsman is just another stand up and cheer sports movie would be a mistake. While it does have all the elements of this genre, it is also a story of one man's struggle against adversity, both from the cycling world, and from his bouts of depression. Reportedly, the film is based on Obree's autobiography.

While I enjoyed this film quite much, one difficulty was that the Scottish accents were a little thick, and I did need the subtitles on to get all of the dialogue. Even with that, The Flying Scotsman is an enjoyable film, and worth seeking out on DVD.

Overall Grade: A-

Reviewed by Jonas

Inside the Postal Bus - Michael Barry (2005)

This is a book for bike racing fans, or at the very least for fans of the Tour de France. It is memoir of cyclist Michael Barry's year, 2004, with what was at the time quite possibly the best team in professional cycling - US Postal, led by Lance Armstrong. If none of those names - Tour de France, Barry, US Postal or Armstrong - mean anything to you, this is probably not your book.

I am not a big cycling fan, my interest pretty much starts and stops at the Tour de France, but I am interested enough in some of the nuts and bolts to find this book an engaging look at the business, with enough detail to fill in holes in my knowledge of the culture and sport. Having watched the Tour for a few years, a lot of the names of the riders were familiar, and the insights into the aspects that don't make it on to TV were occasionally fascinating.

Armstrong is almost completely absent from the book, which is kind of a relief actually; especially in the US coverage of Armstrong has been so thorough and all encompassing that it's nice to read about other riders for a change.

Barry is not a great writer, although to give him credit the book is not ghost written and the writing isn't bad. He does manage to convey quite a bit of his own character and love of cycling through the book. Barry emerges as quite a likable fellow, clearly one of the best riders in the world - you don't get onto a professional team or compete in the Olympics without that - but not one of the best riders in the world of professional cycling. Looking over his professional record, I see a few wins here and there, but quite a few decent placings. More telling, though, is how many superstars he has ridden in support of. Professional cycling is a team sport, and like most team sports, the superstars get the press but without the team they wouldn't get very far.

As a slice of life look into the world of professional cycling, the book is well worth checking out; it is however not likely to appeal to the general or casual reader.

Overall Grade: C+