If you're thirsting for a new feature-length documentary, then this is the film to see. You don't have to be a fan of cycling, but chances are you'll have a lot more curiosity about it after watching The Last Rider.
The story of three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond - the sole American champion - is a fascinating insight into talent and resilience that may inspire you further down the road when the going gets tough.
Having won his first Tour de France in 1986, LeMond battled back from being critically injured in a hunting accident to take the winner's yellow jersey again in 1989 and 1990.
The drama - and what drama - of LeMond's 1989 victory is the centrepiece of the film and, indeed, could have been a start-to-finish movie all by itself. A-listers should take note.
Director Alex Holmes (The Rig, Paula) has assembled great archive footage of that summer. Over it, LeMond, his wife Kathy and 1988 Tour de France winner Pedro Delgado share their recollections of all the twists and turns en route to Paris as the war of wills and wits between LeMond and the late Laurent Fignon raged. Fignon, a two-time Tour de France winner, died of cancer in 2010 at the age of 50. The Last Rider is dedicated to him.
Whether discussing triumph or despair, LeMond is a remarkably low-key interviewee whose humility adds much to the feats on screen. The Last Rider ends with just a mention of his 1990 win and nothing about LeMond's life since retirement, but in terms of time-is-now excitement, a viewer couldn't ask for more. Hopefully, some wheels will be spinning in your own head afterwards.
The Last Rider is released on demand on Monday 7 August.
