Bicycle Film Festival - Afterward

I managed to make it to all 4 programs of the Bicycle Film Festival. After getting burned on $3 lonestars in a plastic cup I wised up and brought my own in, at which point the fest got much more entertaining. My reviews of each program follows.

Program 1:
This was the roadie one. If you wear spandex you probably appreciated everything they showed in this program. As more of a commuter guy, I actually really dug the "Road to Rubiax" feature that made up the majority of this program. Even though it could have been cut tighter (IMHO) this film really made me want to race 160+ miles in one day over French cobblestone roads, through mud, blood, and everythign else that makes up this competition. Of all the classic road races, I'm gonna have to actually pay attention to the Paris-Roubaix. I was pleasantly suprised with this film.

Program 2:
The premise of this program was Bicycle Film Festival classics. The star of the lineup was the Brazilian flatland film. I've seen a good deal of flatland footage (including of the local crew that rides down at the OG) but this film really stuck out to me. I don't know if it was the relatively desolate conditions in which they rode, or the state of their bicycles, but it seemed like in many cases this was all they had. In the video one guy who had been riding for 15+ years had talked about how he'd quit flatland for a year, but that he'd been drawn back to it. Very interesting. I can imagine that becoming a good flatland rider takes a bit of obsession.

I also really enjoyed Keist Park. It was a chronicle of a kid's bicycle adventures, and included everything from flying a kite to pegging a car with a piece of debris and making a hasty getaway. If nothing else it reminded me of being a kid on my banana yellow Schwinn.

Gonna write about today's programs tomorrow. Thanks to A1 and the extra 6-pack of Lonestar I'm drunk and I'm done for the night. Good to see y'all out at the film fest and afterparty, especially the star of the evenings' films (sup Ben W) and our departing tourist (Fred, you rule). More tomorrow...