amazon prime tour de france documentary

Rent or buy
Categories Categories
Getting Started

Episode number
Newest episodes
Available to watch

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

What's the Tomatometer®?
Login/signup

Movies in theaters

Opening this week
Top box office
Coming soon to theaters
Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

Fandango at Home
Netflix streaming
Prime Video
Most popular streaming movies
What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Link to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
The Fall Guy Link to The Fall Guy
The Last Stop in Yuma County Link to The Last Stop in Yuma County

New TV Tonight

Interview With the Vampire: Season 2
Spacey Unmasked: Season 1
Outer Range: Season 2
After the Flood: Season 1
The Killing Kind: Season 1
Bridgerton: Season 3
The Big Cigar: Season 1
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Season 11.1
Harry Wild: Season 3
RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars: Season 9

Season 1 – Tour de France: Unchained

Where to watch, tour de france: unchained — season 1.

Watch Tour de France: Unchained — Season 1 with a subscription on Netflix.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Jonas Vingegaard

Fabio Jakobsen

Wout Van Aert

Geraint Thomas

David Gaudu

Tadej Pogacar

More Like This

Season info.

New Docuseries About Jumbo-Visma Cycling Team Coming to Amazon

The six-episode series features star riders Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard and it's must-see TV for cycling fans.

But details of the upcoming docuseries “All in: Team Jumbo-Visma” have been few and far between. Until now, that is. Finally, we have a few answers!

When will "All in: Team Jumbo-Visma" be available for streaming?

We’ll start with arguably the most important question first: when will we be able to watch this series?

According to the Dutch media, who were treated to an advanced screening of the first two episodes and are already calling it “an asset to cycling,” the six-episode series will debut on Amazon Prime on March 1.

23rd santos tour down under 2023 prologue

What is it about?

Among the emotional story lines that are part of the series is Jonas Vingegaard's unforgettable battle with Tadej Pogačar for the 2022 TdF win . Viewers are taken behind the scenes and shown the emotional and physical toll that competing in the Tour de France takes on the riders and their loved ones, and the lengths to which these athletes push their bodies for their teams' victory.

Cycling is getting its own “appointment television.”

It's an exciting thing for us as racing fans and cycling nerds to have so many great things to watch right now. Lifetime released “The Call of a Life” Time a couple of months ago, a reality series about gravel racing we'd recommend. It's free to watch on YouTube.

An episode of the fantastic Netflix Series “Human Playground” is about Trek-Segafredo’s Ellen van Dijk and Paris-Roubaix Femmes last Fall.

All we can say is, more please!

Natascha Grief is Bicycling’s Health & Fitness Editor. She started out as a bike mechanic,earning a couple pro-mechanic certifications and her USA Cycling Race Mechanics license. Then, she became obsessed with framebuilding and landed an apprenticeship with framebuilder Brent Steelman in her hometown of Redwood City, California. After that, she spent several years working for both large and not-so-large cycling brands before switching gears to become a NASM certified personal trainer, specializing in corrective exercise and body positive personal training. She honed her skills as a trainer and coach for over a decade before launching Inner Shift Fitness . During 2020, she began contributing regularly to Runner’s World and Bicycling as a freelance writer. She joined the editorial staff of Bicycling in 2022.

preview for HDM All Sections Playlist - Bicycling

.css-1t6om3g:before{width:1.75rem;height:1.75rem;margin:0 0.625rem -0.125rem 0;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-background-size:1.25rem;background-size:1.25rem;background-color:#F8D811;color:#000;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-position:center;background-position:center;}.loaded .css-1t6om3g:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/bicycling/static/images/chevron-design-element.c42d609.svg);} Culture

Why Road Signs Have a Special Place in Cycling

How Collegiate Cycling Can Save American Racing

She’s Been Bike Touring Most of Her Life

The Best Photos From RAGBRAI's 50th Edition

What Matthew Modine Learned Making ‘Hard Miles’

How This 64-Year-Old Keeps Riding With Gratitude

What It’s Like To Ride Paris Roubaix

She’s on a Mission to Bring Cycling to Kids

a cyclist descending switchbacks on a mountain road

The One Big Reason to Ride Faster

72-Year-Old Cyclist Founded a Community Bike Ride

a man poses for a portrait on an ebike in new york city

NYC's Bike-Powered Delivery Workers vs Big Tech

Home » Streaming Service

Tour de France: Unchained Review – Tyres, Tantrums and Triumph in the World of Cycling

Netflix documentary series Tour de France: Unchained Season 1 review

From the makers of Formula 1: Drive to Survive , Quad Box and Box to Box films have brought Tour de France: Unchained to our screens . I’ve heard about the intensity of cyclists when it comes to the Tour de France, even the highly loved Tour de Yorkshire, and the passion these riders have. Across the eight episodes, audiences follow eight cycling teams as they compete in the 2022 installment of the world’s most grueling bike ride.

The documentary series gives access to exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage of the eight groups preparing for the challenge. The groups include AG2R Citroën, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Bora-Hansgrohe, EF Education-EasyPost, Groupama-FDJ, Ineos Grenadiers, Jumbo-Visma, and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl.

Through personal interviews with riders, team managers, CEOs, and sports journalists, they help explain and showcase the multiple stakes of a race and how the sport has grown so popular it is now broadcast in 190 territories.

The series shows the suffering and sacrifice every person makes to make this sport as special as it is. I didn’t realize the dangers of the sport; there are a lot of crashes. In every single episode, there’s an accident of some sort accompanied by dramatic music.

These riders can get seriously injured, and they have the determination and talent to make a comeback, both in and out of the race. We hear about the use of drug use in sports and changing that as the years have gone on.

Tour de France: Unchained (Credit – Netflix)

There are multiple types of footage from races, previous seasons, events boardrooms, and media outlets like the news. Seeing footage from the rider’s body cams drives the intensity of the sport, and the birds-eye views of the racing and the multiple cities are stunning. I can’t imagine being a spectator; they’re so fast you’d get a glimpse, and they’d be gone.

My only criticisms are that the voice-over acting is a bit annoying and cheesy at times but bearable, and I would have liked some interactions with sports fans to get their interpretation and experience of watching these ground tours live.

It would have been interesting to know what they think this series will do for the sport and where they feel the sport is going in the future.

Tour de France: Unchained is well worth watching if you’re a sports fan, specifically a cycling fan or enthusiast. I’m not the biggest fan of cycling, but because I enjoyed the F1: Drive to Survive series, I wanted to give this a chance, and I’m glad I did. I learned a lot from this series, and I look forward to season two.

Article by Romey Norton

Romey Norton joined Ready Steady Cut in June 2021 as a Film and TV writer, and since then, she has published over 400 articles for the website. With a Master of Arts Degree from the University of Leeds in 2017 and acting experience on screen, Romey uses her Film and TV knowledge to bring informative and detailed content for online publications and podcasting.

Elite Season 7 Episode 8 Recap and Ending Explained

10 Movies like Tin & Tina you must watch

This website cannot be displayed as your browser is extremely out of date.

Please update your browser to one of the following: Chrome , Firefox , Edge

First glimpse at Netflix's Tour de France documentary shown in teaser trailer

The series, thought to be coming in June, was presented to the audience at the Mobile World Congress on Tuesday

A first glimpse at Netflix 's highly-anticipated Tour de France documentary was shown on Tuesday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, featuring television and on-bike video footage, as well as shots from other races and film from inside the team bus.

The teaser trailer - not the official trailer - was shown on Tuesday evening in Barcelona, and later published on Twitter by the Escape Collective . The event can be watched in full on the Mobile World Congress' website, and the trailer can be watched in the embedded tweet below.

It begins with Groupama-FDJ's manager Marc Madiot telling his riders: “You are soldiers, you are warriors. When you pull on a jersey, you become another person.” It goes on to show the eight teams which agreed to be filmed for the series, AG2R Citroën, Alpecin-Fenix, Bora-Hansgrohe, EF Education-EasyPost, Groupama-FDJ, Ineos Grenadiers, Jumbo-Visma and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl.

The series is expected to be launched in June, ahead of this year's Tour, consisting of eight 45-minute episodes. It is a joint venture between Quad and Box to Box Films. The latter is the producer of the highly-rated Netflix series Drive to Survive, which tells the inside stories of selected Formula One teams throughout the racing season.

Drive to Survive has been a huge hit for Netflix and has helped bring new fans into Formula One, something the teams and the Tour's organisers, ASO, will hope to do with their documentary series.

A listing on Netflix last week suggested the cycling series would be called Tour de France: Unchained, but Tuesday's trailer ends with Tour de France: Au cœur du peloton, basically Inside the Peloton.

Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters presented the two-minute Tour de France series video after giving a keynote speech at the MWC. "The road ahead is a steep climb," Peters punned before the debut of the trailer.

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

A French narrator says: "The Tour de France is very simple: It’s a bike race, every day, over 21 stages. It’s an enormous circus that travels around the country. It’s the world’s toughest race.”

According to reports, Netflix covered the production costs of €8 million to make the series, paying a total of €1 million to the different parties involved, with teams ending up with about €62,000 each.

Film makers were embedded within the eight squads that participated throughout the season. Interestingly, the trailer included non-Tour de France shots, such as a crash at Strade Bianche, and old footage, like Philippe Gilbert crashing while he was at Quick-Step.

One notable absentee from the Netflix show is Tadej Pogačar, with his UAE Team Emirates squad not taking part, although Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard's Jumbo-Visma team is well represented throughout.

The Netflix Tour de France doc is just one of a few cycling TV productions to be in the works, with Netflix also working on a film about Mark Cavendish , and series involving Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step both appearing on Amazon Prime soon.

The Tour de France Netflix documentary is here! Well, a trailer of the series is, at least. Check out a clip of the action here(📹 Mobile World Congress) pic.twitter.com/dFXuVchl3p March 1, 2023

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Adam is Cycling Weekly ’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling on tarmac, he's happy. Before joining Cycling Weekly he spent two years writing for Procycling, where he interviewed riders and wrote about racing. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds. Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.

These are the items that you need to enjoy your riding and help keep you, your family and your bike safe

By Cycling Weekly Published 13 May 24

Demi Vollering has won eight times out of 12 opportunities in the Basque Country

By Adam Becket Published 13 May 24

Jonas Vingegaard during a time trial at the Tour de France

Objects stuffed in skinsuits offer ‘significant’ drag reduction and can save seconds against the clock

By Tom Davidson Published 10 April 24

A helicopter over the peloton at the Tour de France

France Télévisions to discuss drone broadcasts with Tour stakeholders

By Tom Davidson Published 11 March 24

UK Sport confirms that Tour Grand Départ is now merely an "opportunity" in 2027

By Jeremy Whittle Published 5 March 24

Sepp Kuss and Jonas Vingegaard together at the 2023 Tour de France

The American is a master of the mountains, but he'll have to topple the Visma-Lease a Bike hierarchy if he wants a yellow jersey

By Tom Davidson Published 13 February 24

Government will pay wages via ‘short-time working’ to avoid job losses at Swiss bike giant

By Tom Thewlis Published 12 February 24

La Vache qui rit returns to the French Grand Tour as a sponsor, meaning the caravan might be a bit smellier this year

By Adam Becket Published 9 February 24

Jonas Vingegaard wearing a yellow jersey

'It's not great to have a missed test hanging over you,' says Tour de France champion

By Tom Davidson Published 22 November 23

A picture of a horse with an X imposed on it of a video of the horse

The farm animal wasn't the last to make a cameo at a bike race

By Tom Davidson Published 27 September 23

Useful links

Tour de France
Giro d'Italia
Vuelta a España

Buyer's Guides

Best road bikes
Best gravel bikes
Best smart turbo trainers
Best cycling computers
Editor's Choice
Bike Reviews
Component Reviews
Clothing Reviews
Contact Future's experts
Terms and conditions
Privacy policy
Cookies policy
Advertise with us

Cycling Weekly is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site . © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

21 best cycling documentaries (that every serious cyclist should watch)

We’ve rounded up the best cycling documentaries out there and put together this list to inspire your viewing for when you fancy a cosy night in.

We hope you find a few documentaries you haven’t come across before, so that even if you can’t be riding your bike, you can at least be watching bicycles and learning more about cycling, the best sport in the world!

Notes: Our list of best cycling documentaries is ordered from the most recent to the oldest.

We’ve included details of where you can watch them (as at the time of writing), as well as a link to a website that compares the cost on different streaming services (if the film is listed on the website – it doesn’t list them all).

If you’re after a movie rather than a documentary, you’ll want to take a look at this round up of our favourite cycling movies .

1. Tour de France Unchained (2023)

Main subject: Le Tour 2022
Best for: Fans of the classic, challenging, month-long Grand Tour
Where to watch: Netflix

The long-awaited Tour de France: Unchained is a Netflix exclusive covering the trials and tribulations of the world’s most famous bike race. The wait was worth it. This absolutely excellent fly on the wall documentary series follows teams and riders in the peloton through the highs and lows of the planet’s most challenging race.

The documentary covers the 109th edition of Le Tour, held in 2022. Eight teams are featured during the eight episodes, and you can experience every moment of their sacrifice and suffering as they vie for cycling’s most prestigious trophy.

If you’ve ever wanted to know what it feels like to compete for the white, yellow, green and red spotted jerseys, then this is about as close as you’re going to get. Unless you’re actually down to compete in the next edition of the French Grand Tour, that is.

2. Movistar cycling documentary (2022, 2021 and 2019)

Main subject: Professional cycling
Best for: Fans who want to get an insight into the pro peloton with cycling TV shows

Season one was added to Netflix in March 2020, and you’ll struggle not to binge-watch this captivating six-part series in which Movistar provides exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of Spain’s Movistar Team as they compete in the 2019 cycling season.

This is one of the best cycling documentaries on Netflix. It’s beautifully produced and feels quite raw and honest, giving a real feeling for the dynamics and tensions between the big name leaders within the team. It’s unusual to get such insights on races that are still such recent history.

The only downside to these cycling shows is the sub-titles for non-Spanish speaking viewers.

The second season of this hugely popular cycling documentary on Netflix was added in May 2021: six episodes, each around an hour long, documenting the time between August 2020 and January 2021.

The popular cycling show returned for a third season in March 2022, with four episodes covering the team’s 2021 season and Lopez’s decision to abandon La Vuelta.

3. Sean Conway’s ‘Europe or Bust’ (2020)

Main subject: Endurance cycling
Best for: Anyone looking to be wowed by a raw insight into extreme cycling
Where to watch: Amazon Prime

In 2019, extreme adventurer Sean Conway set a new world record by cycling unsupported across Europe from Portugal to Russia in just 24 days. This fascinating fly-on-the-wall British cycling documentary sees Conway battle with dangerous roads, strong head winds, a lack of sleep and a shocking diet. A great example of the best bikepacking documentaries, and probably another contender for best cycling documentary overall, this is well worth a watch.

(Note the film above is a prequel taster video, rather than a trailer video of the official film.)

4. De Ronde 100 – Behind the scenes (2020)

Best for: Anyone who wants to see behind the scenes at one of the most historic races on the road cycling calendar
Where to watch: YouTube

A rare insight into the goings on behind one of the most important races on the calendar, the Tour of Flanders, aka De Ronde. It’s part of the Spring Classics, and this documentary focuses on the 2016 race, or the 100th edition.

It’s one of the best cycling documentaries on YouTube as its raw candor gives you an insight into the work that the press and organising staff go through to bring you the pictures you see on your television among other things.

The makers of this bike documentary cover each year of De Ronde, so once you’ve watched the 2016 edition, there are plenty more for you to watch!

5. Lance (2020)

Main subject: Doping and Lance’s life after cycling
Best for: Those who want the full view of Armstrong’s story told in part, by the man himself
Where to watch: Sky Go

This documentary is a two-part series originally aired by ESPN in 2020 as part of their ’30 for 30′ show. It shows Lance Armstrong being interviewed and being quite open about what he did during his career, and where he is now.

ESPN’s 30 for 30 is a series of documentary films that highlights sporting stories past and present. The series has also included such sports stars as Michael Jordan and the infamous OJ Simpson.

It takes into account interviews from people close to him and his enemies, both in the media and in cycling. It’s an interesting watch and possibly the best Lance Armstrong documentary, and feels like it closes the chapter of Lance in cycling quite well. However, as with anything involving Mr Armstrong, it’s bound to stoke opinions!

6. Iron Cowboy (2018)

Main subject: Triathlon
Best for: Anyone needing inspiration to lose the dad bod – Lawrence is a father of five!
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft Store, Netflix, YouTube
Price comparison for this film .

This epic movie is the true story of triathlete James Lawrence (aka the Iron Cowboy) and his journey to complete an incredible 50 Ironman races in 50 days, across 50 US states. Certainly one of the more raw cycling movies on Netflix, and one of the better Amazon Prime cycling documentary options too.

If you’ve ever completed a triathlon or Ironman event, you’ll be one step closer to appreciating what’s involved in this feat. In this must-watch documentary you’ll see how the human body can be pushed to its limits.

7. Mamil (2017)

Main subject: Amateur cycling
Best for: If you’re a MAMIL yourself, this is a film you’ll certainly relate to
Where to watch: Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube
Price comparison

MAMILs are Middle-Aged Men in Lycra. This amusing feature-length road cycling documentary follows several groups of blokes on bikes including British dads, gay couples in New York and a team of overweight cyclists in Australia. This cyclist documentary showcases the life of amateur road cyclists who are just like many of us, but a bit different.

8. All for One (2017)

Best for: Fans of Aussie cycling
Where to watch: Google Play, Microsoft Store, YouTube

The All For One biking documentary tells the story of GreenEDGE, Australia’s first ProTour cycling team.

If you’ve seen the Backstage Pass series on YouTube, then you’ll be familiar with most of the content of the All For One movie and this pro cycling documentary has the same humorous tone. It’s one to watch for a positive depiction of pro cycling.

9. Icarus (2017)

Main subject: Doping
Best for: Anyone wanting to know exactly how the Russian sports doping scandal was discovered

Icarus is an American documentary on cycling that begins with Bryan Fogel’s investigation into doping in amateur cycling. He sets out to see if he could dope while preparing for the Haute Route, and get away with it.

This Netflix cycling documentary culminates in the discovery of Russia’s state-sponsored Olympic doping program. It details the events that led to Russian athletes being stripped of 47 Olympic medals and, in 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency banning Russia from all major sporting events for the next four years.

If you’re after a cycling doping documentary, this is the one to watch.

10. Tour de Pharmacy (2017)

Best for: Anyone looking for light-hearted, low-brow comedy fun
Where to watch: Google Play, Microsoft Store, TalkTalk TV, YouTube

This mockumentary chronicles the prevalence of doping in professional cycling. With an all-star cast featuring Orlando Bloom, Andy Samberg and Kevin Bacon, the movie also features cameo appearances from Lance Armstrong and Mike Tyson, who play themselves.

The setting is the 1982 Tour de France, and while not a true cycle documentary., the movie is entertaining – poking fun at the level playing field created when virtually every professional cyclist was doping.

11. Personal Gold: an underdog story (2015)

Best for: Fans of Olympic track cycling
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube

Personal Gold documents the inspirational tale of four American women and their quest to win gold medals for cycling in the London 2012 Olympics.

As the men’s team are banned for doping in the wake of the Lance Armstrong drug scandal, these underdog women cyclists become the USA’s only hope in winning track cycling medals.

12. Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story (2014)

Main subject: Cyclist biopic
Best for: If you enjoyed watching ‘The Armstrong Lie’, you’ll love this one
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, Netflix, YouTube

You think you know the story of Lance Armstrong? This BBC cycling documentary says otherwise. It’s one of the few Netflix cycling documentaries, as most seem to just on YouTube or Amazon Prime after being shown on live TV.

Focusing on the cheating, bullying and lies involved in Armstrong’s pursuit of money, fame and success, this gritty documentary details the cycling star’s fall from grace.

13. Thereabouts (2014)

Best for: Cyclists wanting to experience the beauty of Australia from their armchair
Where to watch: YouTube

Thereabouts is a cycling documentary that aims to bring back the magic and wonder of cycling by focusing not on medals, points and scandal, but instead on showcasing Australia by road bike.

This cycling documentary documents the journey by two pro cyclist brothers, Lachlan and Gus Morton, as they ride from their home in Port Macquarie to Uluru. It’s a journey of 2,500km over 12 days, into deepest Australia.

It provides real insight into the pressures experienced by professional road cyclists as well as fantastic Australian landscapes.

14. Pantani: The accidental death of a cyclist (2014)

Main subject: Cyclist’s biopic
Best for: Even those who can’t stand cycling will be gripped by this tragic tale
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube

This gripping documentary tells the tragic story of Marco Pantani, 1998 winner of both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. Just six years after his triumph, he was found dead in a hotel room after a cocaine overdose.

Pantani is one of those figures that is hugely relatable and his story is one that explores wasted talent, the prevalence of doping in cycling, victimisation and depression. If you’re looking for an interesting film to watch with your non-cyclist other half, this could be the one.

15. My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes (2014)

Main subject: History
Best for: Anyone with an interest in WWII history
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Apple TV

Set in WWII, this movie recounts the true story of how Tour de France champion Gino Bartali and other fellow Italians worked with Jewish leaders to defy the Nazis and save the lives of thousands of Jewish people in Italy.

This incredible tale was never published in Bartali’s lifetime and gives a fascinating insight into war-time cycling.

16. Bradley Wiggins: A Year in Yellow (2012)

Best for: Anyone interested in Wiggins’ 2012 Tour de France win

When Bradley Wiggins won the Tour de France in 2012, he became the first British man to do so in the history of the race. First shown on Sky Atlantic in 2012, Bradley Wiggins: A Year In Yellow is sort of a Tour de France documentary that follows his journey from Team Sky leader to eventual winner of the hardest cycling race on earth.

It features interviews with his nearest and dearest, and provides a background to one of the most decorated male British cyclists. There aren’t many full cycling documentaries YouTube has to watch but this is a great one.

17. The Flying Scotsman (2006)

Best for: Cycling fans looking for a spirit-lifting movie to enjoy

The Flying Scotsman cycling film tells the incredible true story of Graeme Obree, the Scottish amateur cyclist who broke the World Hour Record in 1993 on a bicycle he built himself from bits of old washing machines.

What’s even more incredible is how bi-polar sufferer Obree struggled with intense bouts of depression yet still managed to smash records without anti-depressants or performance enhancing drugs. You also get a real feeling for his love-hate relationship with the hour record.

18. Hell on Wheels (2004)

Best for: Viewers who don’t mind subtitles as the narrative is in German

The Hell on Wheels cycling film explores the pain and suffering of those who devote their lives to competing in the Tour de France.

It’s a cycling documentary about the Tour de France’s 100th anniversary in 2003 and is shot from the perspective of Team Telekom. It features behind-the-scenes footage and finish-line interviews, showing the less-than-glamorous side of the professional cycling world.

19. A Sunday in Hell (1976)

Best for: Fans of classic cycling movies

Acclaimed as one of the best cycling films ever made, A Sunday in Hell is a chronology of the 1976 Paris-Roubaix bike race from the perspective of cyclists, event organisers, spectators and even a group of protestors who stopped the race at one stage. You get to see legendary names such as Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlademinck, Francesco Moser and Freddy Maertens.

This classic cycling documentary shows the ups and downs of the most dramatic race of the spring classics. It’s particularly impressive when you consider that the whole documentary was shot in one day using more than 20 cameras along the route and footage from a helicopter – these kinds of techniques were groundbreaking at that time.

20. La Course en Tete (1974)

Best for: Fans of the history of cycling

This classic bicycle documentary features the famed cyclist Eddy Merckx, winner of eleven Grand Tours.

One of the best cycling films on YouTube, the camera follows Merckx through the 1973 and 1974 seasons and allows you to appreciate what a truly great cyclist he really was.

21. The Stars and the Water Carriers (1974)

Best for: Fans of the history of cycling and the Giro d’Italia

This is another classic documentary about cycling from Jorgan Leth, who also directed A Sunday in Hell. The Stars and the Water Carriers features the 1973 Giro d’Italia, focusing on the winner Eddy Merckx and his challengers, both on the road and behind the scenes.

If you’re disappointed that the 2020 Giro d’Italia may not go ahead, watch this instead.

Honourable mentions

If you’re willing to go old-school and buy a DVD, check out these three films! They are only not on our list of best bike documentaries because you can’t currently get them online.

Chasing Legends (2010)
Road to Roubaix (2008)
Overcoming (2005)

What do you think of our list of road cycling documentaries?

Have we missed your favourite, or are there new cycling documentaries we’ve not covered yet?! Let us know your thoughts on the best cycling series or one-off special in the comments below.

What’s next?

If you fancy a bit of non-fiction, check out our pick of the best road cycling films .

Also check out our favourite road cycling books . We reckon these are the ones every proper roadie should have read!

And finally, this article shares our favourite cycling apps (other than Netflix!).

Please support Epic Road Rides

A huge amount of time and effort goes into the article you’ve just read, all with the aim of helping you!

If you found what you’ve read useful, I’d really appreciate it if you dropped something in the tip jar here .

It’s a way you can say thank you and help us carry on creating top quality content with no annoying ads and no pay wall.

Leave us a tip here!

Got a question for Clare?

Fill out this form and we will send it to Clare. We aim to get you an answer within 24 hours wherever possible!

We will use this info to send the enquiry to Clare and/or their team. Our privacy policy explains more and here’s a reminder of our disclosure policy and terms and conditions.

Clare Dewey is a cyclist with a passion for travel. She set up epicroadrides.com in 2018 to help make it easy for cyclists to explore the world by bike. Today her mission is still inspiring cyclists to discover new places on two wheels – and doing what she can to make sure they have the best possible time while they’re there. Clare has visited 50+ destinations around the world, many of them by bike.

The contents of this website are provided for general information purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on it. You should carry out your own due diligence and take professional advice. We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content on our website is accurate, complete or up to date. If you use any information or content on this website, download from, or otherwise obtain content or services through our website, it is entirely at your own discretion and risk. Epic Road Rides Ltd disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the information and content on this website. Find out more here .

9 Responses to “21 best cycling documentaries (that every serious cyclist should watch)”

Great list – cheers

Not at all – glad you like it!

Rising from Ashes is incredibly inspiring, I don’t remember how I watched it years ago, but it looks like now you can only buy it on vimeo https://vimeo.com/ondemand/risingfromashes

Thanks for this! Looks like a great watch, what an inspiring story! https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2088883/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dod7harhgJ8

Hi Jethro, thanks for this. That link doesn’t seem to work but I think you’re talking about this: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8493156/ Looks awesome; I’ll have a watch, thanks for suggesting it! Clare

Half the Road https://halftheroad.com/ The Hard Road https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1841876/ Pro https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1841798/?ref_=tt_mv_close

Thanks for the suggestions!

Like!! I blog quite often and I genuinely thank you for your information. The article has truly peaked my interest.

Leave your comment

Click here to cancel reply.

Name (required)
Mail (required) (will not be published)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Privacy Overview

Skip to main content
Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Food, Fast: Feeding The Tour De France In 'Eat. Race. Win.'

Patrick Jarenwattananon

Eat. Race. Win. follows the 2017 Tour de France through the eyes of Orica-Scott team chef Hannah Grant. Joe Pugliese/Amazon Studios hide caption

Eat. Race. Win. follows the 2017 Tour de France through the eyes of Orica-Scott team chef Hannah Grant.

Among the small delights corollary to a long bicycle ride is eating, with minimized guilt, a lot of food. Stoke your internal furnace hot enough, and it'll burn through quite a bit. That's true of people who pay to ride bikes — like the NPR crew currently riding RAGBRAI, an annual weeklong bike tour of Iowa, who for years has gone by the backronym No Pies Refused . It's just as true for people who get paid to ride bikes.

The Tour de France, whose 2018 iteration is currently being waged in the Pyrenees mountains near the Spanish border, is among the great human achievements of energy expenditure — which means it's equally reliant on energy replenishment. Racing your bike for four-to-six hours nearly every day for three weeks is not particularly natural or good for you. But if, along the way, you could eat delicious regional cuisine for pleasure, instead of simply ingesting calories because science, it might remove the insult from the injury.

The Epic 2,200-Mile Tour De France Is Also A Test Of Epic Eating

That's part of the premise behind Eat. Race. Win. , the Amazon Prime Video six-episode series that puts a new spin on the embedded sports documentary. We spend plenty of time with Orica-Scott, one of 22 teams racing last year's Tour de France, witnessing its misadventures and triumphs. The novelty is that we also see it through the eyes of the team chef tasked to feed the hungry men who eat three times what normal people do.

That chef is Hannah Grant, who, as she explains a few times, apprenticed at restaurants with plural Michelin stars before receiving an unusual employment offer with a cycling team. A few years later, the Dane has two cookbooks, two mobile kitchen trucks with her name plastered all over them, a staff of at least three sous-chefs, and a video team following her around France in July. She didn't follow pro cycling at first; she's now its celebrity chef.

That sounds like — and it is — a niche within a niche. But there's plenty of sense to Grant and her counterparts' jobs. In the technocracy that has now overtaken pro cycling (and most every other sport) in search of marginal advantages, athletes' diets became more important. Consider that Tour cyclists require some 6,000-plus calories per day, and that one easily loses one's appetite sometime around the fifth viscous carbohydrate gel slurped down while on the bike, and that stomach issues on one day can derail an entire year's worth of preparation, and you see why you'd want to control that variable. Gone are the days of unpalatable chicken breasts and overcooked pasta with ketchup every night; in are fresh, whole foods and specialty diets and someone who can take charge of delivering calories at the right times in the right ways. (Fun fact: There's literally a top-flight team whose primary sponsor is a kitchen appliances manufacturer, and the current world champion is on it.) Team chefs now seem like the norm rather than the exception.

There's both art and science behind the whole what-to-eat-and-when question, and for the most part, Eat. Race. Win . focuses on the art. Grant glides past topics like macronutrient delivery or anti-inflammatory properties; we largely see her working out the emotional narrative. She makes sure her emaciated warriors get a steak dinner as a morale boost, or fresh sashimi after the hardest days are over. She and her team philosophize about finding purpose in the enjoyment of others. There are gratuitous visits to family-owned farms to source the finest meats and cheeses in all the land, and with the land in question being France, the locavore farm-to-table food porn is hors catégorie : heirloom strawberry-picking, organic asparagus-digging, Mediterranean tuna fresh off the boat, lamb and beef and chicken straight from the butcher, wine of course, fromage so rich and fresh it looks like yogurt.

In 2017, team Orica-Scott claimed and defended the white best young rider jersey of Simon Yates in the Tour de France. Joe Pugliese/Amazon Studios hide caption

With Eat . covered, there's still Race . and Win . to take care of, and for that, Grant's male foil is Orica-Scott team director Matt White. A former racer himself, the Australian is in charge of the strategy, which means plotting out everybody's role on every day. (Those new to the Tour will note that while there is also an overall competition, every single day is its own separate race or stage, among other races within the race.) In the great tradition of sportsball intrigue, there's adversity early and often, and the team is quickly down to Plan B — to keep their young star Simon Yates at the top of the best young rider competition, while hunting down some individual stage wins.

In doing so, all nine racers (and some other support staff) get a little face time. There's Luke Durbridge, whose tour goes very not-as-expected; Esteban Chaves, for whom personal tragedy dents his performance but not his constant smile; Mat Hayman, the veteran domestique who admits to mental fatigue by the end; a bunch of other men who evince an occasional smile despite being totally zonked. It's rarely unequivocally positive, which is part of the point — the sport often reduces you to finding some satisfaction in things other than crossing the line first.

Chris Froome Wins His Fourth Tour De France Title In Paris

The series producers' central problem is that the prime action in world-class bike racing happens during a few key moments in a four-to-six hour window, and that much of the rest of the day is spent in zombie mode, trying to repair the damage you did to yourself so you can do another four to six hours tomorrow. There's only so much they can do to ratchet up the drama with half the real estate of a typical sports documentary, and Eat. Race. Win. does a fair bit of it, leaving each episode on a bit of a cliffhanger before revealing a race result, for instance. But those who loved the team's homemade behind-the-scenes videos — they're all on YouTube under the heading Backstage Pass — might find some of the more intriguing intricacies of bike racing (and the most sparkling personalities) a bit neutered for a more general audience. Rethinking or getting rid of the race commentary narration, which at very least sounds like it was scripted and manufactured in a too-clean studio during post-production, might also help.

The biggest philosophical issue, however, is making the two halves — cyclist eats and cyclist feats — seem like they belong together. As Grant points out, the support vehicles literally take a different route each day from the riders; she spends her days in markets and farms and hotel parking lots. "The Tour de France is two races," she says at the very start of the pilot. "The one we all know — and mine." For the most part, the two races interact only at breakfast and dinner, and as a result, Eat. Race. Win. feels like exactly the sum of its parts, and no more.

To the extent that it works, it's because athletic drama and gastronomic delight are inherently interesting even secondhand, and, given that they're literally touring France, incredibly photogenic. It's also because the filmmakers have given us a few anchoring elements in the curious Grant and the mildly beleaguered White. That's enough to get us through six episodes and 2,200 miles sufficiently satiated and occasionally charmed.

Will it make more fans of Hannah Grant, or of team Orica-Scott (now known as Mitchelton-Scott), or of bike racing in general? That's unclear. But in the Tour de France, nearly 200 riders start, and one wins. It's the little joys along the way, the internal rewards of process vs. product, the lesser victories, the ancillary benefits — it's in the accumulation of these moments and details where most derive meaning from the sport. You might think about this TV series in the same way.

Tour de France

Please enable javascript to view this site.

Digital Theatre
Amazon Prime
BBC iPlayer
STARZPLAY UK
Walter Presents
Netflix Top 10s
Amazon Prime Top 10s
Sky + NOW Top 10s
5 films to see this weekend
Top 10 TV shows on catch-up
TV highlights this month
VOD release dates
Hide Navigation

Amazon orders Hannah Grant Tour de France series

Riviera box set hits 5 million downloads, facebook, microsoft, twitter and youtube team up to counter extremist content, related posts, amazon’s cold war joins cannes 2018 line-up, as netflix sits out... april 12, 2018 | david farnor.

Amazon Studios inks first-look deal with Brightstar... August 16, 2019 | David Farnor

Indian Wells ATP tennis to stream live on Amazon Prime... March 16, 2019 | David Farnor

Joe Cornish’s Snow Crash leads trio of new Amazon series... September 30, 2017 | David Farnor

Pick a Channel

Search the mag for a review

About VODzilla.co

What to watch right now

BBC iPlayer recommendations

Best horror on Amazon Prime

Best horror on Netflix UK

Find a film on-demand

Netflix UK reviews

Amazon Prime UK reviews

New Netflix UK releases

New on Amazon Prime Video UK

New on Disney+ UK

New on Apple TV+ UK

New on BritBox UK

UK streaming recommendations

007 streaming guide

Game of Thrones: How to watch online

UK TV air dates

UK TV: This month's highlights

UK VOD releases

Best of BBC iPlayer All 4 recommendations Shows on ITV Hub My5 UKTV Play

Films on BBC iPlayer

Images on VODzilla.co are authorised and subject to restrictions. Permission is required for any further use beyond viewing on this site. Remote control icon created by Bjoin Andersson from Noun Project.

VODzilla.co is partly funded through affiliate marketing, which means that clicking some links on this page may generate income for the site. However, this is an independent publication: we take care not to let commercial relationships dictate the editorial stance of content or the writing staff.

Giro d'Italia stage 11 Live - The sprinters return

Jan Ullrich opens up about doping before documentary about his traumatic life and career

'I didn't want to be a traitor' 1997 Tour de France winner says justifying his silence

Jan Ullrich at the presentation of his documentary series

Jan Ullrich has opened up for the first time about blood doping during his career, with the 1997 Tour de France winner expected to make a fuller, detailed confession in a four-part documentary series that will be released on Amazon Prime in Germany from November 28 called 'Der Gejagte' – 'The Hunted'.

Ullrich lost control of his life in 2018 due to alcohol and cocaine but recovered thanks to help from one-time rival Lance Armstrong and then professional help in Germany.

He suggests the two-year process of creating an intimate documentary series about his life has helped him finally find peace with his past.

Ullrich's victory in the 1997 Tour de France made him the poster boy for a boom in German cycling and he became Armstrong's biggest rival in the sport before allegations and then proof emerged that he was part of the infamous blood doping ring centred on Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes.

Jan Ullrich: I was just like Marco Pantani… nearly dead Jan Ullrich and the long road home 'I took cocaine, drank whisky like water and was close to death' – Jan Ullrich opens up in documentary

Ullrich once claimed that he "never cheated on anyone" but that was linked to his belief that all his rivals were also doping.

"If you wanted to keep up, you had to take part," Ullrich said in an interview with German weekly magazine Stern a few days before the documentary is released.

"The general attitude was: If you don't do this, how will you survive in a race? Without help, the widespread perception at the time was that it would be like going to a gunfight armed only with a knife."

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Ullrich will turn 50 on December 2, and the release of the documentary will make another important step in his return to full health and acknowledgement of his past. He now says he regrets not speaking sooner, now knowing that a confession could help him find inner peace and overcome his personal problems.

"In 2006 I wasn't able to talk because I didn't want to be a traitor," Ullrich told Stern . "I didn't want to come out with half-truths and certainly not with the whole truth.

"The lawyers told me: Either you go out and tear everything down, or you don't say anything at all. I decided on the second recommendation at the time. Because tearing everything down would also have meant that I'm dragging a lot of people down with me into the abyss.

"From today's perspective, I should have spoken. It would have been very hard for a brief moment, but after that life would have been easier."

Ullrich was eventually banned for doping in 2012 after the drawn-out Dr. Fuentes investigation in Spain. He was also stripped of his results from 2005 and 2006.

In 2015 he moved to Mallorca to try to start a new life. Money wasn’t a problem but his mental health was. He began drinking heavily – up to two bottles of whiskey a day – and also consumed cocaine after he separated from his wife Sara, who took their children back to Germany.

"The crash in 2018 almost cost me my life, I lost a lot," Ullrich said, suggesting he was not "far from death."

"The mix of whiskey and cocaine made my heart colder. It brings up all the evil qualities in you. It turns you into a monster in a very short time." If you no longer have a heart, you are no longer human."

Ullrich was taken into police custody twice in 2018, once after breaking into a neighbour's home in Mallorca, and then after attacking an escort in a Frankfurt hotel. The huge headlines in Germany lifted the lid on Ullrich's personal problems.

His wife's threat to stop him speaking to his children made Ullrich seek professional help. An intervention by Armstrong, who travelled to Europe to help his former rival, also played a significant role. The two are now good friends and again went riding together in Mallorca this summer.

The documentary has been part of his long healing process, with Ullrich returning to the Tour de France and other races to see former teammates and friends. He has also returned to riding his bike regularly.

"I'm hungry for life again," Ullrich said. "I want to see my children grow up."

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters , Shift Active Media , and CyclingWeekly , among other publications.

Cian Uijtdebroeks abandons Giro d’Italia as Visma-Lease a Bike down to four riders

Rod Ellingworth - 'Ineos Grenadier's Giro d'Italia team are riding superbly well'

Giro d'Italia abandons: The full list of riders who have left the 2024 race

Most Popular

an image, when javascript is unavailable

Max Set for June Launch in France With Prime Video, Canal+ Distribution Deals

By Elsa Keslassy

Elsa Keslassy

International Correspondent

‘Wild Diamond’ Director Agathe Riedinger on Her Cannes Competition Debut Tackling the Hyper-Sexualization of Women in Reality TV 10 hours ago
France’s Les Films du Losange Acquires Raymond Depardon’s Banner Palmeraie et Desert (EXCLUSIVE) 11 hours ago
Cannes Film Festival President Iris Knobloch on France’s #MeToo Movement, Women Representation and Political Protests: It’s a ‘Great Moment of Transformation’ 12 hours ago

Warner Bros. Discovery will launch its streaming service Max in France on June 11 with distribution deals with Canal+ and Prime Video , ahead of the start of the Olympic Games on July 26.

The launch in France will follow Max’s rollout in 22 countries across the Nordics, Iberia, Central and Eastern Europe on May 21. Under the agreements, the standalone service will be available on all platforms, including on set-top boxes for Prime Video and Canal+ subscribers.

Popular on Variety

Under its deal with Prime Video, Max will have two different offers: Max Basic priced at €5.99 per month, and Max Standard, without advertising, priced at 9.99€ per month. The Sports-Add option, meanwhile, will be available for an extra €5. It will showcase major international and European sports, including tennis tournaments such as the Australian Open, Roland-Garros, The Championships, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open; cycling with the Giro d’Italia, La Vuelta a España and the Tour de France; in addition to the Tour de France Femmes, 24 Hours of Le Mans and every major winter sports World Championship and World Cup events.

Warner Bros. Discovery and Prime Video partnered last year to launch an offer called Warner Pass , which was available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video Channels in France and boasted all of HBO’s programs, along with 12 channels. While the Warner Pass will dissolve, its subscribers will now be able to access Max at no extra cost.

Besides the Olympics, Max’s European launches will also coincide with the premiere of Season 2 of HBO’s “House of the Dragon” on June 17.

More From Our Brands

Kanye west sued for ‘blatant theft’ of donna summer’s ‘i feel love’, the new kawasaki ninja h2r superbike is the world’s most powerful motorcycle, nfl playoff rematches, christmas games highlight 2024 schedule, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, chicago fire says an emotional goodbye to boden in finale promo, verify it's you, please log in.

Cast & crew
User reviews

Back to Black

The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.