Bike racing is a hard business. Ask any of the almost 120 riders who lined up in Worcester this morning with three stages of the Tour of Britain already in their legs. Professional cycling is a sport unafraid to exact a savage toll on those who choose to make it their business, but it offers tremendous rewards in exchange.
Madison Genesis is one of a handful of British squads competing in the UCI Europe Tour. The Roger Hammond-managed outfit will seek to animate this eleventh edition of the modern British tour, and with impressive breakaway rides from Ian Bibby on stage two, and from Tom Stewart a day later, as well as a string of high placings from rising star, Alex Peters, has already made its presence felt.
In this engrossing edit, filmmaker, Carly Brown, goes behind the scenes with the six-strong outfit as they absorb the challenges of stages one and two. Drawing on a mix of fly-on-the-wall footage from meetings and the team car, as well as action from the road, Brown offers a privileged insight into the demands faced by the men who make the race – the riders.
Hammond offers simple advice: the race is not to be feared; his riders not to be overawed. It presents a challenge, but equally represents an opportunity. “You’ve just got to take it with both hands,” Hammond tells his troops. “I can’t give it to you. You’ve got to want it. If you want it hard enough, you’ll do it.” After three days of racing, his team has shown no lack of desire.
