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Cyclefilm releases The Trilogy, a collection of DVD’s covering the Maratona dles Dolomites in Italy, the Spanish Quebrantahuesos event and, in France, La Marmotte.
Your guide over the cols and along the beautiful roads that feature in the three films is Mike Cotty, who consistently finishes near the front of the sportives he takes part in. For example (and to give an idea of how fast he is) he finished 22nd in the 2006 L’Etape, making him the highest placed British rider.
So he certainly knows a thing or two about scaling the great heights of the climbs featured in the three films. Each of the routes were filmed over a two day period, with the team fitting the filming in around busy schedules. Needless to say, the results, from watching the trailer, are impressive. Covering three of the best known sportives from three countries reveals some quite glorious scenery and some of the finest roads you’d have the pleasure of wanting to ride.
This isn’t the first time Mike Cotty and Cyclefilm have worked together. The Road to Loudenville, a preview of the 2007 L’Etape, was their first project together, as Cotty says: “I met Markus from Cyclefilm last November when we put The Road to Loudenvielle DVD together. The ideas started to flow as quickly as the miles passed on the road and that’s where the foundation for The Trilogy began. I’d done a lot of the French Grand Trophee series when I lived abroad but it was almost impossible to describe just how amazing some of the events are out there and throughout Europe.”
“What’s that saying? ‘Seeing is believing.’ It’s really great to be involved in a series like this, and to have the opportunity to showcase some of the best roads and events in Europe. I’ve always been inspired when in that environment, but never been able to express it fully until now. I hope that more cyclists can take a piece of that inspiration and one day enjoy that ‘I want to ride forever’ feeling for themselves.”
Trailer
The trailer gives an idea of what to expect from the full DVD’s.
The Trilogy Volume 1 – Maratona dles Dolomites (Release Date: October 22nd)
Set in the heart of the truly stunning Dolomites mountain range, the Maratona may be a relatively short 138km in distance but it’s a course that’s steeped from start to finish in pure Giro d’Italia history.
The Trilogy Volume 2 – Quebrantahuesos (Release Date: November 12th)
Fierce headwinds, torrential downpours, brain numbing snow storms and the ever present bearded [eh? – Ed.]vulture circling above make this anything but an ‘easy ride’, as the film follows Michael Cotty and the CycleFilm team on their scouting trip across the Spanish and French Pyrenees.
The Trilogy Volume 3 – La Marmotte (Release Date: December 10th)
Every ride must come to an end, and there’s no better place for ‘The Trilogy’ to conclude as it climbs the infamous 21 hairpin bends to the summit of the legendary L’Alpe d’Huez.
The films also include the ‘Sportive Survival Guide’, showcasing climbing and descending techniques and tips on group riding.
