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Yeah, I guess. But if I was racing I wouldn't want to be in the spotlight. To me (and a lot of divide purists) I think you want to be out there to escape modern life in lots of ways. I was definitely mid pack (38th out of 150). Being at the sharp end of the race you're bound to be more used to trailside attention, etc etc.
Not sure I really have a point other than keeping TD pure, free and uncorrupted. Interest rose steadily after Ride The Divide was released, but there hasn't been another documentary about it since that I can think of.
John Prolly rode the first 3 days in 2015 with a salsa film crew, he got heckled a lot.
turnpedal-
Not sure I really have a point other than keeping TD pure, free and uncorrupted.
Yeah, that's a noble goal, but why pick on Lael? We don't check for doping, not even mechanical. People snack on pills to stay awake (and mention them in kit lists!), they eat painkillers (including Petervary, Lael, etc. and freely speak about it on podcasts or in films). If these things remain unchecked and people left unheckled, we have no moral right to even talk about emotional support.
There are a few dimensions to these races if I understand it correctly (only raced once). Fitness, sleep management, discomfort management, navigation, fuel/food, mental side. If you take the first three out of the equation with some doping & pills, what's the point of having rules about emotional support? BTW, if you relieve pain with a painkiller, that's much more of a mental boost than seeing your partner. I doubt anyone can argue against that.
So in short. If we want to keep the TD pure, free, and uncorrupted, let's start with the real issues, not pick on the one person who's making a relatively successful living out of this (which the film is critical for).
plentyfatty
To be honest, I like seeing a well-produced film, but now they've stopped following Lael, I hope they follow some of the middle of the pack. The TCR documentary did a great job of this and I find some of the most interesting stories and characters really do come from the folks who are closer to us "mere mortals".
The Racing to the Rock documentary did a really great job of documenting the front end of a race, so I can understand the mindset of trying to strike a balance between not interfering and trying to show how hard the front runners are pushing themselves.