La Course en Tete

Joel Santoni's beautiful 1974 Merckx documentary. If you've not seen it it's been put on youtube recently and worth, in my opinion, a watch. It also has a fantastic musical accompaniment by David Munrow and London's famous Early Music Consort.

Eddy Merckx - La Course en Tete (Part 1/8) - YouTube
- PART 1
Eddy Merckx - La Course en Tete (Part 2/8) - YouTube
- PART 2
Eddy Merckx - La Course en Tete (Part 3/8) - YouTube
- PART 3
Eddy Merckx - La Course en Tete (Part 4/8) - YouTube
- PART 4
Eddy Merckx - La Course en Tete (Part 5/8) - YouTube
- PART 5
Eddy Merckx - La Course en Tete (Part 6/8) - YouTube
- PART 6
Eddy Merckx - La Course en Tete (Part 7/8) - YouTube
- PART 7
Eddy Merckx - La Course en Tete (Part 8/8) - YouTube
- PART 8

This could probably do with a bump, before everybody ends up missing it.

watching this now. VERY 70s with abstract instrumentals, spatial 'stereo' sound and almost no commentary, just sweat and racing.
Tis' good though, cheers for the links.

Brilliant film, one of my faves... Watch it!

bump - deserves your attention - beautiful

I have a digital copy of the whole thing if anyone is interested. Great film

Favourite bit is Merckx on the rollers, love it.

bump - deserves your attention - beautiful

+1
i've seen it before but i'll remember that it's here for safe keeping!

I'm sure if adidas re-issued those Merckx shoes with LOOK fittings they would sell a shitload.

I saw this film in a cold village hall somewhere up north when I was a kid.

My dad and me sat through the whole thing and never said a word. After the film was over, Dave Lloyd did a bit of a speech and I think Gordon Singleton (Canadian Sprint Champ) was sitting behind us - I maybe wrong, it was so long ago I was just a sprog.

They brought out a framed jersey of Merckx's. Possibly a Peugeot one if I remember right.

Happy days, when we all smoked a pipe...

theres a bit at the end of Part 6 and the start of Part 7 with a rider who's cracked on a climb and then abandons on the way down. i don't know who he is but i don't think you'll ever see a man so totally physically and emotionally beaten as he is- it's tragic and beautiful and a great piece of cycling and human footage.

edit: i think it might be jean jourden, world amateur champion 1961 http://www.cyclingarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=1345
edit: maybe not - according to a comment on youtube "The rider's name who was climbing off is Rene Grelin from the Frimatic-De Gribaldy team. The footage is from Stage 19 of the 1970 Tour de France and they had just climbed the Col du Tourmalet."

http://www.cyclafric.be/equipe_rene_grelin_fr.htm

Cheers for this, found a torrent of it too at; http://cyclingtorrents.nl/details.php?id=40 comes with The Greatest Show on Earth.
Watching now.

just watched this again - such a beautiful film

I will.

I've got it on VHS! Part of the Cycling Weekly collection, think I'll watch it tomorrow, the bit where he's motor pacing is pretty cool, but the bit on the rollers is pretty cool, it's a fantastic film.