Ride the Divide

2700 miles from Canada to Mexico... on a bike! Extreme endurance stuff!! If you enjoy a challenge and like bikes, this is the documentary for you. It's made very much on the fly and is really just a document more than anything, but there's enough polish to help it along and the people are honest, tough and put it all out there. Guy Martins book talks about it and his own account is awesome, but it's great to see it on film, if just for the scenery alone. Not sure I'd be able to do this, but the thought is pretty cool.

I agree with cowsincars that this film really suffers from a lack of storytelling and direction. We're barely introduced to the characters and even what the race is all about. No backstory on the prep or how the race got started or anything. The filmmakers even missed the start of the actual race!

The editing is sloppy. The riders are riding through some of the most scenic areas in the world and the cinematography looks like it was shot by some kid on a phone.

We don't get any real sense of the race or where the riders are in the race other than these audio recordings of the riders phoning in their updates. Many times the riders are talking about "one of the most dangerous things they've ever done" and instead of seeing that we're watching them munch of snacks at a convenience store.

I do a lot of mountain biking and really wanted to like this film but it seems obvious that the filmmakers don't have a clue what they are doing and have produced a very lacklustre YouTube quality video.

This was one of the most colorful, humorous and informative documentaries I have ever had the pleasure to watch. You'll have the pleasure of meeting almost everyone that participated in the journey first-hand. You'll love the story, you'll love the film.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Mike, the director, to ask him questions about the film. He was verbose about the questions I asked about the film and he was glad to answer them.

This is a great film that the entire family can enjoy - even the youngsters. I plan on doing the divide some day - and I'll be sure to film it for the crew so they can laugh at me :)

Enjoy!

I really wanted to like this film, the subject is so interesting (especially to a cyclist)but the film has very little focus. The film makers seem unsure what the focus of the film is (despite the blurb), sometimes we focus on the ride, sometimes the places we are going through, sometimes the film makers themselves. We meet riders that we never visit again or only for two seconds, riders that often seem interesting and engaging. We listen to phone conversations about or with people that we have no idea who they are and we switch focus on to different riders all the time but with no depth or follow up. It misses the human element, there is very little back story to the riders, how they trained and prepared for the event or why they are doing it. The emotions and struggles they go through is very poorly covered and with little understanding, the whole event and feelings of an event like this seem to come as a constant surprise to the film makers. We don't even get to know who came where in the results. Mary's story is the only one that is almost followed through but even then it's patchy and very surface. It's a real shame, this film and subject could be so interesting but a lack of focus, preparation and editing leave this one of the most disappointing films I have seen by no means the worst, it's still watchable but just too surface and nothing really to engage you.

Excellent film. I bought it on a whim after seeing the trailer, not really expecting it to be such a great piece. After I started it, I at first I thought it plunged in too fast with too little introduction to the ride and the race, but as it played out, I saw that the characters had the space to develop during the ride. There was a real connection, and I found myself really rooting for the characters. Have I any criticism? No, none that I can really think of. It was weighted about right for me. It was paced beautifully. There was No forced narrative, no melodrama, just people in the landscape, doing their best. What all the best stories are about. Of course, I'm a cyclist, so I might be a touch biased, but I think even if you're not a cyclist, the scenery is breathtaking, and the human stories so engaging it will keep you with them all the way.