When I reserved this series on Netflix, I had no idea who Ewan McGregor was and, still, barely know anything about Borman. Since, I've watched a couple of McGregor films and have forgiven him for the Star Bores outings.
Some viewers, pretending to be "real motorcyclists," have panned this program because of the "support" McGregor and Borman managed to provide for themselves from manufacturers and a small production team. One goofy character called this team "massive," which must run him out of adjectives when he has to describe a concert crowd or a rush hour bus. The actual team was small, compared to the task they set out for themselves. A couple of technical folks, a producer who managed some of the boarder and transportation logistics, and a constantly whining Russian doctor/nurse in a pair of cages that rarely managed to be at the right place at the right time. The three bikers, including a bike-mounted cameraman, managed to get themselves from one end of the world to the other with minimal assistance from their "massive team." If you've ever attempted anything long-distance on a motorcycle, you know what kind of accomplishment this was. If you've ridden a street bike, which the BMW GS bikes are, offroad, you have to be impressed with this achievement. If you're an idiot, you burn up your trustfund and pay for your trips yourself. If you have a clue, you turn your vacations into a production and get vendors to kick in a little assistance. Anyone whining that these guys weren't self-funded fools is just jealous because he didn't have the talent required to get help for his last vacation.
Part of the charm of the program is the unpreparedness of the two primary characters. They weren't serious, or skilled, off road riders, neither were competent mechanics, but both are motorcyclists in the best sense of the word. I'm sure that the scale of the intended production added some motivation to finish the trip, but it still took incredible perseverance to travel from London to New York, the Long Way Round.
Not only did I enjoy this program, I bought it and have watched it several times. It has also inspired me to make my own mini-backroad tour to Alaska this spring.
Some viewers, pretending to be "real motorcyclists," have panned this program because of the "support" McGregor and Borman managed to provide for themselves from manufacturers and a small production team. One goofy character called this team "massive," which must run him out of adjectives when he has to describe a concert crowd or a rush hour bus. The actual team was small, compared to the task they set out for themselves. A couple of technical folks, a producer who managed some of the boarder and transportation logistics, and a constantly whining Russian doctor/nurse in a pair of cages that rarely managed to be at the right place at the right time. The three bikers, including a bike-mounted cameraman, managed to get themselves from one end of the world to the other with minimal assistance from their "massive team." If you've ever attempted anything long-distance on a motorcycle, you know what kind of accomplishment this was. If you've ridden a street bike, which the BMW GS bikes are, offroad, you have to be impressed with this achievement. If you're an idiot, you burn up your trustfund and pay for your trips yourself. If you have a clue, you turn your vacations into a production and get vendors to kick in a little assistance. Anyone whining that these guys weren't self-funded fools is just jealous because he didn't have the talent required to get help for his last vacation.
Part of the charm of the program is the unpreparedness of the two primary characters. They weren't serious, or skilled, off road riders, neither were competent mechanics, but both are motorcyclists in the best sense of the word. I'm sure that the scale of the intended production added some motivation to finish the trip, but it still took incredible perseverance to travel from London to New York, the Long Way Round.
Not only did I enjoy this program, I bought it and have watched it several times. It has also inspired me to make my own mini-backroad tour to Alaska this spring.
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