Last night I had the privilege of viewing the new HD release of Pro the feature documentary by retired pro cyclist turned filmmaker Jamie Paolinetti. The film covers a week of racing including the Wachovia Invitational in Lancaster, Pa., the Wachovia Classic in Trenton, N.J. and culminates in the 2004 US Pro Road Cycling Championships at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic.
While I don’t usually care for watching sports, I do have a weakness for documentaries that give insights into the personalities and lifestyles of those involved in sport. For this reason, I really enjoyed Pro. Through a series of interviews with riders from several of the teams contesting the championship, we learn a lot about the strategies each team employs going into each of the three races and how those strategies panned out on the day. Because the focus was not on any single team or rider, the viewer is free to choose their own favourites. I found all the riders to be pretty likeable characters with interesting points of view.
The full documentary can be viewed online at: vimeo.com/ondemand/prothemovie.
