Author Archive

Hell on Wheels

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011 by
Bicycle Film Series
Friday, Nov. 18
6:45 p.m. sharp, doors at 6 p.m.
REI Seattle, 222 Yale Ave. N
Tickets are available in advance through Brown Paper Tickets
Cascade members: $3
General public: $5

In 1994, documentary filmmaker Pepe Danquart won an Academy Award for his short film about racism on a German streetcar, Schwarzfahrer.  He’s since turned his lens on sports, with a film about one of the last remaining East German hockey teams ten years after the fall of the Berlin wall, and another about speed rock climbing.

On Friday, November 18th, Cascade will be showing Danquart’s unique take on the Tour de France, Hell on Wheels. Going beyond the traditional tour documentary, Hell on Wheels focuses on the courage, the pain and the fear of the riders of the Tour.

Training his lens on German superstar sprinter Eric Zabel and his loyal domestique Rolf Aldag, Danquart captures the thrill of the race and the teamwork behind the stars of the peleton. He also shines light on the Tour’s supporting cast – the director sportifs, masseurs, and, of course, the wildly enthusiastic fans.

Reveling in the stunning landscape – from the Alps to the Pyrenees to the Massif Central to Paris – and with a nice dollop of Le Tour’s history, Hell on Wheels transcends the sport it celebrates to reveal an astonishing human endeavor.

Riding with Reindeer: A Bicycle Odyssey through Finland, Lapland and Arctic Norway

Monday, November 7th, 2011 by

Cascade Presentation Series “Season Kick-off”

REI Seattle, 222 Yale Ave. N
Tuesday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m.
Free!

Finding yourself leery of wildlife after watching this video? Come out tonight to hear about the kinder, gentler reindeer who relieve Seattle author Robert Goldstein’s solitude as he pedals across sparsely populated Lapland and slowly makes his way through the Arctic.

Robert’s presentation will intersperse comical insights into the mind of a solitary traveler with rich cultural and historical anecdotes of passing through forests littered with rotted fortifications, rusted tanks and mass graves—the detritus of Finland’s desperate defense against a massive Soviet invasion in the winter of 1939.

Robert’s first book, “The Gentleman From Finland, Adventures on the Trans-Siberian Express”, received the Benjamin Franklin Award for best travel memoir in 2006. For a sneak peak of his bicycle journey, check out his travel blog.

100 person max capacity for this free event, so be sure to arrive early!

With My Own Two Wheels TONIGHT in Tacoma

Friday, September 23rd, 2011 by

Friday, Sept 23, 6 p.m.
$10/adult, $5/student
Tickets available at the door
Charles Wright Academy
7723 Chambers Creek Road W
Tacoma, WA 98467 [map it!]

If you missed our showing of With My Own Two Wheels this summer, you’ve got another chance to check it out TONIGHT. The film, which is currently being shown across the country and internationally as part of Bicycle Film Festival, features five incredible stories about the life-changing power of a bicycle. Shot on location in Zambia, Ghana, India, Guatemala and California, the film includes breathtaking regional footage and inspirational narratives that highlight the impact a bicycle can have in improving a life.

This special showing is being put on by the students of Charles Wright Academy for World Bicycle Relief. Since 2005, World Bicycle Relief has provided 87,265 bicycles to people in developing nations. They work with local assemblers to produce heavy duty bicycles designed to withstand rugged roads while carrying up to 200 pounds of cargo. As part of their current project, they’re working to provide 50,000 bicycles to improve rural Zambian children’s access to education.

Charles Wright Academy has already raised $7,000 to support this project, with the goal of raising a total of $14,000, and they plan to send five students to Zambia in February to help assemble and distribute the bikes. Come out this Friday to see an awesome movie and support a great cause!

The Way Bobby Sees It

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 by

The Way Bobby Sees It
Friday, July 15, 7 p.m.
REI – Seattle store

Bobby McMullen is a legally blind downhill mountain bike racer. He has a guide who rides in front of him to shout out turns and obstacles, and from what I’ve heard from people who have ridden with him he’s not only an incredibly talented rider, but more aggressive than many who have the benefit of seeing the obstacles coming up on them.

Bobby lives in California and will be in town on Friday, July 15 on his way up to Crankworx, so this is is a pretty rare opportunity to meet him in person. We’ll also be showing a film about Bobby’s preparation for and competition in the 2007 Downieville Classic Mountain Bike Race, a 17-mile course said to be the country’s most challenging downhill race.

We’re putting this on in partnership with Outdoors for All and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance. Let me know if you’d like more info. What this guy does is so incredible that I can’t imagine anyone who shows up not being completely amazed by it. People can pre-purchase tickets online at Brown Paper Tickets.

Don’t miss the Group Health STP Finish Line Festival #BikeSTP

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011 by

One of the most rewarding moments of the Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic is crossing the finish line. You’ve made it, all 200+ miles on your own two wheels, and there’s a huge crowd waiting to cheer you on for your accomplishment!


The Finish Line Festival in Holladay Park is also an attraction in its own right, featuring music, food and beverage service, exhibitor and sponsor booths, a massage tent, showers and first aid. We’ll also have a New Belgium Beer Garden and ton of giveaways. Even if you’re not riding the STP, if you’re in Portland for the weekend it’s worth checking out.

This year, we’ll have sampling from:

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