Thanks, Andre, for this link. Good story, and some of those shots of the straight road & endless bush reminded me of the Francistown-to-Gabs road, or parts of Namibia. People have different motivations, for sure -- I was struck by the references to how painful bike riding (racing?) was, or to "suffering for longer than anyone else." Hearing the sound track reminded me of a conversation I had some years ago with one of the guys at my LBS in Pretoria: As a 17-year-old, he had agreed to go with a couple of slightly older mates on a bike ride from Pretoria to Durban. He had a good road bike, and had done a few rides lasting a few hours. The three of them did the 730-odd kms in two days. He said it was one of the worst experiences of his life. He figured that was what long-distance cycling was all about, and as a result stopped riding for the next ten years! Can't say that I blamed him.
Coming back to the doccie, I liked the reconnection between the brothers. I don't do adversity, though, nor seek out painful tests. Mind you, they have both been top-class athletes, and have pushed themselves seriously, as elite competitive athletes do. I've only ever done sports for recreation--well enough to enjoy myself while not embarrassing myself or threatening any reputations, but certainly not pushing myself to the point where I'm thinking of stopping cycling because of the self-inflicted pain.
Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks, I guess. Glad people do such rides, though, and that others make films about them.
