Enter the Slipstream | Cycling Documentary | Full Movie | Tour de France

The founder of the U.S.A.’s oldest professional cycling team finds himself and the team he has built on the verge of collapse during the sport’s most significant contest: The Tour de France.

Stars: Jonathan “JV” Vaughters, Rigoberto “Rigo” Urán, Dani Martinez, Sergio Higuita, TeJay van Garderen
Directed by Ted Youngs

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[boat vrooming] [wings flap] [commentator] [VO] It’s been months in the waiting. But the waiting is now over. Get ready to welcome the world’s top bike riders to the biggest race in the world. [suspenseful music] Umm… Just please… You know, all of this needs to be… …very confidential. For this team, this tour is, you know, a fight to survive. And I’m probably the only person that knows that. -[commentator speaking French] The riders are getting
set for the start of this race that so many thought would never happen. Let’s hope we can get all the way to Paris. -We’re like an airplane that just ran out of fuel, you know? Like, things seem great from the outside. [jets buzzing] [commentator] [VO] The French
acrobatic team fly overhead as the peloton roll out for the 2020 Tour de France. [Jonathan] But as of today, we have no assurance that…
you know, that 2021 will exist. JV… how long does the team have to find a sponsor? -We got a couple of weeks. I mean, I don’t know, maybe… Maybe three weeks at… at the maximum. [audience applauds] [car buzzing] They want that you take your bike. You do a lap into the stadium. You go to the stage. And then you sit down until the… ‘host’… does his, uh… speech. [crowd cheering] -[Emcee speaking Spanish] [audience cheering] [Jonathan] [VO] My management career with [indistinct] has been very entrepreneurial. Duct-taping an organization together with various sources of
funding. I’ve gone from running a six-rider junior team stuffed into the back of a station wagon… [young Jonathan] Come on, come
on, come on, come on, come on. Get up to speed. There you go. Come on, Freedman. [Jonathan]… to, you know, managing a team that… It’s won four of the five monuments and the second biggest race
in the world, the Giro d’Italia. [speaking Spanish] -[Juan Manuel speaking Spanish] -[upbeat music] -[wheels spinning] Rigo! Rigo! Rigo! Holy shit, Juanma. What happened?! The favorites to win this stage… Education First Pro Cycling with Rigoberto Urán. The Colombian champion returns
to competition after an injury. [Juan Manuel] [into radio] Very good, boys. Very good stuff. Very good stuff. [audience cheering] [Juan Manuel] [into radio]
Very good, Rigo. Very, very good. Okay, boys. Come on. [audience cheering and applauding] -Rotate. Rotate to the left. [Juan Manuel] [into radio] Rotate
to the left. Rotate to the left. Girar a la izquierda. [audience whooping and applauding] [Juan Manuel] [into radio] All right, boys. Great, great.
Come on, we are going to win the time trial, come on… [motorcycle honking] [Announcer] Okay, in front now, coming in
together, we have the first place team… [Announcer] Whew!!
[Announcer] 18 minutes and 3 seconds. 45 seconds faster than [team] Deceuninck. -Whoo! [audience cheering] Give a big hand to Rigoberto Urán
and the EF Education First Team… For winning the first stage of the Tour Colombia. [birds chirping] -[Juan Manuel speaking Spanish] -Ah? -[Juan Manuel speaking Spanish] -[Rigoberto speaking Spanish] [cameras clicking] Rigo! Rigo! Rigo! [kids applauding] Thanks, kids! For me, riding a bike is not a job. Because I do it with passion. Cycling has been my life.
Cycling has given me lots of things. [upbeat music] Silver in the Olympics. Second in the Giro d’Italia. Second in the Tour de France. Just like in the Tour de France the past two years… We are riding for Rigo. The guys need to go and train –
please move to the side of the room. The guys need to train. [wheel buzzing] [crowd cheering] [Juan Manuel] The last one-and-a-half kilometers probably is the steepest. Just be straight with your teammates, and go for it. [Jonathan] [VO] It’s an incredibly difficult sport to even stay alive in
from a business perspective. You have to consistently produce. [Announcer] Sergio Higuita
of Education First wins stage 4. [Jonathan] [VO] You have to
always be sort of in the frame. [crowd cheering] [Jonathan] [VO] You don’t always have to win. A big hand for the winning team, Education First! [crowd cheering] [glasses clinking] [Jonathan] [VO] But if you’re
not being talked about at all, the sponsors don’t derive any value from that, so why would they stick around? If you want to look at core reasons for doping, that instability is a very core reason that people will do anything to perform. [commentator] [VO] The acceleration of Armstrong is absolutely frightening. Armstrong is flying away. I can’t remember the last time I saw a yellow jersey ride like that. [Francois] [VO] Doping has always been part of cycling. But the performances have become totally, well, unbelievable. -It was, you know, whatever you had to do to win, you had to do. [commentator] [VO] The boys
who have guided Lance Armstrong now bring him on to the Champs Élysées. [Jonathan] [VO] What should have been the pinnacle of my career was instead… bullshit. It changed the direction of my life. [Charlie Rose] [on TV] Jonathan Vaughters is a former Tour de France teammate of Lance Armstrong. He admits using performance-enhancing drugs and testified against Armstrong before the US Anti-Doping Agency. Welcome. -Part of the reason you’re here, right, is you are trying to change cycling for the better? -Yeah, absolutely. I… I… I mean, it has to happen. [crowd cheering] [Francois] [VO] It was not an easy period to… To launch a team and to say, “I’m going to do something different.” [crowd cheering] [Francois] [VO] He really
managed to create a team culture that’s very different from the other teams. -[speaking Spanish] -You know, like… 20… 24 hours… [Juan Manuel] We ready? [Charly] I raced between ’99 and 2011. I never won a race in my whole career, so I was just helping in the hills… Made a living out of that. I think our sport looks even more cruel than it is because a race can take hours and hours and hours. And if somebody has the race on at home on the TV and then they go out to the shops and they come back, they can see that loser pulling on the TV for hours. And then he disappears, and some guy they haven’t seen all day pops out of nowhere, and like goes on the podium and kisses the girls. Maybe it can come across as unfair, but it works, you know. [Jonathan] [VO] Like any other team sport, we have different positions for different riders. Most of the riders on the team are not actually trying to win the race themselves, they’re actually trying to help somebody else win. Coffee for everybody? [Neilson] Yeah, yeah. Cappuccino… Two cortados… Coffee with… Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh mother! In our team there are cyclists from everywhere and friendship among all of us is essential. It doesn’t matter if it is an American or an Italian. Each of us has clear objectives and tries
to help our team mates as much as possible. A leader has to be available for anything. A leader wants the team to win. I always want Education First to succeed. [indistinct chattering] [glass clinks] -We’re a family that’s unlike any other. -[laughter and applause] -Anyhow, um, this is the only time you can see each other all year long. Enjoy this time. [speaking Spanish] [everyone speaking Spanish] -All right, good. Thank you. -[applause] [Jonathan] [VO] Where 2020, is for me, is that we’re starting onto the path of “Can this team win the Tour de France?” This is the first year I’ve ever asked that question. [suspenseful music] [female reporter] [VO] Cycling’s most famous race, the Tour de France, has been postponed due
to the coronavirus pandemic. -The situation at the moment is very concerning for individual teams, but the sport as a whole. [Jonathan] [VO] You know, are
any of the races gonna happen? We might not exist because of this COVID thing. Fifteen years of always having something to do to keep the team going. And, all of a sudden… it just stopped. -I mean, it’s… it’s tough. Cycling. The team. It could all go away. There’s still an awful lot of unanswered questions at the moment. It’s rough though, because as a group of people, we’re not used to… accepting that kind of uncertainty. [indistinct chatter from the TV] [waves shushing] [indistinct chattering] [birds chirping] [commentator] [VO] There’s been so much talk that we’re not gonna have the Tour de France. We finally got here. Twenty-two teams. One hundred and seventy-six riders. One of the toughest Tour de Frances in years. -Pressures that are on me, and the pressures that are on the organization. That pressure is something that is very intense. [commentator] [VO] Looking forward to seeing these riders get racing. There’s a huge amount of expectation. And now EF Pro Cycling. -This combination of youth and experience you have on this particular team has a lot of expectations coming your way. What is your favorite part of your team? -With Rigo basically sort of almost as, like, the road captain, that’s a big unifying factor in this team. He’s the most talented Colombian of his generation, if not the most talented rider of his generation. Cycling was a way out of torture and misery, quite literally, for Rigo. [sentimental music] His father was killed when he was 13 years old by a gunshot that was part of the drug wars around Medina at that point in time. You know, winning races was a way to feed his family. You can’t imagine a better leader. Huigita and Dani Martinez, they would sacrifice
themselves in a second for Rigo. For Dani and Sergio, what does it mean to you to be besides Rigo and what will
be your role during the Tour? To be besides Rigo is fundamental… Because he gives unity and confidence to the team. When I got the opportunity to
ride with him, my life changed. You come to a team with people you used to
idolize and now you sleep in the same room. It is a huge boost for your ego. To Sergio, how does it feel to
be in your first Tour de France? Well, this is a dream come true. I watched my first Tour at 10, and
since then I’ve dreamt of being here. And now I am 23 and I have made it, so I’d love to get to Paris. My goal in the Tour is to support Rigoberto. Learn from him. And be sure Rigo knows he has a
team behind him that can win the Tour. I feel at ease knowing Rigo and Sergio are here. The problem is, what happens if all three of us crack? Fuck… the three of us cracking. [all laughing] Cancel the interview. Fuck… Knock on wood, knock on wood. [suspenseful music] [Jonathan] [VO] The stakes are higher this year than they normally are. You know, we’re gonna meet 3,000 people dragging around from town to town in France. That is certainly not without risk in an era of a pandemic. [chain cracking] [Charly] How did that feel, Neilson? First Tour de France [indistinct]. [Neilson] It feels good, man. -You screwed up the top left corner there. [Neilson] Yeah, I’m worried that if I try to fix it, it’s gonna get worse. [chuckles] When you’re in a hole, stop digging. [Neilson] [VO] I only got the call that I was gonna be officially racing the Tour
about six, seven days ago. Grew up racing triathlon, and at one point, I sort of started to focus on cycling. [male reporter 1] [VO] He’s cycling’s newest sensation, Neilson Powless. [male reporter 2] [VO] Who was named best young rider in the 2016 Tour California. [female reporter 1] [VO] Neilson Powless is even being projected as a
future Tour de France winner. -It still doesn’t really feel… real. -It’s Nielsen’s first day of the Tour, and I think you two together can help reassure him. If you have a doubt, ask Tejay. And if Tejay tells you something, do it. [upbeat music] [Tejay] [VO] I feel like I’m the role model to a lot of the young guys on the team because they see me as a veteran. I’ve been fifth in the Tour twice. I was named the Leader of the Tour for a couple of years there. I’d say that I’m… I’m… I’m happy with what I’ve done, but I’m not content to call it a day right now. -[crowd cheering] Rigo! Rigo! We love you, Rigo! [marching music] [commentator] [VO] The riders are getting set for the start of this race that so many thought would never happen. [jets buzzing] It’s time for the 2020 Tour de France. [upbeat music] We get a chance here to look at Rigoberto Uran wearing number 71, one of the coolest customers of the stage. And it’s raining now. This is a little bit more tricky. Crash already. Oh, another crash. Oh, this is a big, big crash this time. [suspenseful music] Roglic saying, “Calm down.” -Super hectic day and so many guys are going down. It was terrible. -There was no reason for it to be… as chaotic as it was or people to be panicking. But good to get this day behind us. [water splashing] [solemn music] Let’s work well with the back. I need you to take the pain away. Last year I was going to end my career. Those were the instructions
from my wife and my mother. That I wouldn’t ride a bike anymore. -You know, he’s late in his career. I mean, he’s 33 years old, um, and has been racing since he was 19. He crashed in the Vuelta a España. He hit hard. Broke his collarbone, broke some ribs. A couple of the ribs went into his lung, punctured the lung.
Shattered his scapula. -[nurse speaking Spanish] [Jonathan] [VO] Most of the time, doctors see broken scapulas
in car accidents that are fatal. I think a lot of us thought, you know, maybe this is when Rigo calls it a day. [indistinct chatter] When you feel passionate about
something, it is hard to leave. I didn’t think I would come back to the Tour. I had difficult moments. But I have worked for a long time. [high pitched buzzing] [Jonathan] [VO] We didn’t expect him to want to race here. But he insisted on it. The legs. Power. Power. They have power. [crowd] [chanting] Rigo! Rigo! Rigo! Rigo! Rigo! Rigo! [Jonathan] [VO] A race like this brings such an amount of being witness to human endurance, being witness to how far
humans can push themselves. That’s why people watch cycling. [upbeat music] The Tour de France started out as a publicity stunt. Can a man ride a bicycle all the way around the country of France? It was almost like an odyssey. It was a voyage. Just a pure endurance event
back then, a perseverance event. [gunshot] [upbeat music] [Francois] [VO] The Tour actually reshaped the geography of France. [Richard] [VO] It was a way of joining up the north with the south and the coast with the mountains. The great star of the Tour de France is France. [announcer 1] [VO] The Tour de France, [announcer 2] [VO] that amazing
3,000 miles cycling marathon… [announcer 3] [VO] …through town, countryside, and over mountain ranges. -It sprinkles stardust as it goes, if you like. I mean, I often think of the Tour as being like an electric spark on a fuse wire traveling around the country. And when you’re on the route, there’s a sort of magic in the air. The air’s heavy with expectation. -They’re up and down the mountains every day for 21 days. And it’s so long, you know, 3,500 Ks. The riders ride for five or six hours every day. [upbeat music] [Tejay] [VO] Doing a three-week grand tour, it’s one of the biggest mental, physical, emotional tests that somebody can partake in. [Jonathan] [VO] It still does retain that hundred-year-old glory through suffering. Bike races aren’t canceled because of rain. They aren’t canceled because of snow. They are run almost no matter what, and the riders have an attitude of, you know, we are… we are road warriors. And, you know, when we fall down, we get back up. This is a sport about perseverance no matter what. [commentator] [VO] Welcome to
stage two of the Tour de France. What an incredible day. [indistinct chattering] -This here is gonna be interesting. We have two proper climbs and then a final loop. It’s probably gonna feel wild,
but then it will calm down. Between us on this bus, take it seriously. Is that clear for you, Dani? Yes, yes, yes, yes… Yes. [indistinct chattering] [helicopter buzzing] [Radio] We are approaching the starting line of the 2nd stage of the Tour de France. [announcer] [VO] One, two… [commentator] [VO] The peloton roll out for stage number two of this year’s Tour. [suspenseful music] -13.5 Ks to the climb. 13.5… Take your time, guys. The peloton is going steady. [helicopter buzzing] Halt… halt… and go. [Andreas] ♪ Fiesta, forever ♪ How good is this song? Yeah? -It’s so good. Just so good. [“All Night Long” by Lionel Richie] [Andreas] ♪ Forever ♪ [“All Night Long” by Lionel Richie] [commentator] [VO] The descent
is a very fast, tricky descent. [crowd cheering] [Radio] Dani’s down! -Dani’s down. Okay, we’re on the way. [car honking] [Andreas] Dani’s down? -Dani’s down. [Radio] [indistinct]. [commentator] [VO] Ooh, a crash. And Martinez has crashed. Martinez crashes on that left-hand turn. [car honking] -Get out of the fucking way! Turning left, the terrain was a little
bit sandy and I lost control of the bike. [commentator] [VO] Martinez
really having to work hard. There’s no one around him. The entire race changed for me. I lost too much time and was out of the game. [Charly] [VO] You know going into the race that something unwanted will happen. And we have to balance the fact that there’s still three weeks of racing to do. Why is it that when you clean my wounds… I feel like I’m going to faint? This will burn a little, ok? Yes? Man… Fuck, dude, I thought you only fell once? What? One what? One time? One… Two times… [groans] Here you are. We’re done here. [indistinct chattering] [shaver buzzing] -There. Here we go. You know, we’ve, uh… had to tighten up the budget this year in EF Pro Cycling, so this is, uh, just one of the ways we’re saving money, on haircuts. Let’s see. Well, we are stage four of the 2020 Tour de France. This is the first very important stage of the race. With the team classification, maybe it’s not exactly the sexiest thing in cycling. But from a sponsor’s perspective, it’s like the best thing you can win in a race. It would mean a lot to… To everybody if we could pull it off, so let’s really fight for it. [suspenseful music] [car honking] [commentator] [VO] Stage four of the Tour de France. This is not a stage that you should fall asleep on the sofa. Still many fans at the side of the road; less than we would normally see because, of course, of the pandemic. Wait… Because Neilson… We don’t want you spent because
we can win the teams classification. -[reporter speaking foreign language on TV] [commentator] [VO] Tejay van Garderen leads. That geezer’s got loads of power. Neilson Powless takes over in second place, Higuita in third place. [Team Physio] Neilson. Neilson Powless. Did you see him? [commentator 1] [VO] That’s incredible. [commentator 2] [VO] What
some people do to be on television. [commentator 1] [VO] Exactly. Rigo is there… boom. -[commentator speaking Spanish] First on GC… Well done, boys. Nice. -Two hundred guys at the start; 199 lose. Only one guy wins. That’s why they created, you know, different jerseys: the best climber, the best sprinter, the best team. [Charly] [VO] For some of the less senior riders or the helpers, it’s a really nice chance to get proper recognition for who you are and what you do. And it’s such a team sport, and there’s so much teamwork goes into it. I know when I raced, it was really great because it gave me a chance to
be actually a winner. [chuckles] Today, yellow helmet. We
are now first among the teams. [Charly] [VO] It’s got massive value for the partners of the team. It’s the team that wins that
or leads it; its EF Pro Cycling. [Richard] [VO] The business model for cycling has been around for over a hundred years. All the money comes from commercial sponsorship. [upbeat music] Cycling is one of the few sports where actually the team is named after the sponsor. -Without the sponsor, that means there’s no team. -It doesn’t matter how much money or how big of a budget a team has any one year; any year, it could all go away. [Francois] [VO] Team managers, their main concern every year is to renew contract of their sponsors, or find new sponsors. -JV has definitely been able to pull a lot of rabbits out of a lot of different hats. He’s always able to… keep this thing going. [indistinct chattering] [Jonathan] [VO] You know, we are the longest running professional cycling team
the United States has ever had. [Francois] [VO] You change the sponsors; you change the name on the shop. But it’s always the same… the same kind of shopkeeper. It’s still Jo… Jonathan Vaughters’s team, you know? Uh… [Spanish music] [Charly] So… what’s your strategy today? [Tom] I reckon the guy most likely to get into the break is Nielson. [Charly] Yeah. Nielson, super riding yesterday. Think with the confidence
you’ve got, and on these roads, it’s gonna be super easy for
you to get in the breakaway. You feel happy trying? Yeah – if you want me to. [upbeat music] [Tejay] [VO] Breakaways are hard to get into. You know, it’s a crapshoot of which move’s a good move, which is not a good move. You have to push your way and elbow your way up to the front in order to try to slip in one of those. -The breakaway performs quite a useful function all the time in the Tour de France in giving these riders some exposure, some active participation in the race, and giving the peloton something to chase. -Sometimes teams send out guys up front, you know, to be shown on TV because… There’s even an expression for that in French, they say… [speaks French] to show the jersey. [Neilson] [VO] Honestly, I didn’t really know what to expect coming into the Tour. But the team told me I’d go for it in a few breakaways… -It’s a harder place to be than in the peloton. For some of the teams and riders, your only chance of being noticed is by doing something out of the ordinary. You’ll only create that chance for yourself if you are there, if you are up the road. [Charly] [into radio] Was that Neilson back there? -[man speaking foreign language over radio] [Charly] [into radio] Come on, Neilson, come on. You can work your way up there. Come on, buddy. [commentator] [VO] Neilson Powless is in this front group riding for EF, a great day for him. His first appearance at the Tour de France. Twenty-four years of age today. It’s his birthday. -To earn respect in the peloton, to… um… to get into a breakaway, you have to be aggressive. [commentator] [VO] Attacks hard. Wraps this one up now. -You have to fight for your position. [commentator] [VO] Another attack of Neilson Powless. -You have to do that in order to… To be a bike rider. [commentator] [VO] We have now got a leading group of four riders. -Cycling fans love breakaways, because it takes courage, it takes cunning. When these guys suddenly decide to up the tempo, you’re just going to follow. [commentator] [VO] Neilson Powless, he’s gonna end up third or fourth on the stage. And that’s the arrival of a
young rider in the world tour. Surely he’s gonna get cake tonight for this. -♪ Happy birthday, dear
Neilson Happy birthday to you ♪ [whoops and applauds] -Thanks, everybody. It’s a great birthday. Um… yeah. Wouldn’t want it any other way. [elevator pings] -What’s going on? [phone ringing] [Rylan] [indistinct]. -Hi. My internet might not be so good. I don’t know if… hopefully we can get chess to work. Hmm… I like your shirt, Rylan. [Rylan] Thank you. -If I get myself an all-white shirt, can you tie-dye it for me? -[Rylan] Um-hmm. -Cool. That can be my birthday present. Even though my birthday was last month, we still haven’t… still haven’t been able to celebrate it. Ah, it doesn’t matter. I don’t
need to get any older anyways. Some people, they, you know, they go into the Tour knowing that okay, they’re not the type of rider who can win the Tour. [Jonathan] [VO] Only one guy gets to win. And all of his teammates helped him to win, but they didn’t get to stand up on the podium. -Cycling is an individual sport. And everybody who becomes
a cyclist has individual goals. I don’t think anybody becomes a cyclist dreaming one day of helping somebody else win. As soon as we know who’s in front, we reset and then everything on Rigo to help him from behind. If you’re not in, Tejay, that’s what I need you to do. To hold on as long as you
can with Rigo and support him. And I know that you can do that. [Jonathan] [VO] You’re gonna have guys that need to… to block the wind. You have to have guys that are gonna have to make position in the bunch. [Richard] [VO] The energy that you’re using is for somebody else. And so that might be working on the front to help bring back a break. It might be just sitting in front of a team leader. One of them might go back for a ring cape from the car for food, for bottles. [Charly] Ice for Rigo. [Andreas] It’s for Rigo. [Richard] [VO] It’s sort of a pedaling waiter, butler, windbreaker. You know, all these things. [commentator] [VO] Tejay van
Garderen tries to set the tempo for the team in pink. -It was basically my job to… to look after Rigo. And, you know, your mind and your role switches. Tejay is always calm and willing to help others. He gives you security and confidence. He is a good friend to me, a good person. -There comes a time in every rider’s career where they have to decide, am I going to carry on pursuing my dream of being a star, being a winner in my own right? -This is the trophy from the 2012 Tour de France when I won the white jersey for best young rider. -Or am I going to, um… turn myself into something
else and abandon those dreams, and become a different kind of rider. There’s a pragmatism in that, and I think an intelligence
in making that decision that… That some display and some don’t. [commentator] [VO] Tejay
Garderen just sneaking through with Rigoberto right on his wheel. [Tejay] [VO] At this level, we… We all kind of have bought into the team aspect and we know what our job is, and we know how to do it. Your value sometimes is determined by how you contributed to another’s success. The thing is if the team wins, then you win. -Hold on, Tejay. Good luck. [indistinct chatter] -Squeeze it more. Three, two… Down, three… It would have been more difficult for me if the Tour had run on the original dates, in July. That would have been complicated. Because back in July I was completely fucked. -He’s put in a pretty… pretty solid effort into… Into… um, uh, pretty solid effort is… is an understatement. He’s put in a… a phenomenal effort into… Into coming back. Having done a ton of physical
therapy over the winter, completely off the bike. You know, the left side of his body is still very atrophied. On the bike, he kind of has to lean to one side. Um, and so here he is. [indistinct chattering] [Charly] [VO] The strength of Rigo, apart from his athletic capabilities, is also his mental approach to life. Things that don’t count just totally flow over him. You see a little bit of that
extend to his racing style. He knows that these races
are 18-round title matches. He’s just gonna follow, and follow, and follow until hopefully, the, you know,
knockout punch moment comes. [commentator] [VO] Rigoberto
rides in a perfect position. -[man speaking foreign language over mic] Aw, Rigo, come on. [Charly] Push, push, push, push, push, push. ‘The Bull from Urrao, ’ Rigoberto Uran. Rigo is climbing up the general classification, he is currently in 6th place. -Yesterday, we did great. We’ve done just great until now. And Rigo was absolutely in the game. Tejay, if you can do anything, you can to help him get in the break, it would be just great. Perfume. Oh yeah?
Yes, that’s perfume. Perfume, very good. Smell it. For the peloton? For the peloton… ’Ah, Rigo smells good!’ Yes, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Everyday. [Jonathan] [VO] It’s kind of funny if you look at it. It’s a lot of second place, second place, second place, second place with Rigo. And a lot of people have said, “Well, you know”, that’s because he’s not ambitious “and he doesn’t have that
killer instinct” or whatever else. And that’s a… that’s a bunch of bullshit. It’s actually incredible that he’s been able to get those second places. His sort of natural gifts are maybe of a rider that would finish 10th or 20th. But he is so smart and intelligent and strategical in how he races, and is willing to push himself so far and hard, that he’s been able to go way beyond where he should have gotten to from a physical standpoint. -Now, he’s looking prime for a podium spot in the Tour, which would be, you know, amazing for him, it would be amazing for EF, and it’d be amazing for me to be a part of that, because he’s just such a great guy. He’s, uh, you know, just a professional all around. It is important to face these races bravely, as they create lots of tension and pressure to keep going. You have to learn to be sure of
yourself, which is not always easy. It’s also important to enjoy that we’ve been doing well, keeping at the front,
and stop thinking too much. Let’s hug the trees. Let’s feel the energy. For pure energy! [crowd cheering] I know my job. I have two jobs. One of them is to give fans joy. [crowd cheering] We walk next to them. It’s an energy that you can’t find elsewhere. It’s true that for people who don’t know cycling. It seems a bit bizarre. [Francois] [VO] Most of the excitement of watching the Tour is, uh, is waiting for it to happen. [cars honking] You see on the roadside adults, you know, clad in polka-dot jerseys, fighting the young kids for a
piece of garbage, you know. -The guy in the devil costume stands out quite a bit. [chuckles] [Richard] [VO] Dinosaurs, devils, anything, you know? They’re already flocking
there, organizing the party, organizing the fun. -[loud cheering] [Neilson] [VO] Beer, marijuana. You can smell all this stuff. [chuckles] [Loudspeaker] We are pleased to inform you that as part of the fight against the COVID-19 virus… [Loudspeaker] …the wearing of a protective mask is mandatory from 8am to 00am. -Usually, the fans have such access to us riders and that’s what people love about the sport. And now, there’s none of that. So, if a fan asks for a selfie, we’re afraid to even talk to them. We all know how high the stakes are. [Jonathan] [VO] The uncertainty with all the testing that we’re doing as to whether or not you’re gonna have to send, you know, staff or riders or the entire team home at any given moment… that’s also, uh… pretty tricky to deal with. We know everybody is at risk. They keep testing us. We’ve been tested around 15 times since we started. [Charly] I really wish I could
take this fucking mask off. [Jonathan] [VO] We’re racing each day to win that day because we don’t know if the next day will happen. There are so many unanswered questions. You know, from… from the broad scale strategic level, it’s… it’s, uh… it’s phenomenally complicated. And… and it’s unnerving. [birds chirping] [bell ringing] [indistinct chattering] [upbeat music] -Everybody here okay? This is the stage. Twenty Ks dead flat. Thirty Ks a little bit more up and down. Seven Ks the first flat. Neilson, try for a break. All right? [commentator] [VO] Another beautiful day here in France for this Tour. -Get in the front, the ones who need to get in the break. Let’s get ready to race. [Tom] Play the game today, Neilson, play the game, yeah? You’re doing good. [Neilson] You got a rice cake? [Tom] Yeah. Good job, buddy. [commentator] [VO] This is the breakaway, 13 riders. We’re approaching one and
a half hours of today’s stage. TOM: [into radio] Really good, Neilson. Just perfect. Fueling now, fueling. Eating and drinking. [commentator 1] [VO] Great to see Neilson Powless in here again for the second time. [commentator 2] [VO] Well, hopefully the breakaway from a couple of days ago hasn’t taken too much out of him, because when you put in a big effort like that during a stage of the Tour de France, it is very difficult to recover. -I’ve got your bag if you need anything, mate. [Neilson] [over radio] Yeah. -On the way, mate. [commentator] [VO] This is Neilson Powless
of EF Pro Cycling. [commentator 2] [VO] Would love so much to… To see him to sort of ride away and take the victory in today’s stage. -Neilson, fill in. Fill in, fill in, fill in. Come on, back to him. Come on. [commentator] [VO] We’re
heading towards the top of the climb. The Port de Lers. [crowd cheering and applauding] -Come on, mate. You can come back to these guys. Come on, it’s all your effort. Eight and a half K to the top. It’s not fucking over, come on! [commentator] [VO] Neilson Powless is refusing to let this go. As he now tries to chase [indistinct], they’re going so quick uphill, they’ll have to squeal on the brakes through their right hander. -Come on, mate, come on! It’s the fucking Tour de France, come on! [commentator 2] [VO] Neilson Powless is putting another great ride in today. For his first Tour de France, we’re seeing him in the breakaway and attacking on a number of occasions. [man] [VO] He’s really giving this Tour everything. [commentator] [VO] Doesn’t look too comfortable at all on this climb. He’s just trying to stay there as long as he can. Neilson Powless in all sorts of trouble on the climb that is the
steepest part of today’s stage. [Tom] We need every second. We need every second. We need every second. [suspenseful music] Fuck! He’s not gonna get there. -[man speaking foreign language over radio] …25 seconds between the
front rider and the changing four. [Tom] [into radio] Keep going up to those four, mate. Come on. [Neilson] Cookies? [chef] Yeah. No. Banana bread. [Neilson] Banana bread? That’s good. All good? [Neilson] Yeah. It’s good. Always good, super strong. Everyday… Boom, bang… Neilson in the break. Who’s in the break? Neilson. Neilson, Neilson… Neilson’s always in the break. [woman 2] Good job. [door opens, squeaks] -Hey. [chuckles] -[woman] [chuckles] Hi, how was it? -Um… It was good. It was tough. No, it was like… I don’t know, kind of frustrating too though because every breakaway that I’ve gone in has gone to the line. Somebody’s won from it. But I just… [woman] Yeah. -I haven’t been able to stick it. It’s also just kind of bittersweet because I’m just like, I’m always… I’m always there. It’s just… man, I just don’t have that little bit extra to… to get something out of it. [suspenseful music] [Sergio] It’s Thursday? [Dani] Or Sunday? -Sunday, no? -[Sergio] Oh… no. -[Dani] No.
[Sergio] It’s Thursday. [Dani] After… after a month,
you start to lose also these… These… these things. But I think it’s Wednesday today, no? [Sergio] No. Thursday. [upbeat music] -Eat, work, eat, work, eat, work. Eat, sleep. What day is it? Today is… Tuesday… Tuesday… Tuesday, September 20th. -Is it the 17th? 18th? 19th? -[announcer speaking foreign language] [Neilson] I’m still laughing at that picture. [indistinct] Where are we? I have no idea. -More eat, eat. More sleep. -Just take a deep breath in. And out. [Tejay exhales] [Team Physio] Ooh, ooh. That’s tight, huh? -Yeah. [Team Physio] Let’s bend the right one. -Yeah. People say think positive, but I feel like that’s a dangerous concept because if you’re like, “Ah,
maybe today will be all right” then you’re not really prepared
for it being a miserable day. But… For a long time, I was thinking… you know, I’m a cyclist. That’s all I think about. I can’t let, um… I can’t let what happens next enter my thoughts. Now, you know, I’m… I’m 32, and that’s not old but it’s certainly not young. It is probably wise to start
thinking a little bit about what’s next because, you
know, years tick by pretty quick. [Team Physio] Holy shit, your feet are furry. -What do… what do you want me to do? Shave my toes? [laughs] [Team Physio] It’s not your toes. It’s like… just the… -I mean… at a certain point, you gotta stop shaving. [Jonathan] [VO] Cycling is such an intense sport, if you begin to put the sport
secondary to something else, you will not be successful. [Tejay] I feel like I’m not playing my best chess right now. I have like stage eight team fog. [Rylan] Mom doesn’t even
want to watch the race anymore because they never show you ’cause you’re so far in the back. -Yeah. [Jonathan] [VO] They have
created a life for themselves. The people around them
revolve around that passion. And it’s not balanced, you know? -Okay. Let’s get ready for bed. [indistinct chattering] [Team Physio] Turn across. To head that more, more. And squeeze that. Squeeze… more… Squeeze more, more, more. Soft in front. And the back, across. Shoulder down, lean over. -We’re doing great. But we’ve also spent quite a bit of energy, right? There’s a lot coming up. By necessity, that means that we have to start making hard decisions. We came here with a leader, and I think now’s the time to make a sacrifice within this group. -[upbeat music] -[Rigoberto] Yeah. I am getting old… but I still look great! Well, the important thing is I feel well. I have always said that these 3 week races require us to be focused until the very last day in Paris. There are hard climbs. We are in a good position. [commentator] [VO] Rigoberto Uran is a rider who is not going to wait. He’s gonna capitalize and
move into the podium if he can. -Push, push, push, push, push. Hurry! [Tejay] [VO] Rigo’s biggest strength as a rider is his consistency. But at the same time, you also can’t crack him. Go, Rigo! [commentator] [VO] Rigoberto Uran is getting ready to strike. [Charly] Let’s go, Rigo! Let’s finish this fucker up! Come on, hurry! [commentator 2] [VO] A strong ride by Rigoberto Uran. He just kept within himself, and that’s experience. [commentator] [VO] A good day for EF. [indistinct chatter] [Tejay] Rigo moved up to third. [Team Physio] Oh yeah? -Should be able to hold it, I think. I would… [Team Physio] How… how about that? -Huh? -[Team Physio] How about that? -[laughs] -[woman] [laughs] How about that? [Jonathan] [VO] From a sponsorship perspective, now we have sort of something to point to for, you know, the next ten days. People’s memories are short. My philosophy is that the
road puts you in the right place. Anything can happen. Take it day be day… -You know, he’s sitting in third place right now. It’s not gonna be easy to wrestle that from Rigo. I fully expect to see him up on the podium in Paris. [wind blowing] [birds chirping] [indistinct chattering] [Andreas] [indistinct], have you seen this last climb? Four thousand five hundred
meters of climbing on this. -But check this out. Dani wasn’t good yesterday so he should maybe try and get some faith back? Staying with Rigo? [Andreas] Okay. [Charly] Because a break will go. Where’s the GC? We’re getting to the bit where people start to get a bit tired, right? As a group, we’ve got a lot going for us. Dani, you didn’t have the best day yesterday, but I think today if you stay with Rigo, build up some confidence, make sure that your legs are back without going out and killing yourself, then we can get you back for later on. [commentator] [VO] Ahead of us now, a different picture as we go into what is gonna be a difficult day. In the meeting they told me: you
will not go in a breakaway today. [helicopter buzzing] [commentator] [VO] On the
front now of the chasing group, the arrival of Martinez. -[man speaking foreign language over radio] But before the actual start, when I was putting oil on my pedals, Charly came to me and said: Dani, if you get a chance and feel strong, go for it. [Radio] Dani Martinez attacks. [commentator] [VO] Daniel Martinez now attacks. Starts the acceleration. [Radio] Martinez just left the group. [commentator] [VO] Can EF salvage this? They have only one rider left in this group now. -[Sergio speaking Spanish] [claps] [commentator] [VO] Martinez is trying to give EF a stage victory in the Tour. Behind him is Kamna, who’s hanging on well. Come on, Dani! You are the best here, you are the best here… Come on! [commentator] [VO] This is wonderful to watch. Martinez is ripping it up here. On the last stretch, Kamna attacked. I kept riding, but I didn’t want to cut him off. [commentator] [VO] Kamna
goes, and Martinez didn’t see it! So he went for it and I was there as well. [commentator] [VO] Kamna’s now going for the line. Martinez, can he get in the slipstream? I changed gear and that was it. [commentator] [VO] Leonard Kamna, 100 meters to go. Martinez comes alongside him now. Martinez of EF is going to outdo the two Bora riders. It’s gonna be a win for the Colombian! -[cheering] [commentator] [VO] Dani
Martinez wins an enthralling stage! [Radio] Dani Martinez, EF. -Yes! -Ah!!! [laughs] The heart sign is for my family, for my son… And also for all the people in Colombia. [commentator] [VO] A wonderful day for EF. A fantastic day for Dani Martinez. [woman] Whoo-hoo. The paparazzi’s here. Well done, Dani! You have diamonds in your legs. [chuckles] -[applauding] [bottle pops] -[applauds and whistles] -Guys! Thank you very much to all… all team. Really, in the last case… I no think for myself. I think the… whole team. -Whoa…
[applauds and whistles] [suspenseful music] -We really brought Dani from sort of a rider that no one knew about to winning a stage here and really showing potential. But we won’t see that. He’s gonna go off to… you know, greener pastures or… Or at least more financially stable pastures. This whole Tour, I… I’ve been… I’ve been… kind of on and off the race, but the entire time fighting to pull the finances together, and… and having to put on an absolutely brave face. As soon as I start to fall apart… No problem. -[bell ringing] [Jonathan] [VO]… the performance of the whole team falls apart, because everyone starts to realize that, you know… that they’re walking on quicksand. It really… it really fucking sucks. I’ll be honest with you. You know, and all these people at work… [clears throat] All these people at work, they just think that I can, like, pull off a miracle every single time and that somehow… you know, uh, he’ll be… he’ll be able to find that extra five million dollars or whatever it is. Rigo’s not even looking at other teams, because he’s like, oh no,
Jonathan always figures it out. And, you know, this is… This is where I want to finish my career. And I don’t know that I’m gonna figure it out. JV… how long does the team have to find a sponsor? -We got a couple weeks. I mean… I don’t know, maybe… maybe three weeks at… At the maximum. [siren wailing] [paper rustling] My work here is done. [Charly] Here we go again. Hot today, 24 degrees up at the top. Sergio… I like your face now. It’s better, no? Same as yesterday. If you get in a break, go to the line. [suspenseful music] [commentator] [VO] Welcome to stage 15. -Let’s go, boys. Got a good team, and we’re gonna go and do some really good stuff today. [radio beeps] [commentator 2] [VO] There’s the yellow jersey. Not of the leader of the race. Sergio Higuita going across too. Very good Sergio, very good so far. [commentator] [VO] Boivin
goes tries to close up with Higuita. Oh, oh& [Radio] There’s a crash… there’s a crash. -Copy, we’re on the way. Sergio. [commentator] [VO] Higuita on the deck. [commentator 2] [VO] That’s a nasty crash.
I hope he’s okay. [commentator] [VO] Yeah, that was a bad crash. -Fuck! [commentator] [VO] The Colombian champion… bit shaken. A huge crash at really high speed. That is a funny move by Boivin [indistinct], moving so violently across the road like that. [Radio] [indistinct]. -Shit! [commentator] [VO] Can Higuita come back? [commentator 2] [VO] Such a shame to have such a heavy crash on a… On a stage like this because Higuita’s a guy that could really feature in
today’s stage from a breakaway. Careful Sergio… careful. [commentator 2] [VO] See, Higuita has been bandaged up there. It’s good to see him back. -[man speaking foreign language over radio] Higuita crashes again on the roundabout. -Fuck! [commentator] [VO] He’s with the ambulance now. -Sergio. I may have one finger broken. -Okay. I may have a finger broken. -Let’s go first behind the car. We talk in… in one minute, okay? [Sergio] Huh? -Let’s try to get first a little bit more to the front, and then we talk. Okay? If his finger’s broken he can’t ride. If his finger’s broken he can’t ride. -No. [commentator] [VO] A disconsolate Sergio Higuita, who is going to abandon the Tour de France. [Jonathan] [VO] When the riders crash, they’ll get back on their bikes. You know, you have to tell
them no, you have broken bones, you need to not ride your bike anymore. But they will jump right
back on because in their mind, you have to complete the odyssey. [Tejay] Did you see how the crash happened? He switched Higuita’s wheel and took him out. If you look at the apology that he put online, it was such a half-assed apology. Either you apologize, or don’t say anything. But to say like I feel bad, but… wasn’t really, you know, it was normal. It’s like no, that wasn’t normal. You just crashed a rider. Like if I won a stage. [woman laughs] I have more messages than if I had won. I should fall more often. Everybody is writing to me. We were very fast, 58 kilometres per hour. So the fall was very hard. I tried to rejoin again, in great pain. The cuts were deep and serious. Then, during the chase, I tried to slow
down but my left hand didn’t respond. So I entered the roundabout
too fast and fell one more time. I wanted to keep fighting, even if I made it last. But if I have a fracture, it will be much
worse. I might have another accident. So I told the team: I am going home. -[wind chime ringing] -[wind blowing] [commentator] [VO] Today, we’re getting set up to reach the highest point of the race on the Col de la Loze. This is showdown day. [Charly] When you come out of the village, it’s basically a road made for the Tour, and it goes up in steps like this. And it’s really hard. Today isn’t a day for… massive analysis, because it’s gonna be on legs. So you stay with him as long as you can. You two place him for the Madeleine. Tejay and Dani try to get in
the break, using our brains. Neilson tries to recover. And Rigo does his race. Okay? [Jonathan] Normally, these finishing climbs are somewhere between like
25 minutes and 45 minutes, and it’s enough that if you’re
well fueled at the bottom, that you make it to the top. It sucks trying to eat on climbs, but like if you don’t do it,
you’re gonna be fucked today. [Team Physio] [indistinct] Are you scared? Afraid? I’ve been through too many
scary situations in my life. Afraid? Do you really know what it’s like to be afraid? Really? Like, real fear? Coming from a country in armed conflict. Losing my father. That’s what it is to be afraid. For me, a stage is not something to be scared of. Scared? Scared of what? Losing time? It’s a stage in a bike race. [suspenseful music] [Charly] [into radio] Give it a real go from the start. We never know what can happen, all right? [commentator] [VO] Rolling
out. The race starts for what is going to be a really tough day for these riders. Rigoberto Uran, a big day for him. Third overall; possibility of him consolidating his third place. [commentator 2] [VO] High-altitude finish today. I think that’s gonna suit Rigoberto. If he’s not up there on the top step today, I don’t think he’ll be too far away. [Charly] [into radio] Uh, Dani is in front now, boys. [radio beeping] Remember the plan guys. We don’t go too far towards the climb and cook ourselves. [fans cheering and applauding] [Charly] [into radio] Four Ks to be climbed. [commentator 2] [VO] All the
riders that they would expect or need to be there are still there. [Charly] Come on, Rigo. [commentator] [VO] The fight is on. We’re onto the first slopes of this climb of the Col de la Loz, the new path that is gonna take the riders to the top of this mountain. The Tour de France is poised
around at one-thirty-four. [radio beeps] [Charly] All right. Shit’s gonna get real now, boys. -Oh yeah. [commentator] [VO] But so far, no one has taken the race. [commentator 2] [VO] Eleven riders left and the first nine on the general classification. [commentator] [VO] Tom Dumoulin cannot respond to the increase in tempo. Grit your teeth! Come on. [commentator] [VO] Oh, Mikel Landa is distanced after his team have ridden all day. Uran& Rigo’s blown… Big time! [commentator] [VO] Rigoberto Uran is distanced suddenly. Dela Cruz is doing the damage. Uran has gone, he’s third overall. Time in cycling is gold, as it is in life. You risk a lot. You give a lot. It’s a fight for survival. [commentator] [VO] Here is
the loser of the podium today. Rigoberto Uran started today in third place. He’s gonna drop down the classification, just couldn’t quite respond on these steep slopes. [crowd applauding] [Jonathan] [VO] Cycling is a… it’s a sport of heartbreak. Even if you’re a team that wins a lot, you still lose more. -The lows are low and consistent. And you spend most of the time in a valley. But the highs… they’re like a mountaintop in the race, right? You’re actually only at the top, at that [indistinct] mountainside, you’re only there for like 20 seconds. And then you’re already on the descent going toward the valley. Like I don’t think you ever get that high anywhere else. So I think, I don’t know, we’re just like a bunch of
cocaine addicts or something in that we’re just searching
for that next extreme high. [eggs sizzling] -[woman speaking Spanish] [chuckles] -[Rigoberto speaking Spanish] [upbeat music] [Charly] If you had a bad day yesterday, if you were suffering yesterday, whatever type of rider you might be… put that out of your mind. Just reset today, because this is the last big push. Right? [commentator] [VO] Good afternoon, and a very warm welcome to Stage 19. -Man, we got nobody on GC, we got no jersey, and you’re just thinking,
like, God, just get me to Paris. [laughs] [commentator] [VO] Good afternoon. A very warm welcome to Stage 20. [Charly] [VO] I know that you’re tired. I know you’ve done a great Tour. You really deserve a result. We just want to help you get what you deserve. No regrets. -We’re like an airplane that just ran out of fuel, you know? Things seem great from the outside. You’re still going 500 miles an hour, and you’re still at 30,000 feet. But the truth of not having any fuel will start to come to bear. [commentator] [VO] The Tour de France has made it to Paris. Many of us dreamt this would happen, many thought it would never be able to be achieved. [Charly] I just want to say thank you. Because I had a really, really great time working with you guys. It was really nice. Regardless of the results, which were good, I think we did what we should have done, and we could have done, and of the Tours that I’ve
done until now as a director, I think it’s gonna be one of the ones that I remember the most, for how we went about it together as a group. So, thanks, it was really nice. Okay? -[applauds] [sentimental music] Today is a special moment… Arriving in Paris… it’s beautiful. You can feel the effort and the teamwork. Being on the Champs-Élysées is something… …you always dream of as a child, it
gives you great excitement and happiness. [Neilson] [VO] I’m sure I’ll, um, get pretty emotional when I finally see the Champs-Élysées. Yeah, I mean, it’s nostalgic, I guess. If you can be nostalgic for a place you’ve never been. [Tejay] [VO] You know, it’s always a special feeling once it’s done and you get to those cobbles and realize like, wow, this has been… a tough three weeks but we… we all made it. [Jonathan] [VO] The intense
willingness to overcome pain, the intense willingness to overcome risk, that is something that I think is good for society to look at and say, okay, we can overcome. -[announcer speaking foreign language] [indistinct distant chattering] Will you want to try frogs? Frogs!? [Tejay] Si… Oui, oui… [Sophie] It’s like chicken. I[Tejay] Oui, oui. -Frogs!? [Sophie] It’s like chicken. You should try. It’s good. -Oui. -Oh, put everything. [Neilson] Sophie, can you just order like… like… [Rigoberto] Everything. [Jonathan] [VO] I’m kind of tired of going through the survival routine once again. It’s something that the highly
successful teams in cycling don’t have to deal with, and that’s the reason that they’re able to perform. It’s testing my patience. Of course, I’m gonna fight all the way to the bone to survive, but it’s just like, goddammit, it just sucks. [Sophie] It was worth it to try, no? [Tejay] No, it’s nice. [Jonathan] [VO] Watching people that you’ve known for over a decade and trusted you, watching all of that evaporate. Do we get another shot at the Tour de France or not? This may very well be that the end of, uh, you know, uh… uh, being, uh, being a… like a 30-year journey for me [chuckles softly] in the world of cycling. [Francois] [VO] Just receiving
news that might be of interest to our cycling podcast listeners. Jonathan Vaughters of EF Pro Cycling announced that the team has landed a new sponsor. The team will ride forward in 2021 with the Nippo Corporation of Japan. [upbeat music] [♪♪♪] [Tejay] You don’t even need to pedal when you go downhill. [commentator] [VO] Neilson Powless wins the Classica San Sebastian [indistinct] history in the making…
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