Col D’Izoard beautifully imagined on film
Ben and I have spent the summer shooting various bits of film, mostly on Col D’Izoard and the climbs at home in the Briancon area, with the intention of putting out some really inspiring stuff to get you excited about where we come from.
Harder than you'd think to capture what it really is that we love and fear about these incredible places.
I’ve just watched PEdALED's latest journal film, from the Japanese brand. A nice script, nothing new perhaps, narrated with subtitles and a lovely vintage grading, deliberate sound mixing and thoughtful editing. This one - like most of their content - feels like scenes from an old classic movie, like the Red Shoes.
Here, perhaps because it’s shot on a climb I know so intimately, it’s really moved me, made me homesick, and given me that sense that the feelings I have experienced when I climb that particular hill aren’t so odd. I’ve been talking a lot about self doubt and anxiety recently with friends and loved ones, and this talks to the challenge and release that alpine cycling can bring. For me it's relatable.
It’s shot in the Spring, when everything is dead and the snow remains. It makes it foreboding, more intense and wilder. The fact that there’s no one up there too, makes it all the better. Pick any week past end of May and you’ll be sharing it with Porsches and BMW motorbikes, not to mention plenty of cyclists.
Anyway, I’m running on now. Take a look. We are going to make something similar but don’t judge it against this, as I think they’ve nailed it. The tunnel and the end scenes are the awesome Galibier, not our Izoard, but that’s mere pedantry.