RTÉ2 will broadcast Kieron J Walsh’s joint Belgian-Irish movie 'The Racer' for the first time on Irish television tonight, St Stephen's Day, at 11.00pm. It features lots of current and former Irish amateur cyclists, who were used as extras in the movie.
'The Racer' is set during the infamous 1998 Tour de France start in Dublin and offers dramatic insight into some of the dark side of pro cycling, with the doping that went on in the sport exposed fully during, and just after, the Tour's visit to Ireland.
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The film features Belgian male stars Louis Talpe and Matteo Simoni, who play team riders, as well as Dublin's Tara Lee, as the UCI doctor. Iain Glen - of Game of Thrones fame - is the featured team's soigneur while the team directeur role is played by Karel Roden, of Hellboy. The movie was filmed in both Luxembourg and Ireland over the 2019 summer months.
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The keen eyed will spot several Irish racing cyclists on screen through the film. These include Belfast actor and sprinter, Antonio Mairs, former Irish criterium champion Andy Maguire, Eoin Byrne of Orwell Wheelers, EvoPro Racing rider Cian Keogh and many others from the Irish cycling scene.
Also look out for Paul McQuaid - Worlds rider and Rás Tailteann winner - as Dublin's Lord Mayor, waving the riders off on an unforgettable day at Merrion Square back in 1998.
A strong nostalgic feel engulfs the film and brings back the late 1990s, a time when - as many stickybottle readers will remember - Tour fever hit Ireland, albeit with storm clouds gathering above. The Wicklow hills are showcased beautifully and the cycling scenes are very well captured in an unorthodox yet creative way in this feature film.
