Rubber Side Down

Last night I went to the Saskatoon screening of Rubber Side Down: From the Rockies to the Rock at the Broadway Theatre. This video documentary is about two fellows, Greg Mailloux and Vin Heney, from Windsor Ontario who rode 8000km from Victoria BC to St. John’s Newfoundland in the summer of 2008 to raise awareness of and funds for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.

I LOVE stories of bicycle touring, especially journeys across Canada – something I’ve always wanted to do. This well crafted video excellently portrayed the trials and hardships of such an epic adventure as well as their wonder at the ever-changing topography of Canada. One day they are struggling through mountains, the next they are cruising across the prairies. One night they are camping on a roadside in rural Ontario, the next they are in downtown Toronto.

I could relate to their feeling that the hardest thing was getting up and getting back on the bike each morning and that despite being in bear and cougar country their biggest worry was the massive tractor-trailer units hurtling down past them on narrow mountain roads at 100kph! Also the in-the-now timelessness - forgetting what life was like before the journey - there being only the road (and all the beauty one can see from it), the bicycle and oneself.

Their tour was completely unsupported - they carried everything with them on their bikes and camped where ever they could. Despite all their mishaps (flat tires, broken spokes and OH THE RAIN!) it seems they had to keep on a pretty tight schedule to make various awareness/fundraising engagements. Most of the filming was done with two cameras they carried with them.

I was surprised by how few people were at the screening. I expected a few more of my fellow Saskatoon bike geeks to be in attendance. I have to admit I didn’t exactly help out in spreading the word – and now kind of wish I had. I often feel like I’m out-of-the-loop and if ever I’m aware of something like this going on then EVERYBODY must know about it!

There have been a few screenings across Canada and the last one listed on the website is in Coquitlam, B.C on Friday, May 29th, 2009. If you missed it you can sign up on the website for information about when the DVD will be available to order – I already have!!