The Big Bike Film Night takes us around the world featuring people who love bikes in all their forms and this year a Tasmanian adventure-activist is queen of the screen.
Tasmanian Annie Ford features in Queen of the Mountain which details her Guinness World Records quest to break her 24-hour record for downhill mountain biking.
The film is set in Queenstown but it’s the one over the ditch, not the home of our magnificent west-coast trails.
The purpose of the record chase was to raise $50,000 to reforest the foothills of Coronet Peak close to Queenstown and to match the 50,000 metres she hoped to cover in 24 hours of downhill biking.
Ford set the current downhill record in 2022 of 41,900 metres within 24 hours.
Speaking to ABC local radio’s Lucie Cutting last year, Ford reflected on what motivated her to attempt the record again.
“A Guiness World Record just sparks the child within us and it’s not just mountain bikers that are interested in this, the world engages, international engagement. And again, if we could utilise that momentum to do some important work on that mountain, everyone wins.
“Not just what is possible physically and mentally or within the mountain bike world, but what’s possible societally and as a community. And I think with these platforms and opportunity we have so much that we can do beyond ourselves, and not just self-serving but something of service.”
You can check out Ford’s Instagram account (@annieford01) to see some of the 3600+ trees planted as a result of her fundraising efforts.
Other short films in the 2.5 hour compendium are just as unexpected.
- a folding bike and a brave salesman undertake a 1000 km gravel race across Rwanda.
- two cyclists trace a line through Te Waipounamu / New Zealand’s South Island, on the first known ride of the Southern Way 1000 – a gravel loop from Queenstown in the Southern Alps to the coast and back again.
- the challenges and triumphs of navigating daily life following a life-altering injury, and how adaptive design has transformed and enriched the journey.
- a film that playfully delves into the world of those taking cycling to new heights – celebrating fun, silliness, and creativity that comes with pushing boundaries on two wheels.
- a moving film that follows a father and son’s journey as they take on one of life’s most meaningful milestones – riding a bike together as a family.
Get your tickets for a night of fun and cycling camaraderie from 7 pm on the following dates:
- Hobart, UTAS Stanley Burbury Theatre – Thursday 13 August
- Launceston, Star Theatre – Friday 14 August
- St Helens, Easy Tiger Cinema – Saturday 15 August.
Or become our friend and subscribe to receive our fortnightly newsletter.