“I thought I was dying. I would just close my eyes and die.” This is just one of the near death experiences the young Danish cyclist, Rasmus Christian Quaade, had on his long, hard journey to become runner up in the world 2011 time trial. The film images show a young man, in a Pietà-like pose, lying on the ground in the arms of his trainer. Another film about cycling in which the topic of doping doesn’t play a part? Daniel Dencik has succeeded in creating a vivid and visually stunning account of the interminable loneliness and endless hardships that the sportsman, Rasmus Quaade, frequently exposes himself to in aid of success. Thus, in passing, he answers all the questions around why this sport in particular is so prone to illegal performance enhancement. Daniel Sponsel