IRELAND IS the setting for The Racer, a new film chronicling the blood doping, sweat and tears that went into the Tour de France during a dark period in professional cycling.
Set against the sordid truth of what went into the world’s greatest road cycle race, it serves as a showcase of the agonising pain and physical punishment world-class athletes endure on their rise to the top.
Set in the summer of 1998, the action takes place during the opening stages of Le Tour de France, which were relocated to Ireland that year.
It centres on cyclist Dom Chabol (Louis Talpe) who, at the start of what is likely be his last Tour, discovers he has dropped from the Team he has dedicated his life to.
While team masseur and best friend Sonny (Iain Glen), helped keep Dom at peak performance through illegal blood doping, he is unable to reassure him about his future, leaving Dom at something of a crossroad.
Image: Vertigo ReleasingHis life changes for the better, however, after a chance liaison with Lynn (Tara Lee), a young Irish doctor, who helps soften the blow of his untimely exit from the world of cycling.
Dom starts to accept - and even enjoy - the idea of civilian life.
But just as he gears up to head home, another teammate is knocked off the Tour, throwing Dom back into the saddle.
However, the years of doping have taken a toll on Dom’s body.
Given one final shot at the glory that has eluded him throughout his career, Dom must decide whether sporting immortality is worth paying the ultimate price for.
Balancing black humour with fast-paced action, The Racer is also a thoroughly Irish affair.
Written by Ciaran Cassidy (Jihad Jane) and Kieron J. Walsh and supported by Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland, the BAI Sound & Vision Fund and RTE.
Director Kieron J. Walsh has worked on a string of hit Irish TV shows down the years, including The Savage Eye, Rapt, and Finding Joy and Raw while one of the film’s main stars, Tara Lee, is Dublin born and bred, having first caught the eye alongside Jamie Dornan on The Fall.
A fictional story based in an entirely factual setting, The Racer hits streaming platforms and cinemas later this month and is not to be missed.
