PEDALLING DRUGS
Cyclist Graeme Obree on the past, present and future of cycling.
On rivalry with Chris Boardman
‘It was 1992. Chris Boardman had won the Olympics. but I'd beaten Chris in the past in some head to head battles. There‘d be me and Chris; and then the next guy would be five minutes behind both of us. So I'm thinking ‘hold on, right. I'm really going to go for this Hour Record'. 100%. And once I'd made my mind up I thought I'm not just going to give it a go. I'm really going to do it. You can‘t afford to have contingency plans; you've got to do it. My rivalry with Chris was productive because it pushed both of us. We couldn't just get up and ride and win races easily.’
On self belief and choosing the right bike ‘Although Francesco Moser's World Hour Record had stood for nine years. I was absolutely sure I was going to break it. So when I failed the first time [riding a different bike] I thought 'I can't leave here. I'd rather die than leave here without breaking this record.‘ 80 I did it again - on Old Faithful.‘
On his place in the history books
'Eddy Merckx, Francesco Moser. Miguel Indurain . . . It feels good to be part of that group. It's a pity I didn't take the whole aspect of cycle racing more seriously. younger. I was 27 when I broke the record. but I was too busy fooling about before that. I had a kind of love/hate relationship with cycling.'
On extreme riding positions
‘Originally, for the Tuck position. I copied Chris Boardman. in a low—slung position, with your knees almost touching your elbows. The Superman position arose because the Tuck got banned. I thought “that‘s one extreme. the other is with your arms stretched way out in front of you." So I put the tri-bars out to their furthest position. and it was excellent! I just stayed with it. I won the World Championship in 1995 in the Superman position.‘
On the current drugs scandal in cycling
'I went to the Tour de France finish in Paris. Before the cyclists came past I actually had to walk away with this huge resentment - because I was robbed of my career. This was before I knew about Floyd Landis — the eventual winner - being caught. It's very bad news: cycling is permanently damaged by this. But a lot of sports have been. There was a raid recently in Spain. with 200 people caught up in blood doping and stuff like that. but only 50 of them were Cyclists. The other 150 are footballers and tennis players and things. There are a lot of other sports yet to catch up wrth cycling.'
42 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE It) I f Aug 9000
Enduring glory
The making of The Flying Scotsman has been as tough as the life of the cyclist Graeme Obree, whose life it portrays. Nick Barley talks to Obree about breaking records, refusing drugs and suffering
mental illness.
o say that art imitates life might be a weary cliche. bill in the conte\t of HM Hung Scots/mm it is impossible to ayoid.
()II the litL’C (Ill It. the lilltt is the simple story ol‘
(iraeme ()bree. a mayerick cycling nut who iny'ents an entirely new way of riding a racing bike. wins a bunch of. major races . . . and then slips into obscurity once the authorities haye changed the rules and turned their backs on his innoyations. :\|ong the way. there are the euphoric highs of world records smashed to smithereens. alongside the desperate lows as ()bree slides in and out of mental illness and
attempts suicide. It is all based on a true story of.
one modest .-\y rshire man.
Whether the filth itself will follow a similar trajectory. fading into obscurity as a footnote in the history of' Scottish film-making. remains to be seen. But what is certain is that The flying Scotsman has suffered as many tips and downs as the man it portray s. in a traumatic production history that stretches back as far as I‘M}. This week. haying been abandoned for dead scyeral times. it takes its place as the (iala ()pening
Moyie at the l‘ilm liestiyal. in the hope ol.
securing distribution in mainstream cinemas. lts birth has been as controyersial as any of" the \‘ictories scored by ()bree during his days in the saddle: jtist as ()bree was once left in debt by sponsors who abandoned him. this film has been left in intensiy'e care by a production company in administration. unable to pay the people who worked on it. At the yery moment when ()bree‘s status as a Scottish hero should be celebrated. his film will open at a red carpet reception for industry pundits. while unpaid workers stage a protest outside the door.
The protesters hayc the sympathy of many in the industry. but they also know that their only real chance of. seeing any money from the project will come from a successful showing in lidinburgh. ()bree. who is among those owed L‘itslt. believes the course of events may ironically hay e led to a better moyie. "l'en years ago. I already had the agreement and rights with (iaumontf he explains. "l‘hey' had the film on the backburner. so l’eter Brougban. the producer. bought the rights. Then things went
on hold with me trying to kill myself. and the whole mental illness thing. btit because of this. the script kept e\ol\lttg. If someone had giyen l’cter £3” million in two. It wouldn't baye been ball the filth it is now.‘
()bree is sanguine about watching his own life portrayed lty someone else. and I\ III” Ul pt‘atst‘ for .lonny l.ee Miller Sick lfoy Ill 'l‘miny/mlline w ho played the role. ‘l‘mmy/mlling was an e\cellent lllIIl. and although I am nothing like Sick lfoy. l wastrt at all surprised when I learnt that .lonny was going to play tne. He took to it like a duck to water.‘ ()bree says. 'l le was fantastic at the cycling. and e\ cry body else thought that .lonny 's got my kind of" characteristics. I did some body doubling. not because his legs w eren't tip to it. bill because the sheer quantity of cycling you‘ye got to do is ama/ing. So .lonny and I took turns.
"It does feel strange watching somebody playing you. but when I saw the final cut. it definitely brought the pain of it back.‘
Pain. and the struggle with his own demons. has been inherent to ()bree‘s life since before he hit the big time. 'le worst subject at school was l’lt}\lcal liducationf he smiles. ‘l was also tiscless at Metalwork and linglish. .\'ow. l‘ye built my own bike. won the World
‘WATCHING THE
FINAL CUT DEFINITELY BROUGHT THE PAIN OF IT BACK'
(‘hampionship and written a book about it.‘ ()brec‘s urge to ride a bike was rooted in his indiyidualistic approach to life. 'l started cycling with my brother. going miles and miles. when l was abottt l l.‘ he recalls. ‘lt was an escape mechanism: the call of the bori/on. I suppose at school I always wanted to be the esplorer.‘ l'iriends began to suggest that ()bree take his cycling more seriously. and his temperament suited the lonely. ime-inairagainst-the clock discipline of the lime 'li‘ial. By I‘M}. aged 37. his best time for the fill—mile eyent had improy ed to a British rectit‘d-breaking l hour 3‘) minutes and I second. an ay'erage speed of (wet .lflmpli. It was in the same year. at the peak of his form. that ()bree decided to attempt the World flour Record. The best distances for this discipline. which simply requires a rider to cos-er the masimum nmnber of' kilometres possible on an oyal cycling track. bad pi'eyiously been held by cycling legends Izddy .\lerck\ and l-‘rancesco Moser. whose record had stood for nine years. But ()bree had been experimenting with modifications to bicycle frames to improye the aerodynamics of his riding position. and was conyinced he could exceed Moser's distance. 'I knew exactly how I wanted the bike.~ he recalls. "l‘here was /ilclio