In 2000, KUFM in Montana made a 1-hour documentary for PBS about the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps, a group of black soldiers who cycled from Missoula, Montana to St. Louis, Missouri. They made the trip in 1897 to test out the theories of their white commander, James A. Moss, who believed that the bicycle could have important military applications.

The Bicycle Corps: America’s Black Army On Wheels details the 1900-mile journey across mountains, over the Great Divide, through mud and hail and snow and rain and desert. It’s a testament to the physical endurance of the men involved, and an amazing accomplishment considering the technology of the day.

The men rode Spaulding bicycles that the company donated for the trip. They each carried about 50 pounds of gear, including a tent tied to the handlebars and bicycle tools kept in a specially made leather case that fitted into the diamond frame of the bicycle. They averaged better than 50 miles a day, completely the trip in 41 days, 35 of which were travel days.

The Bicycle Corps contains a wealth of photographs from the trip thanks to Moss’s decision to bring along a Kodak camera. He also brought along a report, the son of the publisher of Missoula’s paper. Initially, reports from the road were carried not only in Montana but across the country. Toward the end of their journey, though, the 25th’s feat was eclipsed by the discovery of gold in the Yukon.

As it turned out, bicycles never found their way into regular military use. With the outbreak of war in Cuba, the 25th was sent off to fight, and Moss himself was transferred to other regiments, eventually becoming a prolific author of military training manuals.

I found The Bicycle Corps to be a fascinating look at a lost part of American history. Recommended.

(Note: You can buy a copy of this film at the PBS Store.)

Review: Hell On Wheels
by Pepe Danquart

I’ve been checking out cycling books and films from the Albany Public Library. Tonight I watched the 2004 documentary Hell On Wheels, filmmaker Pepe Danquart’s look at the grueling, exhausting and enthralling spectacle of the Tour de France. The film has no narration. Instead, it relies on extended interviews — conducted throughout the 2003 Tour — with the riders of the T-Mobile team, including Eric Zabel, Rolf Aldag, Andreas Kloden and Alexandre Vinokourov.

The riders — particularly Zabel — are surprisingly candid about their hopes and fears. Zabel is a veteran of the Tour and rides with an observant eye, not always able to master his demons. Most of the interviews are conducted while the riders are being massaged by Eule, a sage/masseur who’s seen it all and reveres the Tour at the same time as he understands its reality.

Hell On Wheels also features footage from Tours of the early years, along with commentary by several journalists on the Tour’s connection with France and French culture.

I’d never even seen a cycling race until last year, when I watched the Tour for the first time. It proved to be quite a year, as more and more riders left each day due to doping, including Vinokourov, who’s featured in Hell on Wheels. While I can’t say I’m a passionate fan of the sport yet, I do enjoy watching it, and I appreciated the look behind the scenes provided by Hell on Wheels.

If you’d like to pick up your own copy, buying it via this link will help support RocBike: