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Chasing The Sun

A feature documentary about the extraordinary achievements of ordinary cyclists taking on iconic endurance event Chase The Sun and alongside this a celebration of the power of the humble bicycle to transform lives and help save the planet.

"The bicycle is a stunning technological achievement but in our stupidity we've forgotten about how effective it is." Ned Boulting, author, broadcaster, ITV's voice of Le Tour de France.

About the film.
In 1973 a man in a little known American University set out to discover the most energy efficient creature on earth. The experiment has since entered into legend and is now more relevant to our world than ever before: a human being on a bicycle is the most efficient being on the planet.*

The bicycle can enable ordinary people to do extraordinary things, like Chase The Sun- an event where people ride coast to coast, 200 miles or more in a single day, fuelled only by sandwiches,
energy bars, cups of tea and good cheer.
And it has the potential to do something much more extraordinary. At a time of energy crisis, of climate catastrophe caused by energy misuse, the bicycle can take a front line position in the fight
against climate change. One pedal stroke at a time.

This film follows Chase The Sun riders as they cross England, coast to coast, sunrise to sunset. As we cross the country, we reveal stories beyond the ride itself. How the bicycle is pushing
up green shoots across the land, tackling climate change and bringing other benefits through congestion and pollution reduction, mental and physical wellbeing and community joy. Like the ride, these stories will be rooted in a range of landscapes and feature the diverse communities that are Britain today.

  • Michael B Clifford
    Director
  • Pip Piper
    Producer
  • Phil Webb
    Producer
  • Ned Boulting
    Key Cast
    "Himself"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Sport, adventure, outdoors, challenge, active travel, climate change, wellbeing
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 10 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 10, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    70,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Kendal Mountain Festival
    Kendal
    United Kingdom
    November 17, 2023
    World Premiere
    Official selection
Director Biography - Michael B Clifford

BAFTA award winning film director,
working in drama and documentary, Michael has been making documentaries since 1990. His first film Scala (40 mins) was about one of London’s most famous and indeed infamous cinemas, in Kings Cross which was forced to close by Stanley Kubrick after screening A Clockwork Orange against his will.

His 2015 film Bicycle featuring Chris Boardman and Chris Hoy was named by Road CC as one of the greatest cycling films ever made and he followed this up with Mountain Biking the Untold British Story and The Fastest Bicycle in the World.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Powered by the sun, this film plays with darkness, dawn, high noon, magic hour, blue hour and everything in between to create a film that is both inspirational and a thing of beauty.