I had never heard about this documentary before, but since it is currently available on the Finnish national broadcaster’s online streaming service, “Flintoff’s Road to Nowhere” was a sensible choice for a Saturday movie night.
The two-episode documentary is a fun to watch production. Rob Penn, veteran bike tourer, is joined by an English celebrity cricketer, Freddie Flintoff (I had never heard of him, either), heading out for an epic ride across the Amazon rainforest; on their way, they dig into the realities of rainforest destruction, showing how it is connected to everybody on the planet, both for causes and consequences. I particularly enjoyed the combination of a serious environmentalist cause and the protagonist’s British humour.
It might be hard to get access to watch the full thing (Sky only provides a trailer on their website), but if you have a chance to see it, it’s a highly recommended feature-length documentary to spend one of those cold and dark winter nights.
In an article on the Independent Rob Penn provides some background on the production, including the rationale for choosing the no-suspension 29ers used – he is, after all, the author of “It’s all about the bike”.