Characters:
Louise - surprisingly good cyclist
Tommy - injured champion in waiting
Stuart - chaperone and group leader
Brian - American cycling enthusiast
Dave Horsley - the non camper
Various other people
Scene 1 the night before- at the rider briefing
Storm clouds gather as organisers explain that the stage has been lengthened to 134 miles from 127 and they would be doing all they can to get as many people safely through. Camera pans to Louise's face - showing signs of fear.
Next shot of Tommy the cycling prodigy who has missed every rider briefing, huddled in his tent literally soiling his thermal long johns at the prospect of the rain and wind currently battering his tent.
Scene 2 the morning of the long one
4am start, wind still causing tense background noise. Main protagonists sit silently trying to eat breakfast in a marquee filled with nervous riders. Tommy looks remarkably fresh as he has figured out a way of relieving bladder and not leaving tent. Flashback to the method highly optional- may mean adult rating for tv show.
Scene 3 - the morning crash
Everyone choosing to ride in groups. Really dangerous given our group is not experienced at this and neither are we. Drama as person in front of Louise breaks suddenly and her wheel touches, sending her crashing badly. (slow motion shot of this) Tears everywhere but the nature of the day means we have to continue, so as a whole, the group are quite cold to her fall. Audience should be left slightly angry by the lack of emotion in fellow riders.
Scene 4 miles 39-65
Already cycled for 4 hours and still have over 100 to go. Tommy starts hitting a real low, struggling to maintain the pace set by the the usually affable Stuart. Tommy shouts that he can't keep up. Camera pans to Stuart who shows hears the shouts but can do nothing as he has been briefed to keep the pace very high. Audience begins to warm to Tommy as well.
Scene 5 the windy pass
Against relentless winds the group is split up. Cycling has long stopped being fun and Tommy is actually crying, cursing and wondering if this is really happening (voice over appropriate).
He takes to having a obscene amount of toilet breaks to mask the fatigue. After cycling back to Louise each time he finds 8 larger and stronger men sitting behind her using her as a pace maker. This is the equivalent of looking out for yourself at the detriment of others. Cue a flood of obscene swearing and telling the train that they can go f**k themselves if they think she should be the pace maker riding in to the wind. Tommy follows this up with a plea for a few of them to take over at which point they accelerate away. Only one person helps Tommy and Louise. Cameo by Marco who sat in front of us taking the wind during one of our lowest points, thank you. Thank you also to Brian (more about him later) and Mike who helped us get trough some of the toughest climbs and wind affected sections by slowing to our pace and letting us sit behind them. The scenes of us cycling against the wind would be shot in one take with the camera continuously moving further and further away from us at the front. These need to show the moments that we were both too low to pick each other up, the times when you have to reach so far inside yourself and you cry at the sheer frustration and fatigue and fact that you still have 70 miles to go. Luckily the wind dries tears very quickly.
Scene 6 the comeback
After having to stop through exhaustion, Louise, Tommy and Mike have a team talk and agree to work together, to do this, vow to finish and keep going. Something like the chariots of fire theme tune plays in the background. Slowly pedal by pedal they catch up with the main group on the climb and as the descent begins the wind dies down and for the first time in 85 miles of cycling they don't need to pedal against the wind and can take a break. Tommy cries again as it seems that maybe they can make it.
Scene 7 superman
The penultimate pit stop has been passed and the riders are feeling buoyant. 35 miles to go and jokes are being made as we go up the last big hill of the day. Part way up other riders have stopped by a sign to take photos, Tommy shouts 'stopping is for losers' as a joke and fails to notice his own group slowing. Next shot is of him flying in the style of superman, over his handle bars, over Louise's bike, hands first onto the road and into the back wheel of two other riders. Luckily Tommy gets up but Brian's back wheel is dented.
Flashback to Brian's mechanical problems in the week, he has had his fair share and his face is a mixture of why me and I will kill this boy. To avoid this Tommy quickly suggest Brian takes his back wheel (luckily the same) so he can go on. The group continue leaving Stuart the chaperone and Tommy waiting for the mechanics and probably the broom bus.
Scene 8 the second comeback
Thankfully the mechanics arrive and fix the back wheel, mainly by standing on it. They say to nurse it the last 30 miles and motivational music begins to play in the background.
Tommy- "Stuart should I just get in the bus?"
Stuart - "have you been holding anything in reserve this week?"
Tommy (lying) - "yes a bit"
Stuart (almost gleefully) - "you are going to suffer"
And suffer Tommy does. 18 of the last 30 miles ride at a pace that was in the region of 15-17 miles per hour. Keep in mind my average is 11-12. Shot of Tommy's grimaced face as he throws everything at staying on Stuart's wheel. Just for fun Stuart makes Tommy and another straggler, Ben, lead out a sprint train in the last 5 mile uphill section.
Final scene- the comedown
Having been to the mechanic tent to buy Brian a new wheel and re-claim his, Tommy runs into Louise at the food tent. Both have a hollow, glazed look, neither says much if anything. It should be clear to viewers that this has broken them, that today was the day they didn't and couldn't have trained for but that somehow they got through, all on their bike and that they were never picked up by the bus. Neither says sleep well as they leave, there is no need.
Credits...
A huge if not impossibly large thank you to Stuart whose calmness kept me composed after my crash and got me home, to Louise for having the energy to encourage me when she clearly had none for herself, to everyone who wasn't a tool and to anyone who just ignored my tears.
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