One pedal stroke at a time
Chasing the Sun
In 1973, Vance Tucker, a Professor of Zoology at the little-known Duke University in North Carolina, set out to discover the most energy-efficient creature on earth. The experiment has since entered into legend and is perhaps now even more relevant to our world than when it was initiated 50 years ago: A human on a bicycle is the most efficient being on the planet (study link).
The bicycle can enable ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Like ‘Chase the Sun’, an event where people ride from coast-to-coast at various points in the United Kingdom. Two-hundred miles or more in a single day, fuelled only by sandwiches, energy bars, cups of tea and good cheer. But the bicycle has the potential to do something much more extraordinary. The bicycle can take a front-line position in the fight against climate change. One pedal stroke at a time. As Chris Boardman puts it; “We’ve got a once in a lifetime opportunity to revolutionise how people get around and we cannot let it slip through our fingers.”
‘Chasing the Sun’ is a feature-length film that will follow Chase the Sun participants as they cycle coast-to-coast, sunrise to sunset. As we cross the country, we will 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 itself, these stories will be rooted in a range of landscapes and feature the diverse communities that make Britain what it is today.
“We’ve got a once in a lifetime opportunity to revolutionise how people get around and we cannot let it slip through our fingers.“
- Chris Boardman, Olympian & National Active Travel Commissioner
On-location: Crew members using a Bosch smart system-equipped Trek Fetch+2 eCargo bike while filming.
When Bosch eBike Systems was made aware of the Chasing the Sun project, we just had to be involved. So we sat down with Trek Bikes, our co-headline sponsor of the project, and set about working out how we could all collaborate to make something special, both in front of the lens and behind the scenes. The result? A beautiful film shot in an environmentally-considerate way. How? By using Trek Fetch eCargo bikes wherever possible, equipped with the Bosch smart system.
“Using the eCargo bikes to shoot as many parts of the film as possible was a pure joy” said the film’s 2x BAFTA Award-winning director, Michael B Clifford. “It’s part of our ethos to be as light as possible in terms of our carbon footprint, so using eCargo bikes instead of a car or other means of transport is ideal for that. It also gives you real fluidity and mobility for getting shots so that we can be with the riders in a way that you just can’t be if you are in a vehicle. We now have a Trek Fetch+2 equipped with Bosch’s smart system and Cargo Line motor as a permanent fixture in our shoot kit, and can’t wait to show everyone what we were able to do with it”.
As a result of using eCargo bikes during filming, Chasing The Sun is being used as a case study for the Albert Sustainable Production accreditation scheme. Founded in 2011, Albert supports the global Film and TV industry to reduce the environmental impacts of production and to create content that supports a vision for a sustainable future.
‘Chasing the Sun’ had its World Premiere on Friday 17th November 2023 at Kendal Mountain Festival and will be shown in cinemas across the UK in the spring of 2024. You can view the latest teaser for the film here:
