Clean Spirit

Doping & Cycling with Team Argos-Shimano

The Lance Armstrong saga and countless other doping scandals may have permanently damaged the sport of Cycling. But Clean Spirit introduces us to one pro cycling team that strives to compete the "right way," placing them at a profound disadvantage. Argos-Shimano is determined to show that winning is possible without doping. We follow the team during the 100th edition of the Tour de France. Knowing that they cannot beat their opponents in the mountains, they have specialized in the sprint.

We see the young team inside their hotel rooms, at breakfast and at team meetings. We hear German sprint talent Marcel Kittel promising his teammates a Rolex if they let him win the first stage. In the excitement of the race see Mark Cavendish cause Argos-Shimano sprinter Tom Veelers to crash, ultimately forcing him to leave the Tour. While Cavendish tries to intimidate his opponent, Kittel takes his revenge in the ultimate stage in Paris, leading Argos-Shimano to victory.

"Dirk Jan Roeleven and journalist Nando Boers have encapsulated the agony and ecstasy of the world's biggest bike race. The end result is intimate and authentic...Rich subject matter...gives the film a clear, emotionally-satisfying narrative." - The Independent (UK)