One season, 6 episodes, available since Friday on Netflix. The title: “In the wheel of the Movistar team”. The actors of the series, the Movistar formation which in 2019 included in its ranks Alejandro Valverde, the world champion, Richard Carapaz, surprise winner of the Giro and Nairo Quintana. "With their eyes riveted on victory, the Movistar team of professional cyclists is embarking on a journey fraught with challenges, scandals and internal conflicts," said the synopsis.
Netflix is making a long awaited foray into the world of sport as its series "The English Game" unfolds on the beginnings of professional football in England. The American multinational had already signed popular documentaries like "Sunderland against all odds" or "Drive to survive" behind the scenes of F1. This dive into the heart of the peloton also seeks to follow the end of an era within the Movistar formation, since Landa left for Bahrain and Quintana is evolving (and marked the start of the season, with 5 victories) under the colors of the Arkéa-Samsic team.
The Cyclingnews website summarizes the series: “A meticulous story with new accesses. 8 months of film, in Europe, in Latin America or at the racing department in Pamplona. 15 countries, more than 26,000 km. With the doors open to pre-race meetings in the bus, in hotel rooms, during massage, breakfast, dinner or in the cars of sports directors during the peak times of the season. The episodes cling to the three major Tours, with in particular the presence of two leaders Nairo Quintana and Mikel Landa who complicated the racing strategy on the Tour de France. "If they don't resolve their dispute, we will have a problem" said Alejandro Valverde at the opening of the 4th episode. And the documentary shows the tensions during the Col du Tourmalet stage (14th stage won by Thibaut Pinot) when Quintana finds himself loose but Movistar rolls hard at the head of the peloton. ” While the idea of a closed-door tour has arisen in the cycling panorama in recent days, the series is timely to hit the road and share the life of a team.
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