Full Title = Half the Road: The Passion, Pitfalls & Power of Women’s Professional Cycling
Half the Road is a well-told case study which, by shining one bright light, unpacks the “Pentagram of Blame”–Officials, Race Directors, Sponsors & Male-Dominated Media–holding women back in almost every field of endeavor. Kudos to athlete, journalist & now filmmaker Kathryn Bertine! (JLH: 4/5)
Click HERE for our FF2 Haiku. Not yet seen by Rich.
Unpacking the “Pentagram of Blame”
1.) The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) says: “Women are not capable of racing the same events as the men.”
2.) Female Pro Cyclists say: “Let us into the events so we can prove the UCI wrong.”
3.) Race Directors say: We don’t have the sponsorship dollars to add a women’s field.”
4.) Sponsors say: “Women race bikes too. How come we don’t see them in the media?”
5.) The Media says: “How can we show the women if they are not allowed to race the same events as the men?”
In addition to all her interviews with the proponents of each position–heavily weighted, of course, to her incredibly inspiring fellow cyclists–Bertine also does an excellent job of explaining the sport of competitive cycling, so that we fully understand why this is a “team” sport (something Alex Gibney never managed to accomplish in his heavily-buzzed doc The Armstrong Lie), Bertine hammers again and again on this critical point:
Why should anyone hold women to the standards of male racers when we now know beyond any doubt how drug-fueled all their races were?!?!?
Kudos to athlete, journalist & now filmmaker Kathryn Bertine! You Go, Girl 🙂
Photo Credits: George Deswijzen & Anton Vos from the Half the Road online press kit.
“Pentagram of Blame” Graphic: Cropped from the screener using Snipping Tool.
Q: Does Half the Road pass the Bechdel Test? 
Absolutely! Women and girls of all ages talk to us and to each other about the joy of athletic endeavor.
“In rising to each challenge, you learn something new about yourself… as a human being not just an athlete.”
Amber Pierce (U.S. National Team Member)
