At the beginning of June, the streaming platform Netflix released its new docuseries Tour de France: Unchained. With a stellar rating of 8.3 on IMDb, the series obviously gained droves of dedicated fans who were enthralled by the oftentimes chaotic and drama-filled side of pro cycling. The eight-episode programme chronicles the journey of eight pro teams through the 2022 Tour de France with all their ups and downs.
In Yann’s words, the series mainly aimed to illuminate to a broader audience how the person on the Tour de France winner’s podium is just a pinnacle of immense collective effort. To offer raw, real and unguarded moments the viewers rarely get to see and to offer a more humane and personal look at the riders and their backgrounds and motivations. In total, the first season took over three years to prepare and shoot and the final result truly shows the amount of care and diligence that went into it.
In this episode of the We Love Cycling podcast, Matt and Yann spoke at length about the total genesis of the project, gaining the trust of the teams and organisers, discovering the storytelling side of cycling and identifying its unique characters, finding points of view nobody thought of before, and much more.
Sit back, hit play, and enjoy!
