Hello all,<br><br>Tonight's Mechanic's Night hours (members-only) are <b>cancelled </b>due to a special event: Bicycle Dreams, a documentary about the Race Across America, will be shown at the Art Theatre in Champaign tonight to benefit Champaign County Bikes and The Bike Project. More info below.<br>
<br>Thanks,<br>Phil Graff<br>Volunteer, The Bike Project<br><br>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><tt><b style><i style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">BICYCLE
DREAMS</span></i></b></tt><tt><b style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">,<br>
<span style> </span>AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY FILM ABOUT
RACE ACROSS AMERICA, COMING TO CHAMPAIGN-URBANA ON FEB. 15</span></b></tt><tt><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></tt><b style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText3" style="text-align:left" align="left"><i style><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-weight:normal">Bicycle Dreams</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-weight:normal">, the award-winning feature-length documentary about
the Race Across America (RAAM), will premiere in Champaign-Urbana at The Art
Theater in Champaign on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. as part of the film’s
ongoing nationwide winter tour. The screening is presented by the Bike Project
of Urbana-Champaign and Champaign County Bikes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText3" style="text-align:left" align="left"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-weight:normal">The event was added to fill an opening in the film’s
current Winter Tour 2012, which has been selling out theaters from coast to
coast.</span></p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-weight:normal">The film, which has won numerous awards at film
festivals all over the world, “is an up-close look at what RAAM riders go
through,” says Stephen Auerbach, the director and producer of <i style>Bicycle Dreams</i>. “They deal with searing
desert heat, agonizing mountain climbs, and endless stretches of open road. And
they do it all while battling extreme exhaustion and sleep deprivation. It’s a
great subject for a film.”</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-weight:normal"><br><br>“<i style>Bicycle Dreams</i>
is a spectacular and heartfelt film that offers a riveting portrait of extreme
courage in the face of inhuman obstacles,” writes TheLoveOfMovies.com. “It is
an artistic triumph that renewed my belief in the power of desire and the
strength of the human will.”</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-weight:normal"><br><br>“We are very excited to be able to bring <i style>Bicycle Dreams</i> to so many locations
along the route that have never had access to the film before,” says Auerbach.
“Viewers will be overwhelmed by the amount of pain and suffering these riders
go through.”</span>
<p class="MsoBodyText3" style="text-align:left" align="left"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-weight:normal"></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText3" style="text-align:left" align="left"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-weight:normal">To capture the mammoth scope of the race, Auerbach
worked around the clock with a complement of 18 cameras. Embedded camera
operators traveled inside the racers’ support crew vehicles, gaining
unprecedented access to the cyclists and their teams. Their footage captured
emotional and physical breakdowns, late-night strategy sessions, and great
moments of personal triumph, all in intimate detail. Auerbach then took on the
enormous task of editing hundreds of hours of material and forming it into a
powerful and inspiring look inside the most difficult race on the planet.</span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText3" style="text-align:left" align="left"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-weight:normal">Bicycle Dreams has won major awards at the Fallbrook
and Breckenridge film festivals, as well as the Yosemite, Grand Rapids, Red
Rock and All Sports LA film festivals, among many others. </span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText3" style="text-align:left" align="left"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-weight:normal">Most recently the film added the <i style>Best Foreign Film</i> trophy from the
Krasnogorski International Festival of Sports Films in Moscow and was also
invited to be included in the 2011 World Cinema Showcase in New Zealand as well
as the Mountain Film Festival in Istanbul, Turkey. And before that it made its
Australian debut at the Big Pond Film Festival in Adelaide.</span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText3" style="text-align:left" align="left"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-weight:normal">Critical acclaim for the film continues to pour in
from all sources.</span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText3" style="text-align:left" align="left"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-weight:normal">“An astonishing documentary,” declares <i style>Pez Cycling</i>. “This film is a ride of
many stark contrasts; when it ended I felt both shattered and triumphant. I
realized I was experiencing its genius. A central theme of <i style>Bicycle Dreams</i> is the profoundly inspiring strength of the human in
facing monumental challenge and tragedy. <i style>Bicycle
Dreams</i> is a race of truth.”</span></p>
<p><b style>“</b>This film isn’t for those who
want to shy away from the tragic side of the human experience, unwilling to
risk the cracking of their shell of denial, not willing to risk their coping
mechanism,” writes <i style>Cycling-Review.com</i>.
“<i>Bicycle Dreams</i> captures the human condition like few other films. <i>Bicycle
Dreams</i> moves us to break through the barrier of the fear of death. I have
seldom found a film that captures this ‘life drama’ as powerfully as does <i style>Bicycle Dreams</i>.”</p>
<p>Adds <i style>Podium Café</i>, “<i>Bicycle Dreams</i>
is the ultimate inner journey. If you thought the life of a cyclist was an
internal struggle, wait until you see what Auerbach unearths in this film. <i>Bicycle
Dreams</i> is an unprecedented exploration of the subject of the suffering on
the bike.”</p>
<p><i style>About.com</i> writes, “As we fall
deeper and deeper into <i style>Bicycle Dreams,</i>
what we witness grows more terrifying, yet more compelling. Auerbach’s
masterful direction exposes the raw lessons that drive people to push beyond
the limits of human endurance. Revealing what lies at the heart of every
impossible human endeavor is what <i style>Bicycle
Dreams</i> is all about.”</p>
<p>And finally, <i style>Bicycle Touring Pro </i>comments,
“If you've ever dreamed of challenging yourself to a place far beyond what you
previously thought was possible, <i style>Bicycle Dreams</i>
is a film you must see. It’s beautiful, thought provoking, exciting, emotional
and scary. The experience of watching this film will leave you with a new
perspective on life that will remain with you for a very long time to come.”</p>
<p>Bicycle Dreams also has been named one of the top 10 adventure films of all
time by both <i style>The Matador Network</i> and <i style>Playground Magazine, </i>calling it the best
bicycle film since “Breaking Away.”</p>
<p>Tickets will be $11 in advance and $15 at the door the night of the show. To
purchase advance tickets, order online at <a href="http://www.imathlete.com/events/bicycledreams">www.imathlete.com/events/bicycledreams</a>.
Tickets will not be available at The Art Theater except on the evening of the
event. The Art Theater is located at 126 West Church St. in Champaign.</p>
<p>The Bike Project co-op offers a space, tools and community to repair bikes,
share knowledge, hold classes and advocate for bikes in Urbana-Champaign. There
are two locations, the Campus Bike Project at 608 East Pennsylvania Ave. in
Champaign and the Urbana (IMC) Bike Project at 202 South Broadway in Urbana.
For information, visit <a href="http://www.thebikeproject.org/">www.thebikeproject.org</a>.</p>
<p>The mission of Champaign County Bikes is to encourage and facilitate
bicycling as transportation and recreation, and to promote public awareness of
the benefits that bicycling brings to the community. Among its goals is to
re-awaken Champaign County as to the rights of cyclists and sharing the road
safely, and to encourage responsible cycling. For information, visit <a href="http://www.champaigncountybikes.org/">www.champaigncountybikes.org</a>.</p>
<p>For more information on the film, go to <a href="http://www.bicycledreamsmovie.com/">www.bicycledreamsmovie.com</a>, or visit
us on Facebook.</p>
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