movies
We ride, almost everyday. Sometimes, we ride and we make a movie about it. Some stories are just too good not to tell. We relive an old book about cycling, we have fun discovering the underground world of local moonshine, we get to race in Kenya next to wildebeasts and giraffes or we create our own battles on the beach. There is absolutely no logic involved when choosing the subjects of our movies. The only thing that connects them is passion for cycling.
the long way home - road to rebound
Four different lives, one shared goal: REBOUND 2024. Welcome to Amsterdam, welcome to the first episode of ‘The Long Way Home - Road to Rebound’. Remember the DIY version of Unbound? On June 1st we’re doing it again - united in gravel, we ride REBOUND. This year, we are stepping up our game by following four REBOUND participants. Four candidates. Two top level coaches. Only three months to prepare for their long day on the bike. Join Polly from the UK, Jarle from Norway, Willy from Belgium and Sophie from the Netherlands on their Road to Rebound, while they are being coached by ex-pro cyclist Laurens ten Dam and human performance scientist Jim van den Berg. Will they all reach their personal goal in three months of training? Let's found out in the coming three episodes!
REBOUND is a collaboration of Live Slow Ride Fast Media and SHIMANO.
Join us this year for REBOUND 2024: www.rebound.cc
SHEPHERD - A FURTHER TALE
“We have no memory of pain, do we. So you know that hurts, but you can’t actually remember what hurt is. So that’s how we can do it again.” — Camille McMillan
A short movie dedicated to the adventure bike race, Further Scotland, and its creator Camille McMillan.
UNBound rebound
United in gravel, we rode REBOUND. The largest and most-shared gravel event in the world. On June 3rd 2023, a community of almost 300.000 gravel fans rode together more than four million miles - without actually being together. Cyclists all over the world took on their bikes and cameras, giving us an insight of where they live, and ride, what they eat and what fun and pain looks like. REBOUND is an international celebration of the bike and the endless possibilities of where it can take you, starting at your doorstep. At the same day and time, there was Unbound: the largest gravel race in the world. 'Our' Laurens participated in this epic edition.
REBOUND is a collaboration of Live Slow Ride Fast Media and SHIMANO.
Join us next year for REBOUND 2024: www.rebound.cc
CAN DO - WILL DO | UNBOUND ALL IN
When you want to win, but you can't. And then you no longer know why you actually wanted to win. At least, that was the case before Laurens went through life as a professional adventurer. After an enormous career as a cycling professional, the servant decided to continue giving his all and turned out to be a winner in gravel. But does he really want to win? And what does winning mean to him? On June 3rd, 2023, it's all or nothing. But why the constant 'can' and 'will'? What drives him? Where does his determination and discipline come from? This is a story about chasing dreams and analysing that sacred fire within. About boyhood dreams, getting the best out of yourself, day in and day out. This is the story of Laurens ten Dam. This is an ode to Unbound.
Wij gaan die boot niet missen | island hopping for professionals
600 kilometers
five islands
one long night
four ferry crossings
but it’s all about one thing:
that last boat.
You must be a little crazy to participate in the GranGuanche Audax Road. But for those who seek a challenge, this self-supported bike race that covers the five Canary Islands might do the trick. Not only do you race your opponents, you also have to plan your rides within the ferry time slots. Now that is what we call island hopping for professionals. Will Laurens and Thomas be able to draft themselves to the finish? And who will take the title of the most audacious of all?
UNA CHIMBA | CROSSING THE ANDES
Transcordilleras. This bike pack race takes you over three mountain ranges of the Andes of Colombia, from east to west, 1100 kilometers long and 25.000 meters of altitude. Una Chimba takes you along these beautiful and grueling roads, where frenemies Laurens ten Dam and Peter Stetina chase each other for the win. It's them vs the Colombian Andes Mountains, up up up & down, 8 days long.
Watch Una Chimba here. If you are interested in reading the full story about Transcordilleras, please see our stories page.
LION MAN | Gino bartali - the war years
The movie tells the story of cycling legend Gino Bartali. It wasn’t until after his death, he turned out to be a war hero too. He rarely talked about the sacrifice he had made. Very few people knew he had smuggled fake IDs for Jewish Italians, hidden in the space of his bicycle frame. Between Florence and Assisi he completed his ‘training’ on the white roads, day in, day out, putting himself in danger.
Laurens and Stefan want to know what kind of man this cycling champion was. They immerse themselves in the Italy of now and then, searching for answers from those who knew him well. The men savour everything this region has to offer, and, of course, they ride the smuggling route of Gino between Florence and Assisi, passing world famous cities and sleepy towns, visiting quaint little bars and ‘osterias’, enjoying lakes, hills and the white roads of Umbria and Tuscany.
winter micro adventure
We did a night ride. Drank beer around a fire. Slept in some shit hole. Rode back the next day. That’s it actually.
We had a blast.
Kokóto - Magic in the Mara
There is this African proverb that says:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
So. The story begins.
Together. Four men, well boys if you ask me.
All packed and sacked.
Up for just another adventure.
.But make no mistake my boys: this is not a safari on the bike.
This is a one of a kind gravel race.
On the most challenging terrains you’ll ever encounter.
You will not find any ordinary gravel here.
This is Áfrican gravel. This, my boys, is what wé call…KOKOTO
Bomba tour II | Vast in Fryslân
In the heat of the ice cold fever of February 2021, we tried planning our second Bomba trip. Bomba 1 was shortened with a day, because of sudden Covid lockdown measures. But there was Unfinished Business. We needed to refill our Live Slow Ride Fast hip flasks with local moonshine.
During the Bomba Tour we soften the throats, we meet new people and we get to ride through the prettiest regions of Holland. We created a tour through Friesland, inspired by the Elfstedentocht, and we almost got stuck there forever. If you are more of a reader, you can find the story here.
dus we hebben een battle
In december 2019 former pro and long time friend Thomas Dekker challenged Laurens for a battle on the beach. Even though Thomas had not ridden his bike for quite some years, he was still confident enough he could kick Laurens’ ass within one year.
Just because, well, he’s Thomas Dekker.
Long story short: the battle happened. Last month. We wanted to make a short quick video around the event, but then we channeled our inner Spielberg. It turned out to be a 35 minutes documentary about the battle, the love for the bike and about friendship.
Shit happens.
Zijn tweeëntwintig was nog schoon
"Meyrueis, Lozère, June 26, 1977. Hot and overcast. I take my gear out of the car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafés. Non-racers. The emptiness of those lives shocks me.'
Originally published in 1978, The Rider by Tim Krabbé is a modern-day classic that is recognised as one of the best books ever written about the sport. Laurens: “Every Dutch guy who’s a little into cycling knows the first five sentences of the book. This book deserved a tribute. And what better time to do so than this year, with the Tour de France finishing on Mont Aigoual.''
Dirty Kanzelled
Okay, there was no Dirty Kanza in Emporia, Kansas on May 30. But for the love of cycling we rode DIRTY KANZELLED instead. We hoped that a lot of people would follow our initiative, but boy, what a surprise it was to see so many people joining us that day. All together, riding solo or in pairs, connected by #dirtykanzelled. One big community of gravel grinding cycling fans, that had set their alarms at 5.00 am to start their own micro adventures.
We loved seeing you guys and gals designing your own backyard gravel routes, meticulously preparing your bikes, rearranging all the bars and gels and enjoying the early bird sunrise moment. We saw it all: the bonked faces, the painful crashes, the fantastic views, but most of all: the happy faces. Not only after completing, but along the ride. Thanks for sharing it all.
TRANSIT
From Lombardia to Lecchi in Chianti, a distance of 560 kilometer, with only 2 days to complete it. I would love to say there was a specific reason to make it this difficult, or some vague idea about sacrifices and the end of a career. But to be honest, I just wanted to say hi to my manager João after my last race and I needed to be back home in time for my son’s birthday.
Transit tells the story of the ending of a career and the start of a new one. With my friends Dennis Bruin, Stefan Bolt and Sam Oomen, we celebrated my last race day as a pro, we toasted to the victory of Bauke Mollema and we rode our asses off to get to Chianti in time. The suffering and the joy of getting their in one piece is captured in the movie TRANSIT.