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Warriors of Cyclocross

This product review is from Issue 8. Want to see more great content like this? You can buy backorders of the entire Issue 8, as well as most of the Issues published to date, and subscribe to Cyclocross Magazine on our Subscription page.

by Mathew Montross

The new Warriors of Cyclocross DVD covers Junior Men, Espoir Men, Elite Women and Elite Men races from the 2008 Nationals in Kansas City. The same company that made last year’s Zero Traction has created Warriors, and not surprisingly the two films share many characteristics.

See the trailer below:

Much like its predecessor, Warriors is well made with good picture quality, editing and transitions from segment to segment. The soundtrack and commentary add to the film without being obtrusive or overbearing.

Even with these positive attributes, the film is still more of a race video than a documentary, as it relies purely on the race action to set the scene and tell the story. There are neither jostled motorcycle camera shots nor Phil Liggett commentary, but Warriors is still more like watching a race DVD like Paris-Roubaix 2005 than a true cycling documentary like 24 Solo or A Sunday in Hell. The race highlight format shows the deciding moments of the major races, but in doing so it keeps the audience from connecting with any of the subjects. All four events are condensed into a combined run time of barely 32 minutes, and each of the categories receive equal screen time.

I enjoyed Warriors of Cyclocross and it has its place in my collection of indoor training DVDs, and for $15 including shipping, it’s not a bad deal. All race-centered DVDs are not necessarily destined for the “bike geek only” section, but the highlight reel format and short length make this one only for the true ‘cross fan.

For more info: www.zerotractionfilm.com

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