Program 3: MOUNTAINS WE CLIMB Plus Short Films

Program 3: MOUNTAINS WE CLIMB Plus Short Films

MOUNTAINS WE CLIMB (USA, 21 min.) Directed by Ryan Canney

In 2019, Doylestown, Pennsylvania native and elite road cyclist, Chris Baccash had a best ever result at the Bucks County Classic Pro Cycling Race. He and his team looked forward to what the 2020 season could bring — racing the Leadville 100 at the top of the list. Four months later came a devastating brain cancer diagnosis, life-saving surgeries, and a global pandemic. In the midst of the adversity, Chris finds the key to climbing the mountain ahead.

Preceded by BFF Select Shorts featuring stories about:

• After a breakup, a cyclist pedals his way to emotional health from Mexico City to northern Colorado and repairs bicycles for the unprivileged members of his new community

• A poetic ode to Zoe Zeerip's lifelong battle with Junior Rheumatoid Arthritis

• The 1936 story of Nora Young, one of the first few female cyclists to compete in the men’s world of Six-Day velodrome bike racing

• The mental comeback of German BMX rider, Markus Reuss who nearly died in an assault 

• American cyclocross racer, Kaitie Keough's decision to move to Europe and race against the world's best cyclists

• The psychological pursuit of confronting the pressure created by one's own aspirations as told through the lense of former professional road-biker, Dominik Roels

• The non-stop challenge to conquer Italy's Monte Grappa's ten routes in one ride – almost twice the height of Everest – a feat no cyclist has successfully climbed before