Cycling films: Leopard – Trek was once considered the Real Madrid of cycling. In 2011, a camera crew followed the team during the Tour de France. The Road Uphill focuses on the brothers Andy and Frank Schleck.
Here's how you can stream The Road Uphill . The film can also be purchased from various online stores.
The Road Uphill: Leopard - Trek at the Tour de France 2011
Looking back: A new super-team was formed in road cycling for the 2011 season. Packed with former riders from Saxo Bank and Milram, Leopard-Trek was born. From the outset, the world cycling federation ranked the Luxembourg-licensed team as the strongest in the world. No wonder, since alongside the German Jens Voigt, the Swiss Fabian Cancellara and the Luxembourgish brothers Frank and Andy Schleck also joined Leopard-Trek. With this lineup, they hoped to finally help the younger of the two brothers achieve Tour de France victory. In The Road Uphill, viewers follow the team on their first Tour de France – and they aim to make history.
Two brothers stand together on the tour podium
The 2011 Tour de France went down in history as one of the most exciting in the race's history. Defending champion Alberto Contador – whose 2010 victory was later revoked – already had the Giro d'Italia under his belt and wasn't in top form for the Grand Boucle. Experts were therefore expecting Andy Schleck to finally take the big win. Dealing with this immense pressure is the subject of the documentary "The Road Uphill." Producers David Grumbach and Paul Thiltges, along with screenwriter and director Jean-Louis Schuller, offer viewers a glimpse into the emotions and daily lives of the stars. And at least in part, there was a happy ending. Andy and Frank Schleck stood together on the podium in Paris. However, they once again missed out on the overall victory.
Andy Schleck never recovered from this defeat
The result lists of the 2011 Tour de France can easily be read without emotion. But the way the end result came about could hardly have been more dramatic. While the French had hoped for Thomas Voeckler to win overall, Andy Schleck was already more than two and a half minutes behind the leader in fourth place. Since there was still a time trial on the penultimate day, everyone was expecting Cadel Evans to triumph. As second overall, he was more than a minute ahead of Andy Schleck. So Leopard - Trek saw his skins swimming away and a special moment had to be created. Andy Schleck started this action on the 18th stage. With an early attack, he secured the day's win and took time from all his competitors. Suddenly he was the favorite for overall victory. A day later he even conquered the yellow jersey. He went into the decisive time trial with a lead of 57 seconds over Cadel Evans. In between there was even Brother Frank. But what happened next would forever affect Andy Schleck's career. In the fight against the clock, the Luxembourger lost a whopping 2:31 minutes to Cadel Evans - and thus the Tour de France. Andy Schleck should never win a race again.