Greenbriar Challenge to serve as backdrop for new MTB movie

Organizers of Maryland's Greenbrier Challenge on April 27 will have their event filmed as part of an upcoming feature movie MAX VO2 The Potential Inside starring Ransford Doherty and featuring champion American mountain bikers Jeremiah Bishop and Chris Eatough. The film, scheduled for theatrical release in 2009, is a fictional drama of relationships set against the backdrop of professional cycling.

According to the film's website, it will be about a veteran cyclist who "is given an opportunity he doesn't want, to train a rookie cycling prodigy". He is grieving over a tragic automobile accident and only reluctantly takes on the prodigy, Jake. The two use technology and scientific training methods to transform the young rider into a top contending cyclist.

The highly technical aspect of mountain biking is one of the things the movie's producer is focusing on, "This movie is going to be technically accurate. I cringe when I see things in movies like bike racers shifting to a lower gear to go faster. I used to race as a semi-pro myself, which is how I know Jeremiah (Bishop) and Chris (Eatough), so I'm making sure this is an accurate portrayal," said Executive Producer Scotty Curlee of Red Cloud Productions.

"This isn't going to be like other cycling movies that Hollywood has done. Mainstream viewers are going to be surprised at how technical bike racing is, and cyclists are going to be pleased with how accurate the scenes are, even though it's a completely fictional story."

The Greenbrier Challenge, an event on the USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Calendar, is on race where American juniors can qualify for the USA National Team to compete in the World Championships in Italy later this year. Racers of all levels can also qualify for the US National Mountain Bike Championship in Mt. Snow, Vermont in July.