Ride the Divide rolls on the big screen in Madison and Milwaukee

Based on the reviews I've read, Ride the Divide beautifully captures the epic adventure of the mountain bike race it documents, the 2,700-mile Great Divide from Banff, Canada, to the Mexican border.

Local enthusiasts, or just the curious, will have two opportunities to see the film this week: at 7 p.m. Wednesday night in the Rosebud Cinema, 6824 W. North Ave., in Milwaukee, and at 8 p.m. Wednesday night in the Orpheum Theater, 216 State St., in Madison.

Proceeds from the Milwaukee showing will benefit the Wisconsin Off Road Bicycling Association, and the Madison event will provide money for the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin.

The 2010 release won the award for the Best Adventure Film at the Vail Film Festival and has been praised for capturing the physical, emotional and mental turmoil endured by three competitors.

The review on the Grizzly Adam blog explains it very well:

"Actually, the film was surprisingly funny - in an endearing, likable way. It's also very insightful. Having ridden in a few endurance races, I found myself reliving the emotional and physical gauntlet that those types of events provide. And while my adventures have been on a much smaller scale, the mentality, and the spirit is the same. And perhaps that makes me a subjective judge, but I found the movie to be absolutely spot on in that regard."

It's also regarded as a gorgeous piece of cinematography, following along through the Rocky Mountains along the spine of the Great Divide.

One last note from Grizzly Adam caught my attention: "The Divide is normal, tame, mundane. It is the grind of work and family and high-rise buildings and societal expectations that are unpredictable and frightening. And I wonder if that is not why, at least in part, each of us ride our bikes. Or ski. Or run. Those activities in effect, become a sanctuary where we are sheltered from our own inhibitions and doubts and fears."