Before watching the latest Netflix docuseries Tour de France: Unchained I had no idea who Jonas Vingegaard was. I’m a golf journalist, and cycling just isn’t part of my world. My knowledge of the sport didn’t stretch far beyond understanding that bicycles have two wheels, and that Lance Armstrong was a doper.
If after reading that initial paragraph you’re now wondering how I’ve ended up writing for a cycling publication, it’s something I also thought would never happen. A close friend of mine who’s a cycling journalist messaged me saying he needed someone who was completely clueless about the sport. I ticked that box.
With that said, once I pressed play on the first episode of this TV show, I had finished it all within 48 hours. That statement might not mean much to most, but I can’t remember the last time I watched a film, let alone an eight-part series. It was an unexpected accomplishment.
The opening episode set an addictive tone from the off for a cycling newcomer as it followed Fabio Jakobsen’s jaw-dropping comeback story from a near-death crash. On-screen reporter Orla Chennaoui described his stage two win as “one of the greatest comebacks in the sport” and you would be hard pushed to argue with that. Tiger Woods’ triumph at the Masters in 2019 is a close rival, but perhaps I’m biased.
Read more: Netflix does cycling – What will ‘Tour de France: Unchained’ do for the sport?
Despite the attention-grabbing start, I still had more questions than answers with regards to the sport. Why’s the race starting in Denmark? What’s a ‘sprinter’? What’s with the bizarre team names? There were some explanations for a newcomer like me, like what a ‘domestique’ is, but I needed even more. There wasn’t a map of the route in the first episode which seemed an obvious inclusion as well. Fortunately, I could call upon Google.
These fashionable sporting docuseries clearly have a fine line to balance in catering for the uneducated while still producing a compelling product for obsessives. Golf’s attempt in trying to emulate Formula One’s Drive to Survive – aptly named ‘Full Swing’ – didn’t succeed in this. It was good, but surface level at times and I found it boring, especially as a golf nut. I can’t say the same for this cycling equivalent as I was hooked straight away.
But, I could argue my engagement was because I had no idea what was coming next. Would Jakobsen win the Tour de France? Or has another…