March 19, 2015 (Vancouver, B.C.) – Giuseppe Marinoni has been making bike frames in Canada for decades and at the tender age of 75 set out to break the World Record for most distance biked in one hour.

The charismatic Marinoni has been making some of the most desirable bicycle frames in Canada for decades. Although his enterprise has grown over the years, he still seems happiest when welding a handmade frame. (The enduring joy this brings him is particularly impressive when you consider that he’s made 20 or 30 thousand of them in his lifetime.)

Since leaving his native Italy, he’s made a home in Montréal and established a fairly routine life centred on his wife, his bicycles and the tomatoes in his garden.

A competitive cyclist in his youth, he decides, at age 75, to attempt a World Record for distance cycled in one hour for his age group. Giuseppe’s determination and perseverance lead him back to Italy for his training and, ultimately, his attempt at the record. His perfectionism, combined with a curmudgeonly nature, makes him impatient with first-time director Tony Girardin, adding much humour to this inspiring film.

One of the most moving scenes involves Marinoni catching up with his dear friend Jocelyn Lovell, one of Canada’s greatest cyclists during the 60s and 70s, whose storied career was sadly ended by a famous and fateful accident that left him a quadriplegic. This is a film not only for the spandex-and-helmet crowd but for anyone who believes that a man’s reach should exceed his grasp.

MARINONI FRAME RAFFLE
Attend any screening of Marinoni between March 27 and April 13 at the Vancity Theatre for the chance to win a custom 40th anniversary frame built by Giuseppe Marinoni. Write your name, email, and/or phone number on your ticket and drop it in the raffle box after the screening. The winning ticket will be drawn after the screening on April 13.

Movie schedule and times here.