The world of professional athletes is notoriously cutthroat, and has seen its fair share of backstage scandals, many including drugs and abuse. The Racer takes us back to Dublin in 1998 and reimagines the weeks preceding a doping scandal that came to light before the Tour de France.

The team, however, is fictional, and the main character, Dom Chabol (Louis Talpe), is not exactly in the limelight. He’s a domestique, a support rider who is not supposed to win, and though quiet, taciturn, and well-liked, he is not satisfied. He’s been at it for years, many of his relationships outside the team have fallen away, and now in his late 30s, his career is almost over. In fact, he’s dropped from the team without much fuss or warning, only to have his position restored just as abruptly. Secretly, he desires to win, and the film is much more about his struggles than it is about the exposure of any shocking misdeeds. 

The Racer is notable chiefly for the authenticity with which it portrays the world of the bikers and the matter-of-factness with which it approaches its more unsavory aspects. The athletes sit down in no-frills hotel rooms, joking around as they receive injections of the hormone erythropoietin (EPO). The lighting is naturalistic, and their manner casual—they are clearly doing something so second nature that they do not question or protest against it. Sonny (Ian Glen), the team masseur who is charged with administering the injections, is gruff and demanding, but he brims with genuine compassion for the team, and has a deep and close relationship with Dom. Even if his practices are misguided, his actions spring from a genuine conviction that he is doing the right thing. 

Both the sport and the drugs take a huge toll on Dom’s body, and he is not the only one suffering—another teammate has panic attacks on a nightly basis. Yet, if we can see this world as unstable and destined for disaster, the riders treat everything as a given. Lynn (Tara Lee), the team doctor and Dom’s love interest, is the only one to give name to the insanity she witnesses. 

Nevertheless, the film falters significantly in its conception of Dom. If the world surrounding him feels believable and compelling, his story feels recycled and academic. His desire to have one last moment of glory is what the filmmaker chooses to emphasize, yet somehow it’s the least convincing aspect of the film, especially when we have seen the toll that Dom’s profession is taking on his health and peace of mind. It’s not that one cannot believe that someone would make an unwise decision or would choose glory over safety, it’s more that the movie seems to cry out for a different story. By contrast, Lynn, who in theory could have been treated as a plot device, is a much more credible character. This is, in part, because she clearly states what she sees and is also admirably complex, excited to start her job but not starstruck. 

The Racer is nevertheless an intriguing entry into sports cinema, and one of the few films that have tackled bicycle racing as a subject—Breaking Away and The Triplets of Belleville are two that spring to mind. Its attempt to bring us into this world with naturalistic detail is exciting, even if it falls short.