Based on the inspiring true story of Greg Townsend and the Rite of Passage cycling team.
A strong-willed social worker at a youth facility assembles an unlikely cycling team of juvenile convicts and takes them on a transformative 1000-mile bike ride.
Synopsis
Hard Miles tells the uplifting true story of the bicycling team at Rite of Passage’s RidgeView Academy, a medium-security correctional school in Colorado. The film follows beleaguered coach Greg Townsend (Matthew Modine) as he rounds up an unlikely crew of incarcerated students for a seemingly impossible bike ride from Denver to the Grand Canyon.
As the beginner bicyclists battle heatstroke, speed wobbles, and the greatest enemy of all cyclists – a chafed crotch – they must learn to stop fighting and ride together as a peloton. The bicycle serves not just as a means of transportation, but as a test; a way for each of these young men to see what they are truly capable of, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
As caring social worker Haddie (Cynthia Kaye McWilliams) attempts to be the voice of reason, coach Greg Townsend pushes the boys to their limit, and cracks begin to form in the peloton. Ultimately, Greg’s words will ring hollow unless he can apply his coaching advice to his own life and make amends with his dying father. In the sweltering desert, the boys reach a crossroads and must decide whether to continue down the path of least resistance, or take agency of their futures and pave the way to forgiveness.
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Screenings / Awards:
Bentonville Film Festival – 2023 Spotlight Feature (World Premiere)
Puerto Rico Film Festival – (WINNER: Best Narrative Feature, Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actor – Cynthia McWilliams )
Upcoming:
Heartland Film Festival – (Official Selection)
Chicago International Film Festival – (Official Selection) Newport Beach Film Festival – (Official Selection)
Naples International Film Festival – (Official Selection; Opening Night) Denver Film Festival – (Official Selection)
SCAD Savannah Film Festival – (Official Selection) BreckFilm – (Official Selection)
3Rivers Film Festival – (Official Selection; Closing Night)
California Premiere on October 18th at Newport Beach Film Festival
Hard Miles will be released in North America in early 2024, but SoCal audiences get a chance to preview it next Wednesday and Thursday at the Newport Beach Film Festival.
For more information visit https://www.hardmilesmovie.com/
HARD MILES – sneak peak v.4.1 from christian sander on Vimeo.
About Rite of Passage
Rite of Passage provides education, therapeutic programs, and life skills development to at-risk youth with behavioral or emotional difficulties. They operate schools throughout the US, including Ridge View Academy in Watkins CO, where Greg Townsend taught welding and helped create the cycling program alongside Ski Broman.
Director RJ Daniel Hanna said:
“It’s an honor to tell the story of Greg Townsend and the amazing boys who had to overcome every obstacle imaginable, both in their hearts and on the sun-baked road, to show the world and themselves that they can accomplish something truly extraordinary. I’m so proud of this film and our amazing cast who delivered performances full of humor and pathos. I hope audiences will fall in love with the unsung heroes of this story as I have, and feel inspired to try something new and challenging in their own lives.”
About the Production
Directed by Academy Nicholl Fellow R.J. Daniel Hanna, the film was shot on location on high-altitude roads in the Sierra Nevada, sprawling desert lands in Navajo Nation, Utah, Colorado, and Grand Canyon National Park. Blue Fox Entertainment’s US distribution arm is planning a theatrical release in the Spring of 2024.
Origins
After hearing of the program, a campus visit to Ridge View Academy in Watkins, Colorado convinced producer Christian Sander that Greg’s story had the legs to be a feature film. In addition to providing the inspiration, Greg Townsend would eventually also help as an on-set consultant and provided the actual bicycles that appear in the film, which were welded by real ROP students in his welding shop. He would also tell stories and inspire the actors in his own unique way. One day, Townsend climbed 7,000 feet of vertical gain up Horseshoe meadows road to arrive at set.
The producers received help from Christian Vande Velde, who was instrumental in getting the project off the ground. Exec producer Scott Sander reached out to Vande Velde in the hopes of getting the cycling aspects correct. Sander recalled,
“I called up Christian and asked if he had seen Breaking Away, and [VDV] said, ‘Seen it? Are you kidding me? My dad was one of the Italians!’
(Christian’s father John Vande Velde played one of the Cinzano teammates, who throws Dennis Christopher’s shift lever in the iconic and heartbreaking scene.)
Once Vande Velde was on board, other big names in cycling joined the peloton. Diaa Nour of Ventum Bicycles provided Coach Townsend’s flashy bike and George Hincapie’s outerwear company manufactured the kits that appear in the film. Robbie Ventura of Vision Quest coaching and many other passionate cyclists joined in to support.
Casting
Casting Director Ron Pennywell:
“The casting process for HARD MILES was quite simply a collaborative home run. From the beginning I had direct, unfiltered access to the writer and the director of the film to curate and discuss the vision for each of these complex, dynamic characters. The chemistry between our final 4 was undeniable. Once we had Matthew Modine, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams and Leslie David Baker on board, everything just locked into place.”
Jackson Kelly on his role as SMINK:
“After several self-tapes, the final callback took place on the westside of LA. I was sleeping on a friend’s couch in Glendale at the time. I had no car, and no way of getting to the audition. So I borrowed my friend’s bike. I rode 25 miles to the audition and arrived hot, sweaty, sunburnt and with a bad case of helmet head. The whole way over, Smink was on my mind; I would say the lines to myself as I rode. I remember leaving the audition and knowing deep down in my gut that the part was mine. I got the call that I booked the job a week later as I was vacuuming out the vents at my day job.
I knew nobody would be able to portray Smink in the way I could. Although we are very different, we have several through lines that connect us on a deep level. When the audience meets Smink, he is struggling with an eating disorder. He refuses to eat as a way of having some sense of control in his life. I have been battling a severe eating disorder from the age of seventeen. It’s gone through phases of anorexia, bulimia, and even substance abuse. After seeking help and going through a hospitalization program things were better, but it still plagued me by the time Hard Miles filming began. Eating disorders are rarely portrayed on screen, and when they are, it’s most often a girl. I felt so seen that a teenage boy with an eating disorder was written into the script, and in a way that didn’t define him.
In a lot of ways I credit the filming of Hard Miles with curing my eating disorder. It was very therapeutic for me. I was outside in the most beautiful locations, getting to work on the job of my dreams, and I was surrounded by the most positive and encouraging people. The other boys were hungry and constantly eating crafty. That gave me permission to eat as well, because otherwise I physically would not have been capable of making the movie. It was a judgment-free space where nobody cared or commented about what I looked like and I was so focused on making a great movie that nothing else mattered. I was able to get out of my own head and simply be present.”
Jahking Guillory on working with Matthew Modine:
Hard Miles didn’t feel like a movie to me. It was more than that. It didn’t feel like work. For one, we were literally on those bikes pedaling, no green screen or backdrop, at epic locations fully immersed in nature. My first time seeing the Grand Canyon was filmed—it
doesn’t get any better than that— on location. Matthew, Damien, Zach, Jackson & I rode 10 miles for a scene near Death Valley while it was scorching hot. It felt like we all shared a brotherhood & family bond.
Working with Matthew was an absolute honor. Every time I was around him I tried to be an open ear, a sponge, soaking every bit of knowledge I could. One thing I’ll remember most about working with him was his ability to truly be present. I know that might sound generic or cliché, but it really isn’t. As an actor you can get caught up in “what’s my next line” instead of just being in the scene, in the moment. Right now is all we have. So trust in yourself and keep going forward, which is kind of the theme of the film.
Jackson Kelly on cycling prep:
“The whole cast got together at RSI studios for a cycling lesson. We were given temporary cycling kits to wear for the training day. It was so cool to see us all in matching uniforms. It really made me feel like we were a team. I felt like a real cyclist. That feeling would soon change.
A woman named Dorothy Wong, who is basically one of the top female cyclocross riders in the country, was instructing the course. She took us through all the fundamentals of cycling over the course of a few hours: stopping, starting, signaling, gear changes, weaving, body positioning, etc. It was a lot to take in. Everyone was falling. It was hilarious and very humbling for all of us. Nobody looked cool. One time, Zach [Robbins] started tilting over, slowly, while still clipped in, and shouted, ‘Here we go!’ and then fully bounced off the pavement. Jahking was learning to emergency stop by squeezing the front brake and the rear brake simultaneously, and he went fully over the handlebars.
Eventually, we all got the hang of things and we went for a ride through the studio lot “streets”. It was a blast riding all together as a group. I couldn’t stop smiling. There’s no better feeling than being on a bike surrounded by friends.”
Challenges
Production notes from UPM Greg Bartlett and Production Supervisor Laura Nixon
- The entire show was produced from a single trailer that had seen hard use since the 1970’s. It was Star Waggons’ production trailer #2.
- Finding cell service in remote locations was a constant
- We regularly had 3-4 “Gregs” on set.
- While setting up a shot at one of our park locations, we had to leave because a mountain lion attacked a coyote right in front of The scene had called for child actors, who were safely inside with their studio teacher at the time.
- In Lone Pine, a surprise 70 mph windstorm sent the crew scrambling. Thankfully, our driver had the foresight to wedge the trailer against a 10-foot-tall boulder to anchor us. Still, the sheer quantity of production supplies that blew off the side of Horseshoe Meadows road at 10,000 feet was enormous. And because we DO NOT litter, production heads had to scramble down to retrieve all of it. One pop-up tent was so brutally destroyed that the rental company actually framed a photo of it and displayed it on their wall as a reminder to future clients of what not to do.
- On his lone day off in Arizona, Matthew Modine borrowed a production car in Marble Canyon (Navajo Nation) for an outing to the nearest town. No one thought to check how much gas was Mr. Modine ended up finding out. He ended up hitchhiking 20 miles to town (since there was no cell service) and eventually returned to set with a full tank and enough fresh watermelon for the whole crew
- It was common for the mercury to top 108 degrees. Skratch labs provided electrolytes.
- Despite the hardships, this shoot created tight bonds. So much so that several crew members who met on set produced a short film together this year.
One creative logistical challenge was figuring out how to shoot the cycling sequences without relying on ADR, which would strain credibility. Production sound guru Richard Novick was up to the challenge. The production often used GripTrix; which is essentially a supercharged electric golf cart. This particular piece of equipment came in handy for the descent scene, which featured cyclists Phil Gaimon and Cormac McGeough bombing the road at 50 mph.
Thoughtfully lensed by Mack Fisher, the movie shot anamorphic in order to capture the emotional impact of the expansive American West. The choice lends to the retro feel, reminiscent of the humor-filled sports dramas that graced our screens in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Hard Miles is truly best experienced in the theatrical setting.
Blue Fox Entertainment’s James Huntsman said:
“Theatrical audiences are hungry for inspirational stories; this one showcases the beauty of the American West through the lens of cycling. Daniel, Christian and the rest of the talented cast and crew delivered a movie destined to be embraced by audiences around the world.”
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CREDITS
Directed by: RJ Daniel Hanna
Written by: RJ Daniel Hanna & Christian Sander
Starring: Matthew Modine, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams, Leslie David Baker, Sean Astin, Jahking Guilloy, Jackson Kelly, Damien Diaz, Zachary T. Robbins, Emily Kincaid, Judah Mackey, Charles Ambrose, Jaxon Goldenberg, Gabby Sanalitro, Jenna Doolittle, Jesus Venegas.
Produced by: Christian Sander
Executive Producers: Scott Sander, Larry Roth Co-Producers: Phin Palmer, Greg Bartlett
Original Music by: Andrew Johnson
Sound Design by: THIS IS SOUND DESIGN – Nathan Ruyle
Visual Effects: Lincoln Smith Edited by: Evan Schrodek
Cinematography by: Mack Fisher
Production Design by: Susannah Lowber
Costume Designer: Claire Mildred
