‘Maiden’ Director Alex Holmes And MRC Team For Greg LeMond Docu ‘Last Rider’

EXCLUSIVE: Documentary filmmaker Alex Holmes is going from the world of boat racing in his critically acclaimed pic Maiden to the world of cycling with Last Rider, which chronicles the story of Greg LeMond. The director will team with MRC Non-Fiction for the production. James Erskine and Victoria Gregory are set to produce on behalf of New Black Films.

Last Rider follows the story of LeMond, who came back from the brink of death after a hunting accident to win the closest race in the history of the Tour de France. He remains the only American to have won the race without performance-enhancing drugs.

“The 1989 Tour de France was one of the most thrilling spectacles in sport,” said Holmes. “It pitted LeMond, the only American ever to have won the tour, against the great French champion Laurent Fignon. It was a race that tested not only their physical endurance but their mental strength. The cat and mouse duel between Fignon and LeMond is pure cinema and this film delves deep into the psyche of these men to discover what it takes to make a champion.”

“LeMond’s career is the inspirational, against all odds story and underscores why the world of sports provides such a fertile ground for documentaries,” said Amit Dey, SVP and Head of MRC Non-Fiction. “As big fans of Maiden, we believe Alex is the perfect filmmaker to bring his story to modern audiences and transport us to a time when a special American athlete could write his own legend in the world’s most grueling race without cheating the system.”

In addition to Maiden, Holmes helmed the Emmy and BAFTA-nominated miniseries House of Saddam and the three-part BBC series Dunkirk, for which he won his first BAFTA as director. Next up for MRC is Edgar Wright’s debut documentary feature about the cult pop rock duo Sparks.