Battle Mountain: Graeme Obree's Story (2015) watch online HD

This inspirational documentary is about Graeme Obree, a former world cycling champion and record holder, and his unconventional journey to the human powered land speed competition at Battle Mountain, with a 'prone' bicycle that has been hand-built on his kitchen table in a small flat in Saltcoats.

Obree's objective is not only to become the fastest man ever on two wheels, he wants to break 100mph. Always thinking outside the box and shooting for the stars.

With his athletic pedigree, and uncanny knack of confounding doubters and critics since the height of his racing career in the 1990s, this is a tale of hope and wonder with oh-so familiar twists, turns, setbacks and success against the odds.

Obree previously developed some of the most infamous and aerodynamic cycling positions and bicycles in the past and, as his new machine 'The Beastie' comes together over the course of the film, there is a sense of déjà vu... that he is once again creating something original and special that people will talk about for years to come.

The film really gets going with a superb succession of laugh-out-loud scenes, aptly drawing attention to the affable and quite bonkers personality of the genius, Obree.

David Street (the writer, director, and editor) has deftly put together a vast array of footage from the very early days of the project through to final race at Battle Mountain, evidencing distinctly close contact with his subject, and a compassionate and discerning eye for all the poignant points that needed to be captured by the film.

This is a beautiful, fun, feel-good-factor film, helped by a marvellous lead character and sound track. Similar to Obree, David Street has done a damn fine job of bringing his ideas to fruition (and to our screens).

I went to this screening of Battle Mountain expecting a film that would appeal to a niche market. Luckily it's quite a big niche, and the cinema was filled with fellow cyclists in an optimistic testament to how the sport has blossomed in the UK. But I left thinking that - with just a small consideration - it could easily find a wider market. The filmmaker, David Street, has produced an unexpectedly cinematic vision of a man on a home-made bicycle, and there's great pleasure to be had in watching Obree's quirky engineering choices (including rollerblades, a sideboard and a saucepan) and his infectious enthusiasm for a new cycling challenge.

Where the film falls just short is in assuming that its audience has prior knowledge of Obree's frankly incredible history in the sport of cycling. While it is covered, it's not covered in a way that would allow anyone but an enthusiast to really appreciate his journey. To enjoy any achievement, we need to understand its historical context. For instance, while it is the core of his story, the iconic Hour record is never explained, and so Obree's feat in breaking it on a home-made machine is so diminished that it may offer only passing interest to the unconverted, instead of astonishment. And for a film like this to find a wider audience it HAS to convert! There are moments like this throughout the film, where the emotional impact could have been exponentially heightened by the brief use of voice-over to explain WHY Obree's achievements have been so gobsmacking. Without those contextual pointers, his (literal) kitchen-sink struggle to push yet another cycling envelope is interesting and well made, but ultimately a little sterile. That's a shame when the man himself burns with passion for the subject and is an engaging on-screen presence.

There's always a fine line to be trod between patronising a knowledgeable audience, and under-informing an ignorant one. For me, Battle Mountain errs just on the side of the latter. It's admirable that it was made at all (with the help of Kickstarter) but without some context for emotional guidance, I fear it will remain of interest to a far smaller audience than it probably deserves.