The Thousand Days

‘Those of us who doped mostly started in our third year… Everybody has their thousand days; everybody has their choice’. From The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton.

There was a time, about 30 years ago now, when no one – not even anyone in pro cycling – had heard of EPO. The Thousand Days is a satirical drama, set in the years 1991-93 (and featuring the music and styles of the time), which follows a young British rider, David Munro, as he pursues his dream of becoming a pro cyclist by joining the (fictional) Belgian cycling team Top Frites.

We watch as David enters a world of secrets and lies, in which even your roommate can be doping without your knowledge. Almost at once, David comes under pressure: both to handle the monumental step up from racing as an amateur to becoming a professional; and to adapt to a new and alien environment in which what people say and what they do are not always aligned.

David wants to stay clean, but doping in cycling is itself a cycle. As the dopers retire or get banned (or even die), new young riders hungry for success at any price, take their place. Can David both keep his place in the team and stay true to his principles?