AllMovie

While professional cycling is one of the world's most physically challenging sports, it's also one where only a small handful of people earn public recognition or make a comfortable living, and for every cyclist like Lance Armstrong who achieves fame and fortune, there are literally hundreds of others who make tremendous personal sacrifices to the sport with little obvious reward. Documentary filmmaker Jamie Paolinetti is also a veteran cyclist with 14 years of competition under his belt. In The Hard Road, he looks at the six members of the fledgling Net Zero cycling team -- six promising rookies coached by two long-time riders who try to teach their charges about the physical and emotional challenges of life on the track as well as life on the road.