Oi Polloi

Worth a Watch: Pedal

Published: Thu Feb 10 2022

Pedal is a high-octane slab of visual adrenaline from photographer Peter Sutherland. It documents a daredevil group of bike couriers in New York city as they weave through traffic, dodge absent-minded pedestrians, mug off coppers and avoid the wrath of bloodthirsty taxi drivers, chasing highs and delivering parcels along the way.

Shot on grainy, low-end digital video, the film is essentially one long chase sequence, and while it may not convert cycling agnostics, it is certainly worth setting your eyes upon for the sheer amount of commendable nuttery on display.

The highlight? A scene where some hard-as-nails woman gets taken out by a taxi, and walks it off like she’s just tripped on a wobbly flagstone. Consider our cycling caps well and truly doffed.