One of my favourite blogs, La Gazzetta Della Bici, has alerted me that Jean-Claude Labrecque’s classic 60 Cycles being available to watch online. Made in 1965, it follows the Tour du Saint Laurent, a 1500-mile race for amateur cyclists around Québec.
There’s a bit of French at the beginning but it’s mostly soundtracked to psychedelic surf music, which fits bicycle racing even better than it does Tarantino films. On show: beautiful steel racing bikes, colourful woolen jerseys and cycling caps; sweat, sprinting, crit stages, dirt roads and a couple of nasty helmetless crashes.
I don’t think it’s on Youtube, but it’s on the National Film Board of Canada’s site in a high quality  stream. At 16 minutes long, perfect to watch in your coffee break, or while you should be working. Thanks, Canada.