LA COURSE EN TÊTE © panama productions 2025
La Course en tête: the loneliness of a champion, according to Joël Santoni
In 1974, Joël Santoni filmed Belgian champion cyclist Eddy Merckx at the height of his dominance in world cycling in La Course en tête. More than just a sports documentary, the film — newly restored and presented in Cannes Classics — is an introspective deep-dive into the loneliness of a champion.
After his death in 2018, Joël Santoni left behind an understated legacy, with La Course en tête marking the pinnacle of his work. Part sports documentary, part tragedy, the film is a true cinematic meditation on the effort, pain and obsession of victory and the loneliness of heroes.
Released in 1974, La Course en tête follows Eddy Merckx, generally considered to be the greatest racing cyclist of all time, at the peak of his career. Filmed without explanatory commentary or voice-over, the film depicts the Belgian champion on the roads, in training, in hotels, on the podium and even in the shower. The camera lingers on his movements, his breathing, his looks, the silences — and the ever-present classical music transforms the racing scenes into a sacrificial dance.
In the champion’s wake is a pack of anonymous figures honored by Santoni: his pacemakers, devoted teammates or distant adversaries, without whom the legend of Merckx, nicknamed “the cannibal”, would never have been written. In this documentary, through pared back shots and thoughtful editing, Joël Santoni reinvents the figure of a champion as a melancholy, lonely and legendary hero.
