Anton Palzer: Breaking the Cycle (2022)

BREAKING THE CYCLE is a documentary about Anton Palzer, a mountaineer who shocks the world of alpine sports by retiring at the peak of his career to carving out a place on the elite cycling team BORA-hansgrohe. Palzer is a top-class alpinist, a world champion in ski mountaineering, and a long-distance mountain runner. Peak performance is his life. Away from the competition, the Bavarian is famous for his likable, funny manner and his Bavarian mouth. Born and raised at around 1000 meters in Ramsau, Berchtesgaden, Toni is happiest when he can test his limits on foot or on skis - the steeper the slope, the higher the climb, the faster the descent. But after years as one of the dominant athletes in mountaineering, he is now looking for a new discipline to explore his potential - a challenge that will push him to his physical limits. He has already joked a few times: "Watch out, one day I'll be a professional cyclist." This "joke" became a reality as Toni switched to cycling. Only two athletes have ever transitioned from any other sport to elite road cycling, but never to such a strong team with such competitive ambitions. BORA-hansgrohe takes part in the world's biggest cycling competitions, such as the Tour de France, the Giro D'Italia, and the La Vuelta a Espana. In an endurance test, trainer Helmut Dollinger discovers Toni's "extraordinary lung capacity" - an advantage that could help the BORA-hansgrohe team become the best cycling team in the world. This film documents Toni's unique transition from mountaineering to cycling, from lone wolf to team player, from boy to man (both private and sporting), and for the first time, gives deep insights into what is happening in one of the world's most renowned cycling teams. In spring 2021, Toni received a professional rider contract in the BORA-hansgrohe team, put his horsepower on the road, and made history as the first career changer to successfully compete in a Grand Tour the "Vuelta a Espana", within just 6 months. An outstanding, personal achievement by an exceptional athlete that caused sensational news in road cycling and realized Toni's dream of successful change.