THE ups and downs of life on a mountain bike is the subject of a TV film to be screened next week featuring two top teenage riders from Felixstowe.The programme – called Trial Boys – follows Nick Evans and Richard Stevenson, both 18, as they train for a cycle trials competition.

THE ups and downs of life on a mountain bike is the subject of a TV film to be screened next week featuring two top teenage riders from Felixstowe.

The programme – called Trial Boys – follows Nick Evans and Richard Stevenson, both 18, as they train for a cycle trials competition.

Film-maker Pete Kyle got the idea for the programme, part of Anglia TV's First Take series, after meeting Nick – who is tipped to be a future British champion – in an Ipswich cycle shop.

He was fascinated by how little people understood about the world of cycle trials, which are similar to motorcycle skills events.

Pete, of Aldringham, who works as a sound recordist and a film editor, said: "I have always been interested in cycling and watching Nick and Richard ride was a real incentive to write a proposal to First Take.

"Their riding is often seen in the wrong light. The riding is incredibly precise and dangerous and people do not realise that the boys have been training for years and are well aware of the safety issues."

He said the fact that they often ride in public areas can create tension and people have different perceptions about the use of public spaces.

Nick said he felt the cyclists are looked down on in Felixstowe but if he achieves his dream of becoming British Champion then he would be a local hero. The irony is not lost on him.

Trial Boys was shot on location in Felixstowe, Bawdsey and Aldeburgh and provided as much drama off camera as it did on.

Two days before principal photography was due to start on Friday 13, Nick reported that he had broken the frame to his bike.

"It took 24 hours of non-stop work to repair the bike but it was ready when filming started. But then trouble struck again when a 10 foot drop onto a sea weed covered rock went wrong and he snapped his handle bars as he crash landed," said Pete.

Despite this Pete agreed to allow Nick to ride over his car on the final day of shooting.

"There are a few dents but I think it will be worth it, " he said.

The ten-minute film is due to be screened on Anglia on Thursday >>>at 11.30pm along with a second Suffolk film, a documentary by Julie Moggan, of Haughley, called Far From Home.

This charts the journey of a young asylum seeker who has ended up in Suffolk, exploring the issues surrounding asylum seekers through the eyes of one separated child.

WEBLINK: www.angliatv.com/firsttake