235 watts for 12.5 hours: Mathieu Bélanger-Barrette’s grueling gravel FKT captured in 'The Seven Phases of Madness’ documentary

Mathieu Bélanger-Barrette is a French-Canadian off-road cyclist with a penchant for pushing the limits of what a gravel bike can do. 

Last year, Bélanger-Barrette mapped out and rode a new mostly off-road route that horizontally bisected the Gaspé Peninsula of Eastern Canada. The route features a challenging 16,142 feet of elevation gain over 204 miles.

Laying down an average of 235 watts, the French-Canadian set a Fastest Known Time (FKT) of his own route in late July 2023, getting from the western to the eastern side of the peninsula in 12 hours and 27 minutes of total moving time.

Knowing that such an adventure was one that only a true madman would attempt, Bélanger-Barrette enlisted the help of filmmaker Zac Turgeon to capture this journey through the area known as Wonderland.

The result is a seven-part episodic documentary, “The Seven Phases of Madness,” that adds strong doses of humor and whimsy as it chronicles this nouveau journey on two wheels. 

From the excitement of setting out before dawn - the “Can’t Stop Me” phase - to the well-known revival a la some gummy candy in stage three “Sugar Rush” to the infamous “Aching Crotch” phase (phase five of seven, for those wondering exactly when that sets in), “The Seven Phases of Madness” documentary leverages thrilling sports videography with hearty amounts of creative editing, such as Sour Patch Kids candy floating through the sky. 

The documentary features not only the French-Canadian FKT owner, but his family, friends - and even an actor or two to help flesh out just how ridiculous and rewarding this epic one-day journey was. 

Get an inside look at the mind of someone truly dedicated to going the distance on two wheels - no matter just how mad he became by the end of it all - with “The Seven Phases of Madness."