Five Shots: LAEL RIDES AROUND THE WORLD

just what it says on the road sign

Lael Rides Around the World, which you can watch in full on YouTube, is a documentary in ‘pure’ form. It simply follows Lael, showing her ride around the world, with a few ‘flashbacks’ or interviews to give context to what’s happening on the journey: difficulty breathing, why did she choose X route, etc.

Lael [was] currently riding around the world AGAIN to beat a different world record [see link for update], so we’re highlighting our favourite types of shots from her first record-setting ride.

Lael and Roads / Road Signs

This type of documentary involves a lot of finding something you want, setting up . . . and then waiting, potentially hours, for the five seconds of footage you want.

Food

Riding requires a lot of fuel! Which leads to some fun opportunities with Lael still rolling as she eats or is handed food.

Eating also creates one of the few opportunities for still, staged shots.

Roadside Fans

All along the way, people come out to ride with Lael, bring her snacks, sign her witness book [required to verify the world record], or just cheer her on.

Architecture

Rugile also takes plenty of opportunities to get architecture of the places Lael travels through: the sublime, the everyday, and the absurd.

Incidents

Is the vending machine out of baguettes? Is the bike tyre getting shredded? The shots put you in there with Lael, which is exactly what you want.

Takeaways

Obviously there’s a lot of crossover (eg fans gathering near cool architecture), but part of the fun is spotting how a director (Rugile Kaladyte) combines these things in a documentary format.

Film Details & Further Reading

Lael Rides Around the World (2025)
Director / Cinematographer: Rugile Kaladyte

Other: for a different-but-similar project, Rugile said “I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark IV, [and] a Mavic Pro 2 drone and a handheld stabilizer.”