Documentary Review: 'A Peloton of One' An Emotional Ride

A Peloton of One is an emotionally raw and inspiring story about one man healing himself and others from the seat of a bicycle. While you may see the word Peloton and think someone is trying to sell you an expensive at home bicycle set up, a Peloton is actually just a French term for a group of bicycle enthusiasts riding together. Dave Ohlmuller however, in 2017, became A Peloton of One when he decided to ride his bike from Chicago to New York City.

Why did Dave launch this remarkable ride? He wanted to raise awareness for those who have struggled with having been sexually abused as children. A Peloton of One is a reflection of the still ongoing ripple effect of the Catholic Church scandal that found Catholic churches around the world frantically trying to cover for Priests who’d done monstrous things, committed horrific crimes, and how the church desperately tried to sweep the situation under the rug.

Like hundreds of thousands of other abuse victims, it wasn’t until Dave Ohmuller was a grown man that he realized the extent of the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of a Catholic Priest in the Chicago Diocese. He’d tried to hide, he felt ashamed, and like so many other victims, he blamed himself. The man who abused him, on other hand, felt no such thing. Instead of a lifetime of torment and punishment, he was moved from one church to another like so many abusive Priests before him.

2001 and 2002 were watershed moments in the progress of battling this abuse. It was in 2001 and 2002 that reporters in Boston broke the horrific story regarding abusive Priests in that Catholic stronghold. The story spread quickly from big city to big city and when Dave Ohlmuller read about it, it broke open a floodgate of emotions he’d tried so hard to suppress and forget. The revelation led Dave to meet other victims, including other men who had been abused by the same Priest that had abused him.

One of the most compelling aspects of A Peloton of One as a documentary is the in-depth focus on Statutes of Limitations. Did you know that every state decides on a Statute of Limitations for reporting a crime entirely on their own? There is no federal guideline, every state can decide when the Statute of Limitations is met in their state. This can make trying to prosecute abusive Priests incredibly difficult as the Catholic Church has moved Priests across jurisdictions over the years creating new sets of red tape to cut through and hurdles to jump to get answers and accountability.

Statute of Limitations among the victims of sexual abuse in the church are referred to by the initials: S.O.L. Colloquially, S.O.L is another way of saying S### Outta Luck. This reflects what has often been a losing battle against abusers who are able to hide behind the shame and terror they incited in their victims that kept them from reporting their abuse as it happened. Victims like Dave Ohlmuller can take years before they reach a place where they can confront what happened to them and then by the bad luck of what state they were born in, they are victimized again by a justice system that often casts a jaundiced eye on victims coming forward years after they’ve been abused.

A Peloton of One deftly weaves the story about the fight against the Statute of Limitations in cases of sexual abuse and Dave’s very personal and profound cycling journey. Directed by Steven Mallorca\, the documentary shifts gears swiftly without missing an emotional beat. It’s an inspiring, thought provoking, and deeply moving journey. A Peloton of One was released in a limited theatrical release on February 22nd. The documentary will be available for streaming rental on March 11th, 2022.