Tour Stage 17: Starting to Chase

Stage 17 may have been the shortest road stage of this Tour de France, but it featured 4 major climbs, 3 Category 1 and the finale a Haute Categorie mountain top finish.  If you combined that with the prior day's longest stage of the Tour with its multiple climbs, there were some very tired legs in the peloton today.  Joaquim Rodriquez (Katusha) has made it clear to all who will listen that he is after the King of the Mountain's Jersey in Paris.  Today he matched his legs to his mouth on the first climb of the day, the Col de Portillon.  With the break away less than a minute up the road, he set out to catch and pass them, planning on being the first to summit the climb.  The Spaniard on the Russian team pulled a rider from AG2R and Frank Schleck (Trek Factory Racing) along on the attack.  The Luxemburg National Champion has been riding himself back into form in the latter stages of this Tour, regaining some of his climbing prowess of old.  This is a small original watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from Jack Richeson and Company, www.richesonart.com.  The painting is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com and will be included in my soon to be self published collection of my art of the 101st Tour de France, "Book de Tour."  To learn more about the book project, to pre order your copy or to learn how you can become part of bringing this most unusual Tour to print please visit, https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1335072134/book-de-tour.  There are some excellent Backer rewards for those who choose to back this project starting at just $5 USD and everyone who supports "Book de Tour" will have their name included on the Special Thanks page of the book.  If you would like to purchase this particular painting just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  But you know you want a copy of the book too.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202014/2407202---199992/Painting.html#.U9Akms_D_IU