The infamous wind, the Mistral, decided it should make its mark on the Tour today. While the winds were strong enough to form echelons in the valley, on the summit of Mont Ventoux they were blowing at up to 70 miles per hour. Last night I saw some video of riders on the top of the mountain (early morning in France) showing cyclists being blown off of their bikes, unable to even stop because of the strength of the gale force winds. The organizers of the Tour wisely decided to move the finish line back into the treeline of the Monster of Provence shortening the stage by six kilometers. What happen because of that decision will be discussed more later. Back in the valley, Etixx-Quickstep used the winds to push the pace and but the rivals of Dan Martin on the back foot. (Martin started the day in the top 10). Team Sky had to work even harder to hold their usual position on the right side of the road and on the front. At this point there were two breaks up the road, one with 13 riders and the other group of five stuck in no man's land.
This is a small original watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from
Jack Richeson & Company. This painting, along with all of my cycling art, is available through my artist website at
www.greigleach.com. While you are on the site, be sure to check out my other works of art and my two cycling books. To purchase this particular painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post. Bear in mind that this is a one of a kind original and once it is gone, it is gone.
Be sure to check out my second cycling art book,
Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships, available online or through your local book seller.
To buy this painting, follow this link:
http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20de%20France%202016/2823718-78-224974/PaintingThe%20Wind%20Returns%20TdF78-Greig-Leach.html#.V4gEuLgrLIU
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