The Art of Cycling: March 2024

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Strade Bianche 24: Operatic!

As he rode into the square in Siena, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) had plenty of time to celebrate his victory with the crowds lining the barriers. I love the way the race winds through the narrow shadowed streets before bursting into the bright sunlight of the piazza. It was as if the stage lights were raised as the tenor finished his aria to the delight of the audience. At the finish line, Pogacar stopped and held his bike over his head, first to the cameras and then to the crowds. It was truly a monumental victory of the not yet honored sixth monument. The two that chased behind came home three minutes later with Toms Skujins (Lidl-Trek) dropping Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny) for second place and Van Gils four seconds later for the final step of the podium. The winner from last year (who had done a long break away to win himself), Tom Pidcock (Ineos-Grenadiers) another minute later. The rest of the finishers came in in dribs and drabs as Pogacar made his way through the end of the race protocol.

This is a small 4x6 inch original watercolor painting that is available through my website at greigleach.com or you can simply follow the direct link at the end of the post to purchase the painting above. Since it is an original work of art, it is a first come first served reality. The painting was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.Richesonart.com. The work sells for $95 USD including shipping, but yes international shipping is both available and extra.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring-Classics-/4002740-559-195767/Painting/operatic-sb24-12.html

Strade Bianche 24: One After Another

Rather than a concerted effort of a group of competitors, it was one, than another solo rider who went off the front in hopes of chasing down Pogacar and whomever else may be up the road. That may be due to the excellent team riding by Pogacar’s teammates marking every move that tried to get away. Despite their efforts, Toms Skujins (Lidl-Trek) managed to get away. He is in search of the Lotto Dstny man, Maxim Van Gils, who just eleven seconds ahead of home at this point. He does have a minute on the group behind. However, neither are wishing four minutes of the lone leader.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring-Classics-/4002737-558-195767/Painting/one-after-another-sb24-11.html

Strade Bianche 24: Looking for Help

Maxim Van Gils (Lotto-Dstny) was the only rider in the peloton who was able to jump clear when Pogacar went on the Monte Santa Maria. However, he wasn’t able to go with the Slovenian Champion. With thirty kilometers to race he was almost three and a half minutes behind the leader and a half of a minute ahead of the peloton. He soon started looking back in hopes that another rider or three would bridge up to him. It was both his and their only hope in reeling the lone escapee back. But realistically, the race was now for the remaining two steps of the peloton. The winner of the 2024 edition of Strade Bianche was already three minutes up the road, and his lead is still growing!

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring-Classics-/4002736-557-195767/Painting/looking-for-help-sb24-10.html

Strade Bianche 24: A Giant in Cycling

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) is already a huge figure in contemporary cycling, but today he out did even himself. Two years ago he won Strade Bianche with a fifty kilometer solo break away. At this point he has just over two minutes on the field with another 68 kilometers to race. With every pedal stroke he was gaining on the disorganized “chase” behind, so it was unlikely that he would be caught. Should this attempt hold, it will be the longest successful break in the race’s somewhat short history.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring-Classics-/4002733-556-195767/Painting/a-giant-of-cycling-sb24-9.html

68 k

Strade Bianche 24: 81 K Out!

At the pre-race interviews, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) was asked when he was going to attack. Without hesitation or any poker facing, he said he would attack on the Monte Sante Maria. The thing was he was channeling the famous moment in USA Baseball when Babe Ruth point out to left field when he came up to bat, and then hit a home run in that exact space. So it was with Pogacar, despite there being another 81 kilometers left in this edition of Strade Bianche, he attacked right where he said he would. No one had the legs to go with the move, the move his team set up, the move that worked because they hadn’t let anyone get away, and the move that he let everyone know he would make. Has he went over the top of the climb, even a rivals soigneur was startled to see him with a minute on the peloton already.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring-Classics-/4002731-555-195767/Painting/81-k-out-sb24-8.html

Strade Bianche 24: Going Again

The clearly American Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) attacked the peloton shortly after it had pulled him back a few kilometers earlier. The early kilometers were noteworthy for the number of failed break away attempts. It seems that the peloton was not interested in letting anyone get a gap. So even with 90 kilometers left to go, they only let the USA Champion get a few seconds before pulling him back, yet again.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring-Classics-/4002730-554-195767/Painting/going-again-sb24-7.html

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Strade Bianche Donne 24: Making Sure

Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) had spent a good part of the final twenty-five kilometers pushing the pace in order to keep any of the chasers from catching back up. Conversely, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) had spent that same time surfing the wheels of others thus saving her energy for the final ascend up to the central piazza of Sienna. When they were about 500 meters from the finish, Kopecky jumped the Italian Champion. Longo Borghini just didn’t have enough left in her legs to go with the Rainbow Jersey on Kopecky’s gritty shoulders. As they swung around the final corner, Kopecky glanced back on more time just to make sure that neither the Lidl-Trek rider nor anyone else were going to surprise her at the line. This will have to do with her victory image since her victory salute at the line was hidden from the TV camera by a spectator’s cellphone. He got a great shot of Kopecky winning her second Strade Bianche Donne, but we did not.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Professional-Womens-Cycling/4002671-77-207546/Painting/making-sure-sb24-6.html

Strade Bianche Donne 24: Two Champions

Inside of the last ten kilometers of the 2024 Strade Bianche Donne, the race had come down to two champions and former winners of the race. The Italian national champion Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) was battling it out with the world champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime). Both women had teammates in the small group just fourteen seconds behind, but neither seemed willing to let anyone join them as they pedal their way back into the heart of Sienna. Their every move was being captured both by the helicopter camera overhead and by one of the cameramen standing astride a speeding motorcycle riding beside them on the Tuscan roads.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Professional-Womens-Cycling/4002670-76-207546/Painting/two-champions-sb24-5.html

Strade Bianche Donne 24, Gritty

The title seemed to capture both Katarzyna Niewiadoma’s (Canyon-SRAM) expression and the gravel roads of Tuscany. She used the steepest section of the final gravel section, Le Tolfe, to attack the peloton. She got a small gap, but then it was Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) that got back to the Polish woman’s wheel. In turn hiding behind Vollering was her teammate Lotte Kopecky with the Italian Champion Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) struggling to stay within reach of the other three. With just twelve kilometers to race and no more gravel roads, any group that got away now, may be the one that went to contest the finale in Sienna. Racing on the roads of Italy, the Italian Champion wasn’t about to let anyone get away from her on home soil.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Professional-Womens-Cycling/4002668-75-207546/Painting/gritty-sb24-4.html

Strade Bianche Donne 24, Leading the Chase

Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek) had been in the early break, but lost the wheels on the first trip up the the gravel section Le Tolfe the first time. She was joined by her teammate Amanda Spratt along with Christina Schweinberger (Fenix-Deceuninck), Anouska Koster (Uno-X) and the rest of the strong women of the peloton in trying to chase the remaining three down. Both of the Lidl-Trek women had their team leader just a bit further back, so they were on the front trying to close down the 27 second gap to the leaders.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Professional-Womens-Cycling/4002662-74-207546/Painting/leading-the-chase-sb24-3.html

Strade Bianche Donne 24: The Leading Trio

This threesome of Riejanne Markus (Visma-Lease a Bike), Alena Amialiusik (UAE Team ADQ) and Amber Karnak (FDJ-SUEZ) had gotten away from the erstwhile break away companions (you can just see them coming out of the corner behind) with another thirty-five kilometers to race. They were hoping that they could stay away from the ever nearing peloton whom had narrowed the gap to a mere thirty-one seconds. It was unlikely they would be able to hold off the marquee chasers, particularly since numerable former winners of the race were in the group further behind.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Professional-Womens-Cycling/4002624-73-207546/Painting/the-leading-trio-sb24-2.html

Strade Bianche Donne 24: Checking the Damage

As she comes off of one of the gravel sections of Strade Bianche, Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) looks back to see what sort of damage she has done to the peloton on the rather steep climb. Behind her, the duo that sprinted for the win last year are the teammates Lotte Kopecky and Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime). They were just under a minute behind the leading breakaway with another 42 kilometers of the 137 kilometer race.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Professional-Womens-Cycling/4002622-72-207546/Painting/checking-the-damage-sb24-1.html