The Art of Cycling: August 2025

Sunday, August 31, 2025

All of My 2025 Tour de France Watercolors

Here is your chance to see all of my paintings of the 2025 Tour de France in sequential order including those that have already sold. Many are still available at my website, www.greigleach.com. All of the work shown is 4"x6" either vertical or horizontal. They are all created live during the race with ink and watercolors. You can watch one from each stage being created in real time over on my YouTube channel @artofcyclingGreig. The art that is still available sells for $99 including shipping within the USA. International shipping is available for an additional fee.

All of my 2025 Tour de France Femmes Watercolors

Here is your chance to see all of my paintings of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes in sequential order including those that have already sold. Many are still available at my website, www.greigleach.com. All of the work shown is 4"x6" either vertical or horizontal. They are all created live during the race with ink and watercolors. You can watch one from each stage being created in real time over on my YouTube channel @artofcyclingGreig. The art that is still available sells for $99 including shipping within the USA. International shipping is available for an additional fee.

Monday, August 4, 2025

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 9: Leaving No Doubt

Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Visma-Lease a Bike) left no doubt as to who should have won the fourth Tour de France Femmes when she finished in Chatel. She had dropped everyone taking the stage with twenty seconds over Demi Vollering who will take the second step of the podium for the second time in a row. The defending champion, Katarzyna Niewiadoma, came in six seconds after Demi, taking third on the stage and the race. Those two have been on every podium of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. With this win she becomes the first from France to win a Tour de France either male or female since the late 1980s. Chapeau to the Olympic Gold medalist in the women's mountain bike race, almost exactly a year ago!

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 work sells for $99 USD including shipping, but, yes, international shipping is both available and extra.

"Leaving No Doubt TdFF25-59" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 9: A Flash of Yellow

After the two sitting behind her traded attacks, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Visma-Lease a Bike) went on the attack herself. She had no reason to go she already has over two minutes on the rest of the peloton. But I am sure she wanted to win the final stage while in the Maillot Jaune.

"A Flash of Yellow TdFF25-58" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 9: The Final Descent

Both Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez) and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM-zondacrypto) used the final descent off of the Col du Corbier to try and put pressure on the Maillot Jaune. It didn't work, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot was right behind the Polish Champion all of the way down and across the valley. On the other hand, they put even more time into the former holder of second place. There efforts did move them into second and third respectively for the fourth Tour de France Femmes. That means that the two have been on the podium of every reincarnation of the women's Tour. Both have won the race once each, too.

"The Final Descent TdFF25-57" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 9: Over the Top Alone

Anna Van Der Breggan (SD Worx-Protime) has been off the front since the early kilometers of the final stage of the Tour de France Femmes. As she went over the summit of the Col de Joux Plane she still had forty-three seconds over a very motivated group of chasers. They chased hard down the otherside trying to drop some of those ahead of them in the general classification. While they weren't chasing her per se, they did catch her on the final climb twenty-three kilometers later.

"Over the Top Alone TdFF25-56" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 9: Applying Some Pressure

With another five kilometers of the Col de Joux Plane Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal) went to the front and upped the pace. With her lack of descending skill, she was hoping to shed as many of her rivals as possible while the road was still going up. To her dismay, she wasn't able to get rid of the Maillot Jaune, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Visma-Lease a Bike), nor any of the others like Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), Katarzyna Niweiadoma (Canyon/SRAM-xondacrypto), and yesterday's most aggressive rider Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek). It turned out that her fears were well founded, she was dropped on the way down the other side of the climb. She never caught back up to the group. She started the day in second place, but will finish the Tour in sixth once everyone finished in Chatel.

"Applying Some Pressure TdFF25-55" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 9: Favorites

With seventy-eight kilometers left, the favorites (meaning those high up in the general classification) all had their eyes on each other. Juliette Labous (FDJ-Suez) was coming back up to the front to take over the pace making for her teammate Demi Vollering. On her wheel is the defending Tour Femmes champion, Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM-zondacrypto) followed in turn by Cedrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly) and Pauline Ferran-Prevot (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the Maillot Jaune. Sadly, Kerbaol and Niewiadoma crashed on a sharp turn at the base of the climb of the Col de Joux Plane. While the Polish Champion was up and back in the group of favorites almost immediately, it took Kerbaol longer to get going. Since the course when up immediately, despite her hard chase with two teammates, she never rejoined this group. She dropped from her fifth place at the start of the stage to eighth in the final general classification.

"Favorites TdFF25-54" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Sunday, August 3, 2025

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 9: Teaming Up

SD Worx-Protime came out of the gate attacking the stage. After multiple attempts, Anna Van Der Breggan finally broke the grip of the peloton with her teammate Femke Gerritse opened up twenty-one seconds with another 109 kilometers left of the fourth Tour de France Femmes. It wasn't long after the start of the first climb of the day when Van Der Breggan was off on her own with the entire peloton chasing.

"Teaming Up TdFF25-53" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 8: The Stage, the Jersey, Perhaps the Tour

Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Visma-Lease a Bike) showed us that she is still a force in women's road cycling. She is a former UCI Road World Champion from 2014. She moved away from road cycling to compete in mountain biking going so far as to win the Gold Medal in the sport in the 2024 Paris Olympics (yes, I painted that event, and her). This is quite the return to the sport. While she hasn't officially won the fourth edition of the renewed Tour de France Femmes, she now has just over two and a half minutes to the woman she left on the way up the Col de la Madeleine. All things are possible, including bad luck, as we have seen too often in this Tour already. But it is highly likely that she will become the first French woman to win the reincarnated Tour de France Femmes. She is also will be the first French person to win one of their home Tour since the late 80s either male or female. Chapeau!

Also, for those counting, this is the third stage in a row won by a French woman.

"The Stage, the Jersey, Perhaps the Tour TdFF25-51" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Saturday, August 2, 2025

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 8: Riding Away!

Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Visma-Lease a Bike) has been riding under the radar since her attack, and third place, in stage one of this fourth Tour de France Femmes. Since then, we have barely seen her. She has been near the front, but not on the front. In the moves but not creating the moves. And today, she very coolly went on the wheel of Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal) when she attacked after her teammate and Maillot Jaune, Kim Le Court swung off the front of the group of favorites. With another nine kilometers of the Col de la Madeleine to climb, she simply rode away from the former Australian champion and noted climber. According to Phil Liggett, two years ago, she announced that she wanted to win the Olympic Gold in mountain biking when it was raced in her homeland. She did. After the Olympics, when asked, she said she wanted to win the Maillot Jaune in the Tour de France Femmes, her home country's women's tour. It clearly looks like she will do that, too.

Gigante was able to hold on for second place in the stage and now sits second in the general classification as well.

"Riding Away! TdFF25-50" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 8: Climbing the Madeleine

I rarely have a problem with heights particularly when I am not the one looking over the steep precipice, but this shot from the helicopter made me very nervous. As the remnants of the breakaway worked their way up the Col de la Madeleine it looked like there was barely enough road etched into the mountain side for them, or all of the following support cars. With fifteen kilometers left to climb they still have almost two minutes on the chasing peloton. I certainly hope the entire climb isn't etched into the cliff face like this stretch of road. And then I am worried about that clump of fans leaning against the railing. And just how did they manage to get to this stretch of mountain road anyway?

"Climbing the Madeleine TdFF25-49" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 8: Take Mine and Go!

Nienke Vinke (Picnic-PostNL) had a scare as the peloton rode across the valley floor before the final climb of the day. Her team car was way back down the road when she got a flat tire. Fortunately (and strategically) her teammate the American Megan Jastrab was right there. The pair acted quickly with Jastrab giving her by to the Maillot Blanc and giving her a push to get going. Jastrab then waited for the team car and got her spare bike. Seemingly twenty minutes later, the Picnic-PostNL car was able to get up to the youngster and get her onto her own spare bike. It was all worth the effort rather than lose time, the current best young rider was able to increase her advantage to over eight minutes today, due in part to her teammates quick thinking... and some excellent legs today.

"Take Mine and Go! TdFF25-48" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 8: For the Honor in It

Franziska Koch (Picnic-PostNL) and Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ) jumped out of the breakaway to sprint for the intermediate sprint in Chateauneuf. Neither feature much in the race for the Maillot Vert of the sprint competition, Koch is now over a hundred points behind the leader in green, Lorena Wiebes. Still there is a nice cash bonus for being first across the line in every sprint point on the road. The price money goes into the team kitty and is then shared out amongst the riders and the team support personnel in some kind of ethical distribution methodology, either at the end of the race, or the end of the season. I do think this sprint was more about honoring the fans waiting to see the peloton sprint than much else.

"For the Honor in It TdFF25-47" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 8: Back on Her Bike

After her brilliant descend off of the last mountain yesterday to save her Maillot Jaune, it was a bit of a surprise to see Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal) mess up a corner so badly on the descent of the Cote de Saint Georges d'Hurtieres. She was on the front of the peloton when she went into a corner way to hot. She tried to brake, but locked up here wheels, let go tried again, locked again. She eventually went head over heels into the embankment but came out unscathed. Shimano Neutral service was to her in a flash helping her get sorted and even bringing her a spare bike. Fortunately, she didn't need the bike, nor did she need the doctor. She was up and chasing almost right away, but you could tell she was a bit rattled... for a little while. She did catch the peloton again near the end of the valley below.

"Back on Her Bike TdFF25-46" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 8: The Mountains Are Waiting

Well, technically, more mountains are waiting for the peloton since they have already been over a category one climb already today. Marie Le Net (FDJ-Suez) in her French National Champion's kit is coming back up to her teammates ladened with water bottles from her team car. Today's stage still includes a climb over the category two climb of the Cote de Saint Georges d'Hurtieres and then the mountain top finish on the haute catagorie climb of the Col de la Madeleine. With that much still facing these women, it is imperative that they be fueled up for what lays ahead.

"The Mountains Are Waiting TdFF25-45" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 8: Any Advice?

Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal) drops back from the lead group to talk directly with her sports director. Sometimes it is easier to chat through the team car window than over a radio. So, when the peloton slowed down in the valley after the Col de Plainpalais she dropped back for a bit of advice on how to play the rest of the stage. Despite her wearing the Maillot Jaune and having a number ending in one, she was prepared to help her climbing teammate Sarah Gigante move up the final climb and up the general classification. I'm sure that she, her teammate and the rest of the team wouldn't mind another stage win, too. I did film a YouTube video while painting this and talked about the perfect car sponsor for EF Education-Oatly. They got Cadillac to sponsor them and now they have a pink Cadillac for their team car.

"Any Advice? TdFF25-44" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 8: Right from the Start

It is a cruel stage that starts with a Category 1 climb. Due to a delayed start because of a rider's mechanical in the neutral roll out, the race didn't start until about two kilometers in. And when it did start it seemed to go straight up as soon as the race director Marion Rousse pulled in the start flag. After multiple attempts by many different women, these five seemed to have made the move that was going to stick. Still in her race jacket, Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) leads the breakaway up the Col de Plainpalais. She is joined in the effort by Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck), Mareille Meijering (Movistar), Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez) and Marion Bunel (Visma-Lease a Bike). All four of her companions were in the breakaway yesterday, with Chabbey adding to her Queen of the Mountains jersey. She joined the break today in hopes of securing the Maillot a Pois from beginning to end. It seems a rather achievable goal.

"Right from the Start TdFF25-43" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Friday, August 1, 2025

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 7: Doing the Double

Yesterday, Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ) had dropped the peloton and gone solo for thirty-two kilometers to win the stage. Today, she waited until kilometer twenty-three before attacking her breakaway companions. Yesterday she blew kisses to the French fans that lined the final kilometers, today she used several different victory salutes before ending with this. She raised a single finger on each hand and then put them together over her head. I get that she was signaling that she had won two stages in a row, but I got the feeling she was just having fun giving herself bunny ears. Hey, if you have won two stages of the Tour de France Femmes you should have all the fun you have the energy to have!

"Doing the Double TdFF25-42" (Original art by Greig Leach)

This painting has sold!

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 7: Gainers & Losers

As the peloton climbed the Col du Granier, Kim Le Court (AG Insurance-Soudal) in her Maillot Jaune lost contact with the group of favorites now twenty-nine seconds up the road. Behind her, Nienke Vinke (Picnic-PostNL) was moving herself into the Maillot Blanc of best young rider, taking it off of Julie Bego (Cofidis) who had held it since the first day of the Tour Femmes. Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) & Alice Maria Arzuffi (Laboral Kutxa-Fundacioin Euskadi) were thrilled to have two wheels that will work tirelessly to regain the front of the race. Le Court used the drop off the other side of the mountain to chase back onto the group that had dropped her on the way up. She came to the line a minute behind the stage winner in sixth place nestled in the group of favorites. She remains the the Maillot Jaune of race leader ending the day not losing a single second to her rivals for the final Yellow Jersey on Sunday.

"Gainers & Losers TdFF25-41" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 7: Two Chasing Two

Alas, Maud Rijnbeek wasn't able to go once the stage hopefuls attack. With two women up the road, Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health) was working with Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) to chase the leaders down. As they rode both were offered a bidon from the neutral service 'water boy' which they both refused not wanting any extra weight for the final twenty-one kilometers as they climbed the Col du Granier.

"Two Chasing Two TdFF25-40" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 7: Off the Front, Again

Maud Rijnbeek (VolkerWessels Cycling) had been dropped on the way up the Cote de Berland, but that didn't mean she was done for the day. She chased done her former companions on the descent. Once she caught them, she attacked immediately. She quickly opened up a lead of twenty-six seconds. She had gone on a similar raid in the first stage of this Tour de France Femmes, I guess she thought it was about time to go again. Unfortunately for her there is one more climb before the finish in Chamberey.

"Off the Front, Again TdFF25-39" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 7: Up Close

The fans lined both sides of the summit of the Cote de Saint Franc, many with their children on their shoulders, to cheer the breakaway across the top of the first climb of the day. The break was led over the Queen of the Mountains point by yesterday's stand-out Maeva Squiban (UAE Team Emirates). She was followed over the top by Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek), Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime), Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal), Mareille Meijering (Movistar) and Celia Mouel (Ceratizit). There were three more just behind the sextet, but I can't see everyone all of the time, unlike these fans who will see everyone come over this mountain eventually.

"Up Close TdFF25-38" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 7: With a Solid Lead

As the breakaway went up the Cote de Saint Franc, they had shed about half of original group. Some of those still there on the climb were the two Americans, Chloe Dygert (Canyon/SRAM-zondacrypto) and Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health) along with Celia Le Mouel (Ceratizit), Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and the ever-aggressive Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ). The group increase their advantage on the way up the first categorized climb of the day. They now have over four minutes on the peloton that includes the Maillot Jaune, the Maillot Vert, and the Maillot a Pois. Is this the move that will win the stage?

"With a Solid Lead TdFF25-37" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 7: Are You Coming?

Wearing her green bib number indicating she was voted the most aggressive rider from stage 6, Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ) looks back at the TV Moto as if to ask if he is going to come with her. She is on the tail of the day's early breakaway. Beside her seeming to try and guest what Squiban is looking at is Susanne Andersen (Uno X-Mobility). Just in front of her is the Belgian Champion, Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal). Had I known how this stage was going to end, I may have read something else into this look over her shoulder.

"Are You Coming? TdFF25-36" (Original art by Greig Leach)