Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds: Fighting Their Machines

The second race to face the climb up the wall of 23rd Street was the U23 Men's Road Race.  While most of the media, fans, and pre-race hype focused on Libby Hill, it was the short steep climb up the newly laid cobbles of 23rd Street that was the real challenge.  Early into the nearly 110 mile race, a race that included 11 trips up this climb, Davide Martinelli (Italy) tested his legs leaving Gergory Daniel (USA) and the rest fighting with their machines to hold onto the Italian's wheel.  This climb leads the riders up from the now defunct tobacco warehouses that lined the canal on the river's edge.

This is a small original watercolor created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushed from www.richesonart.com.  In addition, prints of this painting will be available through the Richmond Times Dispatch website at www.richmond.com, hopefully very soon.

Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds:

Everyone expected the final ascent of 23rd Street to be the deciding moment of the race. Everyone.  But just because it is expected doesn't mean it can be countered.  It was Tom Boonen who launched just at the base of the climb, quickly passing the fading Tyler Farrar (USA) who had attacked back at Monument Avenue.  Again listening to the crowd in the Convention Center as I painted, they would roar with delight everytime Farrar rolled to the front of Kanstantsin Siutsou (Belarus).  They attempt was foiled on the first of the final three climbs.  But it was the mutli-talented Peter Sagan (Slovakia) who had the legs and the power to counter Boonen's attack.  Sagan is a brilliant descender, so this move could be the move that wins the Jersey!

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com.  The works were done live in the middle of the Fanfest area across from the awards podium as the racing was going on.  Prints and the originals will be available before very long at www.richmond.com (the website of the Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper).

Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds: Flying Up 23rd

With this the third to last trip up the 18% wall of 23rd Street, Ian Stannard (UK) jumped out of the greatly reduced peloton attempting to make the early (perhaps too early) move.  Bauke Mollema is the Dutch rider was the one to respond in hopes of joining the Brit to create the upset escape.  The Elite peloton is far to crafty to let a move like this one succeed, plus this is the hill everyone expects to be where the attacks will occur.  The road use to have an asphalt strip that ran up the center of the climb, but felt it necessary to "improve" the road by returning it to its original Belgium Cobble surface.  Keeping an eye on the duo and then going after them was Tom Boonen. "Tom Frites" as he is nicknames throughout Europe seemed to be very confident of his own chances for the podium today.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com.  The works were done live in the middle of the Fanfest area across from the awards podium as the racing was going on.  Prints and the originals will be available before very long at www.richmond.com (the website of the Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper). 

Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds: Short and Not Sweet

If the cobbles up to the summit of Libbie Hill were not enough for the U23 Men, they got to drop down off of Church Hill only to climb back up 23rd Street.  This climb was just recently resurfaced with new cobbles that replace an asphalt strip that went up the center of the roadway.  The ascent was less that 500 meters but at 18% it was enough to sap the legs of most any rider.  The four to hit it ahead of the peloton were led up the rise by the Italian Davide Martinelli.  He was watched closely by Jose Luis Rodriguez (Chile), Oleg Zemlyakov (Kazakhstan) and the struggling Irishman, Eddie Dunbar.

This is an original small watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com.  These paintings are created live while watching the races through a feed provided by the Richmond 2015 Worlds organization.  For two more days, you will be able to watch me create the works live at the Fanfest area at 5th and Marshall Streets near the finish line.  You can also purchase either the originals or one of two different sizes of prints while you are there, or later at www.richmond.com.