Tour, Stage 14: Water Boy

When I use to bartend (ah yes, the life of an artist), I had one group of regulars who would call me by saying, "Oh, water boy!"  It did amuse me, although that may have more to do with how well they tipped than the cuteness of the joke.

Every member of the team has a job to do, sometimes those jobs change based on the stage or their GC position.  One of the jobs of a domestique is to drop back to the team cars that are riding behind the peloton in the race caravan and bring water bottles and energy gels back up to this teammates.  Today the duty of stuffing his jersey full of bidons fell to Brice Feillu (Fortuneo Vital Concepts).  After getting as many bottles as he can, he will then ride back up through the following vehicles and then work his way through the peloton passing them out to his teammates along the way.  By taking this duty on, the others who may be high on the general classification, or the team's sprinter/lead-out train, can save their energy for their task in the team.


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.

To buy this painting, follow this link:

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20de%20France%202016/2824402-99-224974/PaintingWater%20Boy%20TdF100-Greig-Leach.html#.V4qNK7grLIU

Tour de France Stage 7: Looking for the Pack

Anthony Delaplace (Bretagne Seche) takes a quick peak under his arm to see just how close the chasing peloton had gotten.  The quartet that included his teammate, Brice Feillu, along with Luis Mate (Cofidis) and Kristijan Durasek (Lampre-Merida).  Daniel Telkehaimant (MTN-Qhubeka) had already drifted back to the peloton having accomplished the objective of the day.  The others had pushed on despite the near certainty of being caught by the sprinters and their teams.

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 (www.richesonart.com).  They are a wonderful family run art supply company located in the northern mid-west of the United States.  This painting, and all of my cycling art, is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting for only $60 USD just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  Don't delay, this is an original watercolor, so when it is gone, it is gone.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202015/2578936---210122/Painting.html#.VaAZZPlViko

Tour de France Stage 7: A Dream Fulfilled

The feel good story of this Tour, so far, is that of the Eritrean, Daniel Telkehaimanet (MTN-Qhubeka).  As the story is being reported, as a young kid in Africa he would watch tapes of the Tour de France and dream of one day getting to race the Grand Boucle.  Rather than imagine himself in the Maillot Jaune, he would imagine himself wearing the Maillot a Pois.  Here he is this many years later, wearing the jersey as the fruit of his labors from Stage 6.  With one Category 4 climb at the start of the stage today, Telkeaimanet went in the break that was formed by Luis Mate (Cofidis).  The pair were joined by the pair of riders from Bretagne-Seche, Anthony Delaplace and Brice Feillu, and Kristijan Durasck (Lampre-Merida).  With the pancake flat stage elevation after the small climb, this stage was sure to be one for the sprinters, but if you don't go in the break, you have no chance of winning the stage.

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 (www.richesonart.com).  They are a wonderful family run art supply company located in the northern mid-west of the United States.  This painting, and all of my cycling art, is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting for only $60 USD just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  Don't delay, this is an original watercolor, so when it is gone, it is gone.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202015/2578922---210122/Painting.html#.VaAVPflViko

Tour Stage 9: Virtual Yellow

On the lower slopes of the final climb of the day, the Grand Ballon, it was becoming apparent that the Astana led peloton was dropping further behind the two groups up the road.  Ahead of the larger group was the World Time Trial Champion, Tony Martin (OPQS) who had dropped his earlier companion, Alessandro De Marchi (Cannondale), but this larger collection of cyclist was where the real drama of the stage was unfolding.  On the eve of Bastille Day, the Frenchman, Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Belisol) had but enough distance between himself and the peloton to be in the Virtual Yellow Jersey on the road.  If the stage where to end at this point, he would be the new race leader of the Tour.  It would be a fine thing for France, winning a stage in their home Tour yesterday and having the most coveted prize in French sporting, on the back of one of their own on Quatorze Juillet.  This is an original small watercolor and ink painting that is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  This painting will be part of my soon to be self publish book, "Book de Tour" the Tour through the eyes of an artist.  To learn more about the book, to pre order your copy, and to possibly get involved in bringing the artistic Tour de France to print, please visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1335072134/book-de-tour  If you would like to purchase this particular painting just follow the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202014/2402072---199992/Painting.html#.U8M3cc_D_IU

Paris-Nice Stage 5: Looking Over

Team Bretagne place another rider in another break away.  And following suit with the break away formula of Paris-Nice this year, stage 5 featured a 5 man break.  So the break was represented by Sylvain Chavanel (IAM Cycling) who was so disappointed to have an very poorly timed puncture at the base of yesterday's final climb.  He went out today to redeem himself and to prove a point with his legs.  In addition the break was comprised of Jan Bakelants (OPQS), Matthew Busche (Trek Factory Racing), Izaguirre Insausti (Moviestar), and Brice Feillu (Bretagne).  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com, a family owned art supply company in Wisconsin, USA.  This painting can be yours by visiting my artist website, www.greigleach.com.  Or you could just follow the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Spring%20Classics%202014/2327627-22-18-195767/Painting/Sports.html#.UyKUW8_D_IU