Paris Nice '25, Stage 7: Some Big Names Out Front

It was a large group of fifteen riders that got off of the front of the peloton today.  It was a shorten stage due to the foul weather.  With only 110 kilometers to race, these guys building an over three-minute lead on the peloton containing the Maillot Jaune was significant.  To names that I was surprised to see let lose were Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost).  The former was here riding for his teammate Michael Storer, but Powless was hoping to make up for suffering so much in the cold these past two stages.  Joining these two are Josh Tarling (Ineos-Grenadiers), Fred Wrightk (Bahrain-Victorious) and Bruno Armirail (Decathlon-Ag2r-La Mondiale) amongst others.  With just thirteen kilometers of climbing left, it was looking likely that one of these fifteen would be vying for stage honors in the Queen Stage of Paris Nice.

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 $95 USD including shipping, but, yes, international shipping is both available and extra. 

"Some Big Names Out Front PN25-30" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Paris Nice '25, Stage 6: It Was a Close One

Out of the seventeen that came together into Berre l'Etang, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) was the clear favorite for the sprint finale.  What I didn't see coming was just how hard Josh Tarling (Ineos-Grenadiers) pushed the Danish former World Champion for the win.  I suspect that had there been another 100 meters it would have gone to Tarling.  Tarling's teammate Sam Watson was able to just get by a fading Axel Zingle (Visma-Lease a Bike) to take third.  Everyone in the group moved themselves up in the general classification.  With these results, Matteo Jorgenson (Zingle's teammate) now has a forty second advantage over Florian Lipowitz who was in this group as well.

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 $95 USD including shipping, but, yes, international shipping is both available and extra.

"It Was a Close One PN25-27" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Paris Nice '25, Stage 4: Preparing to Start Again

Once the race had reached the valley, the weather had improved enough to restart the race.  The difficulty was gathering everyone back together. Many had ridden the descent very slowly, so that needed to get everyone massed together in order to restart the race.  The other issue was recreating the gaps that had existed between the three main groups when the race was neutralized.  Now, the break had restarted, with the next to go being the two guys in red, Tobias Foss and Josh Tarling (Ineos-Grenadiers) about a minute and a half minutes later.  Standing with them were two riders from EF Education-EasyPost who would have to wait another minute or so to restart with the rest of the peloton.  It was a mess, but no one was hurt in the icy conditions.

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 $95 USD including shipping, but, yes, international shipping is both available and extra.

"Preparing to Start Again PN25-14" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Paris Nice '25, Stage 4: Up to Something

With another fifty-four kilometers to race, it was a bit odd to see the Ineos-Grenadiers duo of Tobias Foss and Josh Tarling go on the attack out of the peloton.  The two were chasing a group of eight riders still up the road from the early breakaway.  The race still had three more climbs including the mountain top finish to race.  I have to assume that the team had some grand plan they wanted to enact for their race leader in hopes of pulling back time lost in yesterday's team time trial.

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 $95 USD including shipping, but, yes, international shipping is both available and extra.

"Up to Something PN25-12" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Paris Roubaix ‘24: Is My Race Over?

Like most of the peloton, Joshua Tarling (Ineos_Grenadiers) was having a tough race with ill timed flat tires and minor crashes (although some did leave the race by ambulance).  However, Tarling was seen holding on to his team car as it pulled him back up towards the peloton.  At about the half way point, the race referee pulled along side him to let him know he had been disqualified.  All that was left for the Brit was to soft pedal until he could get into is team car.  Phil Liggett made sure to point out that Tarling isn’t a cheat, usually, but he did get caught today.

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.

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