Giro, Stage 1: Surprising Them All

Surprising them all is exactly what Lukas Postlberger (Bora Hansgrohe) did, perhaps no one more than himself.  Behind him, you can make out the big sprinter, Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal) and the diminutive sprinter, Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott) desparately trying to catch the celebrating Austrian.  Postlberger's win means that he will claims both the Maglia Rosa of race leader and the Maglia Rosso of points leader.  Not a bad reward for a little surprising move.

This is a small watercolors and ink painting measuring just 4"x6" and was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com.  This painting and all of my Olympics artwork will be available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  It is only $75 USD and international shipping is available.

With the start of the Giro d'Italia, I am crowd funding my third cycling art book through Kickstarter.  I could use your support in making this book get made, please consider supporting the project here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1335072134/art-of-cycling-100th-giro-ditalia.  This will be just one of the hundred plus paintings that will be included.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/100th-Giro-dItalia/2962543-7-235247/PaintingSurprising-Them-All-G17-7.html

Tirreno-Adriatico Final Stage: The Effort on the Day

The announcers for Eurosport, Carlton Kirby and Daniel Lloyd felt that the stage and therefore the race could go to either Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) or Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) depending on the "effort of the day."  Sagan certainly put everything he had into the day and managed to move himself up from third overall into second.  But that elusive first place finish still seems to be just out of his reach, but then he has been here before last season but ended it by winning the World Championships in Richmond, VA.  He did manage to keep the Maglia Rosso of the points leader, but the Maglia Azzuro of overall winner went to Greg Van Avermaet.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watecolors and Steve Quiller brushes both from www.richesonart.com.  In addition, this painting is available from my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this original work of art, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.

Plus, please be sure to check out my newest book, Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships.  The book is complied from my live paintings of the 2015 Championships here in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia along with my blogposts serving as the rough draft for the text of the book.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring%20Classics%20/2743994-289-195767/Painting.html#.VukOePkrLIU

Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 6: At the Line

Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) resplendent in his Maglia  Rosso, lead the quartet from the moment he launched his sprint, only to be caught at the line by Greg Van Avermaet (BMC).  The two have been going at in this early spring and I am quite sure that Sagan is getting sick of Van Avermaet continually getting the better of him.  Unable to stay with the two, Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) held on for third while Zdenek Stybar (Etixx-Quickstep) missed the podium altogether.  In so doing, Van Avermaet's win, with its bonus seconds added to the bonus seconds he gained out on course, moved the Belgium rider into the Maglia Azurra of race leader.  With just an individual time trial left to race, it will remain to be seen if Van Avermaet can recover enough to ride a really fast 10k ITT.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watecolors and Steve Quiller brushes both from www.richesonart.com.  In addition, this painting is available from my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this original work of art, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.

Plus, please be sure to check out my newest book, Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships.  The book is complied from my live paintings of the 2015 Championships here in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia along with my blogposts serving as the rough draft for the text of the book.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring%20Classics%20/2743113-284-195767/Painting.html#.Vud8LfkrLIU

Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 6: Picking Up Points

Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) traded in his rainbow jersey for the red of the points leader for Tirreno-Adriatico.  With just an Individual Time Trial on the final day tomorrow, he was doing his best to ensure that he would take the overall Magila Rosso.  Sagan and his teammates Daniele Bennati and Oscar Gatto sprinted out from the peloton to grab the points and bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint.  Plus with the sprint line and the finish line being the same, it was a good chance to check out the finish and how they wanted to race it at the end of the stage in Cepagatti.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watecolors and Steve Quiller brushes both from www.richesonart.com.  In addition, this painting is available from my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this original work of art, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.

Plus, please be sure to check out my newest book, Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships.  The book is complied from my live paintings of the 2015 Championships here in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia along with my blogposts serving as the rough draft for the text of the book.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring%20Classics%20/2743003-280-195767/Painting.html#.VudNYfkrLIU

Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 4: There Goes Sagan

Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) traded in his Rainbow Jersey for the Magila Rosso of points leader (a jersey he has won four times in a row at the Tour de France - although it is a different color there).  Sagan tried to jump away from the peloton just as he did in Richmond but he didn't have the steep climbs and technical course to help him escape.

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.  This painting, and most of my cycling art, is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  And yes, international shipping is available.

Plus, be sure to check out my newest book, "Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships" a complete telling of the 2015 Worlds through art and word painted live as the racing happened on the streets of my home town.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring%20Classics%20/2742066-278-195767/Painting.html#.VuWXyfkrLIU

Giro Final Stage: Starting an Arguement

With two riders up the road the points on offer for the remaining positions in the intermediate sprints were greatly reduced.  It is theorized that Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing) and Sacha Modolo (Lampre Merida) had come to an arrangement that neither would sprint for the victory at the intermediate sprint leaving it all for the final sprint.  It seems that someone started to go for the early sprint, perhaps interpreting that since the breakaway had "won" the sprint, they were free to attack all of the other sprint hopefuls.  With the point differential in the race for the Red Jersey so tight, tempers seemed to be on edge.  Nizzolo appears to reach out and grab the jersey of Modolo right before Nizzolo and Trek Factory racing attacked for the remaining sprint points.  In the ensuing laps, the pair literally butted heads, shoulders and elbows.  Fortunately, the feathers seemed to have been back in place by the end of the stage, otherwise a head butt could have sent bikes and bodies flying all over the place.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from the small family run art supply company, Jack Richeson and Company.  There website is www.richesonart.com.  Plus, this painting is available through my artist website for only $50 USD, plus shipping (international is available) at www.greigleach.com.  To get this particular painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post, but don't delay.  This is an original work of art, so when it is gone, it is gone.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Giro%20d%20Italia/2561844---184157/Painting.html#.VWvBhM9Viko

Giro Stage 7: The Best of the Rest

Elia Viviani (Team Sky) lost his sprinter's Maglia Rosso to yesterday's stage winner, Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal).  He just had to earn three points to reclaim the lead in that competition.  With the four man break up the road, that was exactly how many points will still on offer at the stage's intermediate sprint points.  He faced Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing) at each of the sprints along the way.  And was a little annoyed that Nizzolo was trying to deny him the jersey.  Nizzolo really is too far down in the points tally to have a chance of claiming the Maglia Rosso, so his sprinting came off as a little cheeky.

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.  In addition, this painting and all of my cycling art is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  And yes, international shipping is available.  Do act quickly to get your own piece of the 98th Giro d'Italia.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Giro%20d%20Italia/2554496---184157/Painting.html#.VVZWjiFViko

Giro d'Italia Stage 10: Wearing Red for a Reason

In the Giro d'Italia the Red Jersey, Maglia Rosso, is awarded to the most consistent sprinter in the peloton.  The current holder of the jersey, Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ), proved today that he is the rightful owner of the Maglia Rosso, taking his third stage win ahead of Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing) who has now finished second in a stage, three different times.  Ben Swift (Team Sky) was unable to reward the efforts of his team on the way into town, although that may have had something to do with the crash in the penultimate turn.  It was Tyler Farrar (Garmin Sharp) who went down first, taking out about ten men, fortunately none seriously hurt, but it certainly disrupted the sprint and eliminated Elia Viviani's (Cannondale) chances to contest the victory, to say nothing of Farrar's hopes for glory.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that is available for purchase through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  For this painting follow the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Giro%20d'Italia%202014/2366659---198213/Painting.html#.U3uojc_D_IU