Tour Stage 11: Making the Time Limit

There are so many stories in the Tour de France, so many that become legendary, fabled, tales of valor, sacrifice, personal triumph and of struggle, pain and suffering.  Today Andrew Talansky (Garmin Sharp) can add is name to the list of those who have showed courage and determination in the Tour.  Talansky dropped off of the peloton on the first categorized climb of the day, eventually stopping at the side of the road apparently about to leave the Tour in unbearable pain.  After a lengthy discussion, he decided to honor the work his team had done for him thus far, by riding the rest of the stage.  He faced almost certain elimination by finishing outside of the time limit.  Riders must finish within a certain percentage of the winner's time based on the difficulty of the stage.  It was calculated that he had to cross the line no more than 34 minutes after Tony Gallopin raised his arms in victory. Talansky was the second victor of the day.  After stretching his gap out to roughly twenty minutes, he found the inner strength to hold that gab, riding even with the peloton, but much further back, with only the following Broom Wagon, the Voiture Balai, and his team car for company.  Virtually all of the crowds that had cheered the victory of Gallopin , waited to cheer this personal victory with almost the same zeal.  This is a small original watercolor and ink painting that is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  This painting will be included in my soon to be self published book, "Book de Tour".  To learn more about the book project, to pre order your copy, or to discover how you can become part of bringing the tome of the Tour to print, please visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1335072134/book-de-tour.  To purchase this painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202014/2403866---199992/Painting.html#.U8d8o8_D_IU

Tour Stage 11: Holding Them All Off

The French now have their first stage victory in the 101st Tour de France!  Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Belisol) gave the French a Yellow Jersey for one day, wearing the Jersey on Bastille Day, although he did lose the jersey at the end of the day, is the Frenchman to bring a stage to the home country of the Tour.  While the others in the small group off of the front were trying to figure out how they were going to out sprint Peter Sagan (Cannondale), Gallopin attacked them from the rear, gaining the advantage of surprise to open a sizable gap very quickly.  While Sagan and Michal Kwiatkowski (OPQS) exchange gestures, each thinking the other should take up the chase, Gallopin put everything he had into the pedals.  With the peloton breathing down his neck, just meters away form the line, they had already caught Sagan, Kwiatkowski and Mick Rodgers (Tinkoff Saxo), Gallopin was able to raise his arms in victory seemingly holding them all back from his moment at the line.  This is a small original watercolor and ink painting that is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  This painting will be included in my soon to be self published book, "Book de Tour".  To learn more about the book project, to pre order your copy, or to discover how you can become part of bringing the tome of the Tour to print, please visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1335072134/book-de-tour.  To purchase this painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202014/2403864---199992/Painting.html#.U8d4AM_D_IU

Tour Stage 11: Four Guys, Four Kilometers

With just four kilometers left to the finish line in Oyonnax these four guys had gotten the gap on the peloton mainly following the incredibly fast descent off of the Cote d'Echallon by Peter Sagan (Cannondale).  All four had something to prove, Sagan is still searching for a stage win, and it has been his team sacrificing themselves for the man in the Green Jersey.  Michael Kwiatkowski (OPQS) wants to recapture the White Jersey of best young rider back from Romain Barder (AG2R) while Mick Rodgers (Tinkoff Saxo) is looking to salvage the Tour for his team with the loss of Contador.  Finally, tucked onto the back checking to see the whereabouts of  the rest of the peloton is Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Belisol).  He hopes to claim a victory for France and to recapture some of his short lived glory while wearing the Maillot Jaune.  The group does not have enough of a gap on Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) to hope to take the leader's Yellow Jersey from his shoulders.  This is a small original watercolor and ink painting that is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  This painting will be included in my soon to be self published book, "Book de Tour".  To learn more about the book project, to pre order your copy, or to discover how you can become part of bringing the tome of the Tour to print, please visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1335072134/book-de-tour.  To purchase this painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202014/2403862---199992/Painting.html#.U8d0qM_D_IU