Giro Final Stage: Taking a Bow

While they were still in the neutral start section of the final stage of the 98th Giro d'Italia, Tinkoff Saxo clasped arms with the Maglia Rosa of Alberto Contador and took a bow for all of the press photographers astride their motorcycles.  As far as I could tell, the team eschewed the traditional sharing of the Prosecco, but not the re-taping of the handlebars with bright pink .  Contador went a step further with Specialized sending him a new bright pink bike.

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/2561840---184157/Painting.html#.VWu1X89Viko

Giro Stage 9: Dancing Up the Hill

Tinkoff Saxo seems to be telling the rest of the peloton that they are simply the strongest team in the Giro.  They spend most of each stage on the front of the peloton pushing the pace everytime the road tilts skyward.  As they approach the summit of the final categorized of the day, Roman Kreuziger leads Alberto Contador up the Passo Serra.  Tuck onto the wheel  are several riders from both Team Sky and Astana, including Richie Porte (Sky), Mikel Landa and Fabio Aru (Astana).  Each one watching the other making sure that no one launches the surprise attack.  The foursome is only separated by around a minute on the general classification.

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.  This painting is available for purchase through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To buy this particular painting for only $50 USD, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  International shipping is available.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Giro%20d%20Italia/2555474---184157/Painting.html#.VVkE6CFViko

Giro Stage 7: Proving He's Okay

Alberto Contador (Tinkoff Saxo) was one of those who went down in the crash 500 meters from the line in Stage 6.  He apparently dislocated his shoulder.  He was unable to put on the Maglia Rosa nor open the Procesca on the podium yesterday evening.  So I was a little surprised to see him take the start, I'm sure there were many members of the peloton who felt the same.  Tinkoff Saxo made a point of showing that Contador was ready to ride, even pushing the pace on the penultimate climb of the day.  While the Spaniard winced as he did his signature dance up the climb, he seemed very capable of pushing the pace and putting the sprinters into difficulty.  He was certainly relying on the strength of Roman Kreuziger, Michael Rogers and Ivan Basso to show how strong he and his team were.

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/2554770---184157/Painting.html#.VVbt5CFViko

Giro Stage 4: Keeping Watch

The title of this painting has several different possible interpretations.  The most obvious refers to the race director who is standing on the seat of the race car, poking out of the sunroof so he can keep an eye on the racers, the team cars and all of the other vehicles in the race caravan.  Another version is that the director sportif for Tinkoff Saxo is keeping an eye on his man, Roman Kreuziger.  The final way to look at the title is in reference to the team tactic of putting a man up in the break to keep an eye on the moves and to cover the attacks for their respective team leaders.  So Kreuziger is watching over the break for Alberto Contrador, and Kanstantsin Siutsou (Team Sky) is doing the same for Richie Porte.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from Jack Richeson and Company, www.richesonart.com.  They are a lovely family run business that has incredible art supplies for professionals and hobbyist alike.  In addition, this painting (and all of my cycling art) is available for purchase 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.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Giro%20d%20Italia/2553572---184157/Painting.html#.VVPKeiHBzGc

Tour Stage Nineteen: A Blistering Pace

With the race for the Polka Dot Jersey and the stage win going on 10 minutes up the road, there was another battle for GC positions going on in the Malliot Jaune Group.  Saxo Tinkoff, the team of second and third overall (Contrador and Kreuziger) went to the front to lift the pace and see who they could put into difficulty.  While Froome has a very solid lead for the overall, there is currently only 45 seconds separating second place from fifth place and easy amount to overcome on a mountain stage.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that can be yours by visiting my artist website where you can buy this painting.  Just follow the direct link at the end of this post to get your piece of art of the 100th Tour de France.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202013/2183663---186227/Painting.html#.UfCEzM_D_IU

Tour Stage Sixteen: Diving for Seconds

With every member of the break away already across the line in Gap, it was the members of the peloton that were racing down towards the city trying to gain seconds on the men around them in the overall standings.  Contrador kept pressing his advantage having isolated Froome on the climb and having his own teammate in Kreuziger on the descent with him.  For a descent to help you gain time it requires insane risks, risks that had Contrador hit the deck and Froome have to put a foot out trying not to go down on top of the Spaniard.  The others in the break kept going all hoping against hope to gain time on the two fast men.  Fortunately for Froome, and by default, Contrador, Porte hadn't given up and soon caught the two adversaries after the minor crash and dragged them both back up to the other contenders.  All of this drama was being played out twelve minutes after Rui Costa had crossed the line for the stage victory.  In the end everyone but Ten Dam finished together and got the same time for the stage.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that can be yours by visiting my artist web site where you can buy this painting.  Just follow the direct link at the of this post to get your piece of the 100th Tour de France.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202013/2183161---186227/Painting.html#.Ue9Hb8_D_IU

Tour Stage Fifteen: Are They All Gone?

Team Sky did the same thing in on Mount Ventoux as it did in the Pyrenees, they put the team on the front, each guy riding as fast as he could, until he couldn't turn the pedal over another time, and then the next one in line took over.  The ploy worked just as well this time as it did then.  Richie Porte was the last one in the line and he is just checking to see Kreuziger dropping off, had he looked the other way he would see that he still has Contrador.  But then the Malliot Jaune should do some of the work, right now it doesn't look like Froome will be up to the task.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that is available for purchase at my artist website.   Just follow the direct link at the end of this post to get your piece of the 100th Tour de France.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202013/2182615---186227/Painting.html#.Ue3v68_D_IU

Tour Stage Thirteen: Split After Split

Saxo Tinkoff, the team of Alberto Contrador and Roman Kreuziger, saw their chance to repeat the attacks of Omega Pharma Quickstep and with six teammates having made the first split, had the numbers to make it stick.  Wide awake were the next two highest placed on GC riding for Team Belkin and they made the split, along with two of the big sprinters, Sagan and Cavendish and Astana's Fuglsang.  The most important missing the split was Chris Froome and Team Sky along with BMC's Cadel and Van Garderen, and that was the inspiration to push hard on the front for both Belkin and Saxo.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that is available for purchase at my artist website.  Just follow the direct link at the end of this post to get your piece of the 100th Tour de France and the wild stage 13.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202013/2182517---186227/Painting.html#.Ue2-ns_D_IU

Tour Stage Nine: Watching Quintana Go

After all of the hard work Moviestar had put in on the 4 previous climbs of the day, Quintana was the designated attack of the team.  He must have jumped out of the "Froome Group" 3 or 4 times, here all Kreuziger, Schleck and Mollema could do is watch him go.  Every time it fell to Chris Froome to chase him down and as soon as Quintana saw him on his wheel he would shut down his attack.  Apparently he would only drag Froome away from his team leader, Valverde.  He did learn to wait until the last climb after yesterday, were he got away on the high point of the Tour only to get caught by Porte and Froome on the final ascent of the day.  His efforts yesterday did put him in the White Jersey of the best Young Rider in the Tour.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that is available through my artist website.  Just follow the direct link at the end of this post to get your artistic piece of the 100th Tour de France.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202013/2179473---186227/Painting.html#.UeSzRcvD_IU

Tour Stage Nine: Attacking the Yellow

Everyone was eager to attack Chris Froome and his Yellow Jersey on the final climb of the day.  With Froome isolated he couldn't follow every attack and had decided to mark, Quintana, Valverde, and Contrador.  Only Quintana of the list ever attacked him and he jumped onto his wheel everytime.  Dan Martin watched this and decided he was far enough back on GC that Froome wouldn't go after him, and with Froome sitting pat, the others watched Martin slide off the front without a flicker of a reaction.  Only Fuglsang had the foresight to jump after the Irishman's wheel.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that can be yours through my artist website.  Just follow the direct link at the end of this post to get your artistic piece of the 100th Tour de France.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202013/2179465---186227/Painting.html#.UeSyIMvD_IU

Tour Stage Nine: Where Is Sky?

I was sure that I would be painting images of the entire Team Sky on the front of the peloton with Froome tucked in behind bedecked in yellow for the next two weeks, but Moviestar and Garmin Sharp had other plans for the day.  Garmin went first and then Valverde and Moviestar pulled a page from Sky's play book and put the whole team on the front of the group and rode Sky's tired men off of the pace.  Moviestar had another advantage with Valverde and Quintana high up on GC they could attack with one and then the other, just like Sky did yesterday with Froome and Porte.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that is available through my artist website.  Just follow the direct link at the end of this post to get your artist piece of the 100th Tour de France.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202013/2179437---186227/Painting.html#.UeSuWc_D_IU

Tour Stage Eight: Riding by the Numbers

Much has been made of the training a discipline of Team Sky, some faulting the team for only paying attention to their power meters, pedal cadence and heart rates, functioning more like machines than cyclist but today they showed what all of the work looks like in a mountain stage.  The other interpretation of the titles is they rode every single contender off their wheels, it was only Valverde, Contrador and Krueziger left when Porte swung off the front and Froome road off in search of the a stage win and a yellow jersey.  After first Froome and then Porte caught and left Quintara, Porte was free to race for second on the stage and in the GC.  So while Sky may not be very romantic they certainly preformed the plan to perfection.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that is available in a quick 3 day auction on ebay.  Just follow the direct link at the end of this post to bid on your piece of the 100th Tour de France.

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Tour Stage Eight: Sky Tamping Out the Rhythm

Team Sky made a name for itself by going to the front of the peloton and just riding everyone off of the group.  It is a well trained disciplined team that understands the power meter and that fast and steady will most often win the race.  Maybe not the stage, but almost always the race.  The rest of the Pro Tour has discovered that they can't play their game, so the Giro saw attacks and chipping away at the long blue line.  Of course the weather was a big factor in the Giro, whereas the only wetness at the Tour is the sweat of the riders and the contents of their bottles.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that is available through my artist website.  Just follow the direct link at the end of this post to get your own piece of the 100th Tour de France.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202013/2179365---186227/Painting.html#.UeSbwcvD_IU