Tour, Stage 7: Getting Organized

The break away had quite a time getting established today.  The first two formations included the former wearer of the Maillot Vert, Peter Sagan (Tinkoff), the teams of the two men ahead of him in that competition, were not going to let him get the intermediate sprint points on offer.  Once the World Champion was back in the peloton, this group was given the go ahead, oddly one of their number included the Maillot Jaune of Greg Van Avermaet (BMC).  It was a large group being headed up by the earlier King of the Mountains, Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) along with Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto Soudal) and three riders from Cannondale-Drapac; Alex Howes, Matti Bieschel and Sebastien Lageveld.  Stuyven is helping himself to a cold water bottle from the neutral service moto sponsored by Vittel.

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.

Be sure to check out my second cycling art book, Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships, available online or through your local book seller.

To buy this painting, follow this link: http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20de%20France%202016/2820952-41-224974/PaintingGetting%20Organized%20TdF41-Greig-Leach.html#.V3_10LgrLIU

Paris Nice Stage 2: Lifting the Pace

With just under twenty kilometers left to go and the race altogether, Cannondale-Garmin went to the front and lowered the boom.  With a hoped for and yet to be realized cross wind, the team decided to try and shed some sprinters and other pretenders to the overall classification.  Tom Jelte Slagter and the Dutch National Champion Sebastien Langeveld let the rest of the team in a pseudo team time trail, in theory to help out their team leader, Andrew Talansky.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting (for only $50 USD plus shipping) just follow the direct link at the end of this post.

If you are enjoying the artwork and accompanying text, be sure to check out my recently published book of the 2014 Tour de France, Book de Tour - Art of the 101st Tour de France.  You can find it at most any online book seller world wide.  Simply google the title to learn where you can get the book and save on international shipping charges.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Spring%20Classics%20/2523068---195767/Painting.html#.VP9gO_zF-xU

Tour Stage 12: Into the Hay Bales

The race organizers of the Tour de France do all they can to keep the riders safe including placing red striped hay bales to protect the riders from unmovable dangers along the entire race course of the Tour.  So much of the race comes down to luck, some you can make, and some makes you.  Davide De La Cruz had a very unluckily timed front wheel blow out as he leaned into a hard right turn.  With his carbon rim on the pavement he had no warning or chance to keep his bike upright.  Furthering the bad luck, he took out the back wheel of Sebastien Langeveld (Garmin Sharp) sending them both into the hay bales and fans that lined the corner.  Langeveld jumped back up, and went off to catch back onto his break away companions.  De La Cruz was not so lucky, his writhing in pain left in no doubt that the hard contact with the asphalt had most likely broken his shoulder or collar bone.  Whatever the injury, his first trip to the Tour de France was now over. This is a small original watercolor and ink painting is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com and will be included in my soon to be self published book of my art of the 101st Tour de France, "Book de Tour".  To learn more about the book project, to pre order your copy, or to discover how to become involved in bringing this amazing edition of the Tour to print, please visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1335072134/book-de-tour.  There are some wonderful rewards for backers at a wide variety of levels, all include your name in print on the special thanks page, and starting at $5 USD.  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%202014/2404230---199992/Painting.html#.U8h8zc_D_IU

Tour Stage 12: Wardrobe Malfunction

The mechanics that ride in the team cars are called upon to perform all sorts of repairs in all sorts of circumstances, most involve leaning way out of a moving car's window to fiddle with parts on a moving bicycle.  How they don't lose fingers in the bladed aerodynamic spokes I'll never know.   Sebastien Langeveld's (Garmin Sharp) mechanic leaned out to pin the racing bib back on more tightly.  The racers can obsess about all kinds of things and a flapping racing bib would even be on my list of annoyances.  There are times when a rider simply needs a brief respite and will hold onto the car while the mechanic fiddles for the eyes of the cameras and the referees alike.  All is fair in love, war and bike racing.  Although the ASO has quite a long list of do's and don'ts, a case in point that Andrew Talansky was penalized ten seconds for drafting off of his team car.  No big deal since he finished twenty eights minutes behind the stage winner Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Belisol).  This is a small original watercolor and ink painting is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com and will be included in my soon to be self published book of my art of the 101st Tour de France, "Book de Tour".  To learn more about the book project, to pre order your copy, or to discover how to become involved in bringing this amazing edition of the Tour to print, please visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1335072134/book-de-tour.  There are some wonderful rewards for backers at a wide variety of levels, all include your name in print on the special thanks page, and starting at $5 USD.  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%202014/2404218---199992/Painting.html#.U8h5Cs_D_IU

Tour Stage 12: In With a Chance

After his heroic effort to finish Stage 11 and to do it inside of the time limited the leader for Garmin Sharp, Andrew Talansky, decided with his team to not take to the start for Stage 12, the pain was too much.  All involved thought it would be better for him to recover and finish the season strong, than to push on possibly causing serious damage with no hope of getting back into the podium hunt.  Sebastien Lengeveld took up the mantle for his fallen leader, he was the first to start the break at only 5 kilometers of racing before being joined by Simon Clark (Orica GreenEdge), David De La Cruz (NetApp-Endura), Florian Vachon (Bretagne-Seche) and Gregory Rast (Trek Factory Racing).  The stage looked like a good opportunity for the break away to succeed, it was too hilly for most of the sprinters and not steep enough for the climbers to carry the day.  So to quote Paul Sherwen, "The break is in with a chance."  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).  This painting is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com and will be included in my soon to be self published book of my art of the 101st Tour de France, "Book de Tour".  To learn more about the book project, to pre order your copy, or to discover how to become involved in bringing this amazing edition of the Tour to print, please visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1335072134/book-de-tour.  There are some wonderful rewards for backers at a wide variety of levels, all include your name in print on the special thanks page, and starting at $5 USD.  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%202014/2404214-88-84-199992/Painting/Sports.html#.U8h2DM_D_IU