Tour, Stage 13: Not Where He Wants to Be

 Nairo Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) was not where he wanted to be with 60 kilometers to race. He was one of several who went down in a high speed crash off of the Cote d'Anglards de Salers.  While he was banged up, poor Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) broke his collard bone and had to leave the Tour.  IN the supersition category, Mollema was sitting 13th on the GC when he crashed out on Stage 13.  Quintana was being paced back to the peloton by his teammate Wnner Anacona. Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale) is also in this group having gone down in the same crash.  At this point those three have joined up with the Maillot Vert, Sam Bennett and his teammate Michael Morkov (Deceuninck-Quick Step) as they spent a little too much time behind their team car.  This title may have been some foreshadowing, Quintana did not finish the stage where he wanted to be either.  Nor Bardet for that matter, both may have been more injured than they realized.

This is a small 4x6 inch original watercolor painting that is available though my website at www.greigleach.com, or you can simply follow the direct link at the end of this post.  Since it is an original it is first come first served.  The painting was created using Yarka St Petersburg watercolors from Richesonart.com. The work sells for $75 plus shipping. And yes, international shipping is available.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour-de-France-2020/3699133-83-282744/Painting/not-where-he-wants-to-be-tdf20-77.html

Paris Nice, Stage 6: Time to Chat

The big news at the start of today's stage was that the race would end one day early.  Organizers decided to cancel the stage through the streets of Nice to help curtail the spread of the Corona Virus.  Additional the Bahrain McLaren team decided to leave the race and Tejay van Garderen pulled out in order to be able to get home before the banning of flights out of Europe being allowed to land in the USA.  These are strange time.  I am painting this race about ten days behind the actual racing, so I know what these guys are only guessing at.  All that being said, I will now go back to writing about this race in an "as live" manner.

Today's stage was rather hilly and marks the penultimate stage of Paris Nice now.  While the Maillot Jaune has over a minute on his nearest competitor the other GC positions are all very close together.  This is the back of the early break.  Stefan Kung (Groupama-FDJ) took the chance to chat with Winner Anacona (Arkea-Samsic) as he rolled to the back of the group after his turn on the front.  Just ahead, Anthony Perez (Cofidis) recovered a bit before it was his turn to do his part on the front of the group.

This is a small 4x6 inch original watercolor painting that is available though my website at www.greigleach.com, or you can simply follow the direct link at the end of this post.  Since it is an original it is first come first served.  The painting was created using Yarka St Petersburg watercolors from Richesonart.com. The work sells for $75 plus shipping. And yes, international shipping is available.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Paris-Nice/3491230-24-272742/Painting/time-to-chat-pn20-24.html

Giro, Stage 14: Having a Go

With out a single stage victory yet in their home tour, the Italians were eager to get a stage victory today.  Once his countryman, Diego Rosa (Sky) was caught, Domenico Pozzovivo (Ag2r La Mondiale) jumped out of the laboring peloton.  He went on the steepest section of the climb up to Oropa.  Behind both Mikel Landa (Sky) and Winner Anacona (Movistar) tried to catch onto the wheel of Rosa.

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 racing of the 100th Giro d'Italia, I am crowd funding my third cycling art book through Kickstarter.  I could use your support in helping this book get made, please consider backing 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. With Kickstarter, if there is not a 100% funded, no one is charged a dime, and the project recieves 0% funding.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/100th-Giro-dItalia/2970201-90-235247/PaintingHaving-a-Go-G17-98.html

Giro, Stage 9: Continuing to Race

Some critics will complain that Movistar should have sat up once Sunweb and Team Sky crashed on the ascent of Blockhaus.  Others will insist that they had already started their attack, in fact they had been pushing the pace for the last forty kilometers, so they had every right to keep racing.  As they went under the ten kilometers to go banner, Winner Anacona and Andrey Amador (Movistar) continued to drink before the final assualt on the mountain.  Tucked onto their wheels was the ever impassive Nairo Quintana (Movistar) ready to launch himself off the front of the peloton.  The steep climb to the top of Blockhaus was just the place for the Colombian to take hold of the 100th Giro d'Italia.

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/2966838-62-235247/PaintingContinuing-to-Race-G17-63.html

Tour de France, Stage 20: Colombian Teammates

The acceleration that spoiled Vincenzo Nibali's (Astana) rejoining of the peloton was created by the attack on the man in second place overall, Nairo Quintana (Movistar).  Quintana was lead through one of the 21 switchbacks up the Alpe d'Huez by his countryman and teammate, Winner Anacona.
This corner is referred to as "The Irish Corner"  and it was populated by screaming Irishmen (and women) who cheered the Colombian duo with gusto, flag waving and drunkenly slurred words.

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.  They are a wonderful small family run art supply company based in the northern mid-west of the United States.  This painting is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting for only $60 USD, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  As it is a one of a kind original work of art, you may not want to delay your purchase, because when it is gone, it is gone.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20de%20France%202015/2585886-140-210122/Painting.html#.VbSEoPlViko

Tour de France, Stage 20: Here Come the Attacks

With just two mountains left to climb in the 102nd Tour de France, if any time was to be gained on the General Classification, the attacks would have to go early.  Movistar had the luxury of having two cards to play.  Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) was sitting third overall and could attack the peloton without Team Sky and the Maillot Jaune paying him much mind.  As a strategy, he could then function as a carrot for the team leader, Nairo Quintana, to bridge across to.  They also sent another team member along with Valverde, the other Colombian on the team, Winner Anacona.

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.  They are a wonderful small family run art supply company based in the northern mid-west of the United States.  This painting is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting for only $60 USD, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  As it is a one of a kind original work of art, you may not want to delay your purchase, because when it is gone, it is gone.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20de%20France%202015/2585673-134-210122/Painting.html#.VbP5lvlViko

Tour de France, Stage 18: Chasing One Man

With their countryman Romain Bardet (Ag2r) up the road, the quartet of Cyril Gautier and Pierre Rolland from Europcar, along with Bob Jungels (Trek Factory Racing) and Winner Anacona (Movistar) chased as hard as they could.  The final climb up Lacets de Montvernier was a new one to the Tour having never been scaled by the peloton, or any other Pro Tour race.  It was an amazing zig zagging scaling of a cliff wall that included 17 switchbacks to reach the top.  Fortunately, these men in spandex didn't have to come down this "Jacob's Ladder".  Try as they might the loan Frenchman continued to pull away from this foursome, even on the climb.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from Jack Richeson & Co., www.richesonart.com.  They are a small US based family run art supply company that has really wonderful products for art making.  This painting, and all of my cycling art, is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting for only $60 USD, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  Be aware that because it is an original one of a kind work, once it has sold it is gone. So, don't delay.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20de%20France%202015/2584034-122-210122/Painting.html#.VbFLhflViko

Giro d'Italia Stage 7: Time to Talk

With the break away on one of the steeper uncategorized climbs of the day and the peloton starting to gain on them, Robinson Chalapud (Team Colombia) got into a bit of a discussion with Nathan Hass (Garmin Sharp) about speeding up the pace.  He is making the motion of revving a motorcycle in hopes of convincing Nathan to speed up, either it was a question of speed or Robinson felt that Haas wasn't putting in enough pulls at the front of the pace line.  Whatever the Colombian thought, it made for a five minute argument as the two maintain their order in the break's pace line.  Winner Anacona (Lampre-Belisol), another well named bike racer, just watched the two argue it out and kept pedaling doing his share of pulls.  No sense getting Chalapud cross with anyone else.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that is available for purchase at my artist website, www.greigleach.com.  For this particular painting, you can follow the direct link at the end of this post.  But while you are at the website, why not take the time to browse all of the art that is on offer?

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Giro%20d'Italia%202014/2364867---198213/Painting.html#.U3ck2M_D_IU