Tour '24, Stage 9: On to the Next Sector

The lead group hits Sector 9 of the gravel roads with another 67 kilometers to race.  They only have a little over a minute advantage on the group containing the marquees of this Tour.  Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech) leads Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Qazaqstan), Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek) with the other six that were in the lead group into the choking dust of the gravel roads.  I do truly appreciate the camera motos getting these shots so we can see what is happening, but they are the ones kicking up huge clouds of dust into the faces of each of the groups of riders.

This is a small 4x6 inch original watercolor painting that is available through my website at greigleach.com or you can simply follow the direct link at the end of the post to purchase the painting above. Since it is an original work of art, it is a first come first served reality. The work sells for $95 USD including shipping, but, yes, international shipping is both available and extra.

"On to the Next Sector TdF24-48" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Strade Bianche: With Just a Moto for Company

I don't know if the goal was to escape the leaders or just to make the race hard on a steep gravel section but Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) rode off the front of the peloton with 49 kilometers to go.  As he looked back with 47 kilometers left to race all he go see was one of the commissare's motorcycles.  That is the last he ever saw of any two wheeled vehicles for the day.  Well, actually this moto has three wheels.  It has been a long time since I have seen a successful 49 kilometer solo break, but then there aren't many like Pogacar.  And he became the first former Tour de France winner (two times) to ever win Strade Bianche.  Chapeau!

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

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring-Classics-/3870317-461-195767/Painting/with-just-a-moto-for-company-sb22-9.html

Strade Bianche: Up and Chasing Back

As a rule, I don't paint the crashes, and while the big crash that left Julian Alaphillipe (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) chasing the peloton was something spectacular to see, I'm sticking to that rule.  Several riders called it quits after literally getting blown off their bikes on the gravel section of Strade Bianche as the winds whipped across the high ridge road.  After doing an aerial summersault and his bike flying a good ten feet into the air, the World Champion had to get himself sorted as quickly as possible.  Two of his teammates Mauro Schmid and Mikkel Frolich Honore paced him back into one of the chase groups, but at 96 kilometes to go he was two and a half minutes behind the leaders and nearly two minutes behind the main contenders.  I am happy to say that despite the nay sayers commenting on the race, he was able to rejoin the race and have some influence on the rest of the proceedings.  Ultimately, though, the effort to chase back left him too spent to contest the finale.

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

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring-Classics-/3870242-459-195767/Painting/up-and-chasing-back-sb22-7.html

Strade Bianche, Clouds of Dust

With Simon Clarke (EF Pro Cycling) put back into the peloton, it was Michael Gogl (NTT Pro Cycling) was the next to ride away from the group.  One of the distinctive features of Strade Bianche is the white gravel roads that kick up dense clouds of dust as the motos, race vehicles and the bikes themselves race over the rough surfaces.  Gogl seemed to be trying to go for a solo run, but with 53 K to race, it was more likely he just wanted to get out of most everyone else's dust clouds.  I am sure it made breathing a bit easier.

At the start line, and at the end of the race, the competitors would quickly don a cloth mask to help stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus.  Gogl may have been wishing he had kept his with him.  Although I find it impossible to ride with one on, and I am sure I am not putting out anywhere near the wattage he is.

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/2020-Bike-Racing-Revised-Season/3609580-6-280747/Painting/clouds-of-dust-sb20-6.html