Tour de France, Stage 20: Bad Timing

No matter how much a rider trains, no matter how fit they may be or emotionally strong.  Even in the old days, no matter how much they doped.  Lady luck still can be a very large factor in the out come of a rider's Tour de France.  Two different men while wearing the Maillot Jaune have had to leave this Tour due to bad luck and injury, many others have been unable to finish for the same reason.  Of the 198 riders who began way back in Utrecht, only 160 are still in the race at the end of the penultimate stage of the 102nd Tour de France.  Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) used a brilliant ride yesterday to move him self up into the top five on the General Classification.  Only to have a very badly timed flat tire, right at the base of the ascent up the Alp d'Huez.  Despite how quickly he got a new wheel it still meant he would be having to ride up the monster of the Alps faster than any other of the contenders just to rejoin the main body of the race.  Unlucky.

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%202015/2585876-138-210122/Painting.html#.VbR_gPlViko

Tour de France Stage 5: Bringing Their Man Back

The 102nd Tour de France is being as unkind to the French and the 101st was charmed.  For the second time today, and once yesterday, the Frenchman who finished third in 2014, had to be paced back on to the tail of the peloton after a crash.  On this trip back to the front, Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) was escorted back into the fold by his teammates Steve Morabito and Matthieu Ladagnous.  A nice marker that the peloton is close is the bright red Skoda of one of the Commisares that position themselves just behind the last man of each large group and/or the breakaway on the course.

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.  They are a small family run art supply company located in north central United States with incredible high quality supplies for artists and crafters alike.  You can learn more at their website, www.richesonart.com.  This work, and all of my cycling artwork, is available for purchase through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To buy this particular painting for only $60 USD, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  Remember, this is a one of a kind original, so don't delay, once this painting is gone, it is gone!

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20de%20France%202015/2578260---210122/Painting.html#.VZ3KnPlViko

Tour Stage 12: Superstitious

Like many athletes, cyclists can be very superstitious, and not without reason.  In a moment of bad luck a Tour or a career can be over in the wink of an eye.  Many are very religious, good Catholics crossing themselves before setting off on a day of racing.  For the guy who is assigned bib number thirteen, all he can do is flip over one of the race bibs in hopes of confusing the bad luck so it leaves him alone.  It seems to be working pretty well for John Gadret (Movistar), he may be coming back from a flat tire, but it didn't lead to a race ending crash.  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%202014/2404240---199992/Painting.html#.U8h_aM_D_IU