I apologize for getting the video orientation wrong, but then that is why you do a test ahead of the big event. As always, I will be painting the Tour de France live, every stage, every day. I will be sharing each and every painting here, as I do. But new this year will be a youtube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLGX-TnjXDSkkOidUE6pN1g?view_as=subscriber in addition to sharing each painting here and posting them for sale on my website, www.greigleach.com.
All of the work is created using www.richesonart.com watercolors, particularly, St. Petersburg Yarks cake watercolors with Faber Castel ink pens. I hope you will subscribe to the youtube channel and follow me here. And then there is always twitter, https://twitter.com/ArtofCycling.
I'm looking to spending the month of July with you and the complete peloton of the Tour de France.
The three men in the breakaway, including surprisingly Alejandro Valverde, are looking over to see the ringing of the bell that signals the start of the final lap of the Champs Elysees and the 100th Tour de France. The bell lap is used in every circuit race from the small club races that I rode as a teenager to the big tours like the Giro, the Tour de France and the Veulta de Espana. The Gendarme of France look on as the peloton closes in on the three in front of the press and VIP viewing boxes. This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that could be yours by visiting my artist website. Just follow the direct link at the end of this post to get your piece of the final stage of the 100th Tour de France.
With just two laps to go and the break within seconds ahead, the sprinter's teams started to get themselves organized. They, too, were trying to ride the gutter, the constant shaking and jarring of the cobbles had to be getting to everyone's arms, legs and butts. So far it is Omega Pharma Quickstep on the front for Mark Cavendish with a bit of Argos-Shimano mixed in for their man Marcel Kittel. With the kinds of speeds the trains were turning over, the small break was sure to be caught well within the final kilometer. This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that could be yours by visiting my artist website where you can purchase this painting. Just follow the direct link at the end of this post to get your piece of the final stage of the 100th Tour de France.
Another of the final day traditions is for the team holding the Malliot Jaune to lead the peloton onto the Champs Elysees and around the finishing circuit in a victory lap of honor. Once this has been completed, it is now time to start racing, and to quote Phil Liggett, "They throw off the sand bags..." and get down to it. You may be able to tell that the teams of the sprinters are right behind Team Sky ready to bring their fast men first across the finishing line. 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 final day of the 100th Tour de France.
The 100th edition of the Tour de France was highly populated with young exciting, strong riders from around the world. This young Colombian, Nairo Quintana, at the age of 23 shows that the future of cycling is in great hands. He has been fighting on every mountain stage of the Tour, sometimes going too soon and sometimes not using the best strategies, but today, it all came right. His team had ridden hard on the front of the peloton for hours, then his teammate Valverde attacked the group dispatching everyone but Porte, Froome, Contrador and Rodriquez. After an attack by the Katusha rider, some counters by Froome, Quintana attacked as soon as he caught back up to Froome. He counted on Froome not being able to respond having just tried a hard push into his red zone. Having got a gap on the others, he was off to his first stage victory in his first Tour de France. He will ride into Paris having one a stage, the White Jersey and the Polka Dot Jersey all in his first visit to the Tour and at the young, young age of 23! This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that is available for sale at my artist website. Just follow the direct link to get your piece of the 100th Tour de France.
For the third day in the Alps, TeJay Van Garderen must be feeling good, because he was out of the peloton and off in search of a mountain top victory. Pierre Rolland is desperately trying to hold the wheel of the charging American in hopes of shoring up his lead in the Polka Dot Jersey. If TeJay had felt like this in the Pyrenees. BMC may well be having a very different Tour de France. As it is, he is doing a great job flying the colors of Team BMC. This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that could be yours by visiting my artist website where you can purchase this painting. Just follow the direct link at the end of this post to get your piece of the 100th Tour de France.
At the start of the day Pierre Rolland was in third place for the King of the Mountains Jersey even though he had it on his back for today's stage. " Why?", I hear you asking, the two ahead of him are Chris Froome, who is busy wearing Yellow and Nairo Quintana currently bedecked in White. Since you really can't wear to jersey at once, the Polka Dot Jersey feel to Rolland who, again, was riding in third place on points. Having worn the Jersey earlier in the Tour, he said out today to make it rightfully his, escorted by Jens Voigt, Burghardt and Flecha in the first break up the road. His number is printed on a red field as the most combative rider from the previous stage. This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that has been created using cake watercolors, brushes and paper from www.richesonart.com In addition, this painting 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.
With the peloton willing to take it as easy as possible it was a good day to be in a break away, plus everyone who was allowed to go were at least 45 minutes back of the Malliot Jaune. These two, Hesjedal and Izaguirre, are out in front of another group of forty other riders. Ryder Hesjedal, who won the 2012 Giro d'Italia, has been having a rough Tour since cracking a rib early on in this year's race. I'll let that sink in for a minute... He has been riding in the toughest race in the world for 16 stages with a broken rib! And now, he is attacking on a 5 categorized climb stage after a stage that climbed the fabled Alpe d'Huez, twice. This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that was created using cake watercolors, brushes and paper from www.richesonart.com In addition this work is available for purchase at my artist website. Just follow the direct link at the end of this post to get your piece of art of the 100th Tour de France.
I truly have no idea what this conversation actually was. No idea at all, but the rumor mill claims that Froome offered the first Alpine stage to Quintana if he could hang on his wheel, he couldn't and Froome took the stage. Today, it looked like Quintana wasn't listening to him, but then his face rarely shows anything, except for joy when pulling on the White Jersey. Rodriquez just matched the two wondering why he wasn't included in Froome's touchy feely behavior. Quintana obviously wasn't interested in any gifts today. This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that can be yours by visiting my artist website where you can purchase this painting. Just follow the direct link at the end of this post to get your piece of the 100th Tour de France. I enjoy the inclusion of the "Children at Play" sign behind the group of three.
