Tour Femmes 26, Stage 1: Minor Adjustments

At the end of the men's Tour de France, I realized that I had neither seen nor painted a mechanic hanging out of the car adjusting something on their rider's equipment.  Today in the early kilometers of the Tour de France Femmes, I saw the EF Education-Oatly mechanic leaning out to of the window to fix Cedrine Kerboal's race radio.  That is when I learned through Anthony McCrossan that it is no longer permitted for safety reasons.  That is a rule I can agree with, but apparently, not EF's mechanic nor Director Sportif.  I guess they won't mind paying the fine they are sure to face either.  It did save time, and Kerboal was swiftly back into the peloton.

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 $99 USD including shipping, but, yes, international shipping is both available and extra.

Purchase this painting here: "Minor Adjustments TdFF26-1" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Learn more about Greig Leach at The Art of Cycling: About the Artist: Greig Leach

And learn about Leach's published books at The Art of Cycling: Cycling Books by Greig Leach

Learn More About the Artist →    

Tour '26, Stage 15: Quick Change

I've been looking for the moment to paint the American and Tour debutante Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon-CMA CGM).  He would have preferred me not to have had this opportunity.  As the peloton climbed the Cote de Mont, the climber would have rather been continuing to help his team leader the younger Paul Seixas, than to be having a bike change after a flat tire.  Given the importance of keeping Riccitello with Seixas for the final kilometers of the stage, the mechanic and director sportive opted for giving him his spare bike rather than taking the time to change his rear wheel since the race was fully on now.

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 $99 USD including shipping, but, yes, international shipping is both available and extra.

Purchase this painting here: "Quick Change TdF26-108" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Learn more about Greig Leach at The Art of Cycling: About the Artist: Greig Leach

And learn about Leach's published books at The Art of Cycling: Cycling Books by Greig Leach

Learn More About the Artist →   

Paris Roubaix '26: Tough Time in the Forest

The Trouvee d'Arenberg claims the hopes of many in their goal to win (or even finish) Paris Roubaix.  So it seems for Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech).  He was with a teammate who passed him his bike, but apparently, they road different pedals so Van Der Poel was unable to pedal that bike.  Meanwhile another teammate had switched out his own good wheel onto the defending champion's bike, but it seemed that didn't work either.  By the time he was reached by his team car and mechanic he was now two minutes behind the front of the race.  He does have 92 kilometers to chase back, but those are not mere mortals that are up the road.  Of course, he isn't a mere mortal either.

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 $99 USD including shipping, but, yes, international shipping is both available and extra. 

"Tough Time in the Forest PR26-4" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour Femmes '25, Stage 4: Need Must

Bridget and I watch a lot of British crime shows and we have come to love the expression, "needs must."  It is not something we say here in the States, but it applies here.  There are no time-outs in cycling so when Catalina Anais Soto (Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi) - the Chilean champion - had a problem with the gears the mechanic leaned way out of the moving car to repair it has best he could.  On the front of the race the crosswinds were starting to break up the peloton so she couldn't afford to stop for a bike change.  Ergo, needs must.  This scares me every time I see it.  I don't remember seeing it once in the men's race.  At least if it happened on screen, I didn't paint it.

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 $99 USD including shipping, but, yes, international shipping is both available and extra.

"Needs Must TdFF25-18" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Ronde van Vlaanderen '25: Swapping Back

The first half of the Ronde van Vlaanderen wasn't the best for the defending champion, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck).  After a bike crash, and mechanical, and now a swap back to his preferred race bike, he was spending a lot of time chasing.  At least this bike change was planned and done a good ten kilometers before the next cobbled climb.  We quickly saw him rejoined the peloton and dive through the riders to get back on the front of the race.

It is always nice to get a bit of a push from your mechanic and the team.

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.

"Swapping Back RVV25-2" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Women's Tour Down Under '25, Stage 1: Rolling Adjustments

After getting both wheels changed, Megan Armitage (EF Education-Oatley) rode alongside her team car as the mechanic tried to make some further adjustments.  As they speed along the roads on the way back down to Snapper's Point, her mechanic leaned dangerously out of the car working on her gearing.  At one point, he snapped his hand back most likely having hit his knuckles in the spokes of her rear wheel.  It seems that with both the wheel change and the time spent with the mechanic trying to make adjustments, it would have been better to just give her her repalcement bike to begin with.

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. 

"Rolling Adjustments TDU25-4" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Paris Olympics 2024, Men's Road Race: The One Thing...

As the leader on the road approached the gate to the grounds of the Louvre he held out his arm, apparently celebrating is impending Gold Medal.  But no, the only thing that could risk Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) from taking his second Gold Medal of these Games would be a mechanical, and that is exactly what he was letting his team car know about.  As he somewhat calmly laid down his bike at the barrier, is mechanic took his spare bike off of the roof of the car.  Normally calm, the Belgium was freaking out about getting his bike as quickly as humanly possible.  It was a very quick bike change, but I am sure it was an eternity for Evenepoel.  As he got back underway - without his bike computer - he kept gesturing to the TV Moto to tell him what the time gap was.  Finally, his team car came up alongside him and let him know he still had almost a minute on the chasers.  It was enough for Evenepoel to take the Gold and in so doing became the first cyclists to win both the Olympic Time Trial and the Road Race at the same games.  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 work sells for $95 USD including shipping, but, yes, international shipping is both available and extra.

"The One Thing PO24-58" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour '24, Stage 13: Rolling Repair

Just before I paused the race to paint this, we saw Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) jumping on his bike as if he was trying to check his tire pressure.  Then I noticed that he seemed to be stuck in a very high (hard) gear.  As he signaled for his team car, he kept pointing at his rear wheel.  When the team car pulled up alongside him, it was clear he was having a gearing problem.  The mechanic was able to lean out the window and get him sorted without Bardet having to stop and get his spare bike.  I am always amazed and nervous when the mechanics do this move.  So much could go wrong.  Fortunately, this time it did not, and he was able to quickly rejoin the peloton.

It is nice to see that many of the teams are using all electric vehicles in the race caravan, DSM-Firmenich-PostNL is using a Volvo EV.  While cycling is inherently a green sport, all of the support to make the race happen (and for us to see it happen) is considerably less so. 

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.

"Rolling Repair TdF24-73" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour '24, Stage 10: Wheel Change

There seemed to be a rash of flat tires in the peloton today.  It could have been the showers that kept coming and going through the early part of the stage washing grit into the roadway.  The Maillot Vert on the shoulders of Biniam Girmay (Intermache-Wanty) stopped and held his bike up for his mechanic to swap rear wheels.  He seemed completely at ease, but then the peloton was in full cry and there was another 79 kilometers of racing before the sprint finale.  Girmay is the only man in the peloton who has already won two stages this year.  Obviously, while I am sure he wants more, and wants to keep the sprinters' jersey, the pressure is off for the Eritrean.

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. 

"Wheel Change TdF24-53" (Original art by Greig Leach)

Tour de France Femmes 23, Stage 6: Tuning the Radio

I'm sorry, the title was just too tempting.  The UCI Road World Champion, Annemiek Van Vleutin (Movistar) and the defending champion of the first Tour de France Femmes, had been raising her arm to call up her team car.  It was first suspected that one of her tires were going flat, but that turned out not to be the case. As she rode out of the intermediate sprint town of Hameau de Rastel, apparently, her race radio had failed.  Unable to tell the team what was wrong, or to find out information from the team director, she dropped back to get it fix.  The mechanic must have been relieved not to have to put his fingers anywhere near the spinning wheels to set things right.  With no time outs, and the commissares being rather strict, the mechanic had to do the repair while out the window of the fast moving car.   

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 $95 USD including shipping, but yes international shipping is both available and extra.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour-de-France--Tour-de-France-Femmes-2023/3968624-180-297438/Painting/tuning-the-radio-tdff23-36.html

Paris Nice 23, Stage 7: Quick Change

 

Pulling the title from my time working in the theatre, Romain Bardet (DSM) has a quick bike change at the rear of the peloton with another 48 kilometers to race.  While it is never great to have a mechanical problem, it was as good as possible since it came twenty kilometers before the final climb of the day.  I should mention that there was no Stage 6, so that is why it isn’t appearing in this blog.  It was a day of dangerous high winds.  I tell my own story of riding it high winds while filming one of my YouTube post of today’s stage.  Bardet was able to rejoin the peloton and factor in the finish of the stage.

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 $90 USD including shipping, but yes international shipping is both available and extra.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Paris-Nice/3939661-102-272742/Painting/quick-change.-pn23-20.html

Paris Nice 23, Stage 2: Back Up and Going

As the peloton whipped through yet another small town on their way to Fountainbleu they were surprised by a bunch of traffic islands on the back side of a blind corner.  Most made their way through the obstacles without trouble.  Alas, for Pierre Latour (Total Energies) that wasn’t his fate.  The French leader of the French team spent some time stunned on the ground.  He was able to get back up after being checked by the medical staff.  So his team put him on his spare bike and got him back under way.  He had a long hard chase aided by his teammates to rejoined the peloton.  He got there, and hopefully, wasn’t too seriously bang up from the fall.

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 $90 USD including shipping, but yes international shipping is both available and extra.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Paris-Nice/3938319-84-272742/Painting/back-up-and-going.-pn23-2.html

Tour '22, Stage 3: Getting Him Going

It isn't just the start riders that make a win at the Tour de France possible, it takes the entire team.  Not only the domestiques, but the mechanics, soigneurs, chefs, nutritionists, drivers and everyone else that makes a team function.  One of Jakobsen's leadout men, Andrea Bagioli (Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl) gets a quick wheel change and a push from the team car's mechanic to get him up and running.  With 31 kilometers until the end of the stage, Bagioli will certainly be able to get up to the front to do his part for his team's sprinter.

Watch as I create this painting in real time.  I talk about the Tour and how to create a compelling cycling watercolor with ink and paint.

Please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel and giving this post a thumbs up.  Plus I would love to hear your comments about this and the rest of my cycling art.

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 $90 USD including shipping, and yes international shipping is available.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour-de-France--Tour-de-France-Femmes-2022/3891871-14-294403/Painting/getting-him-going-tdf22-14.html

Liege Bastogne Liege '22: Pit Stop

With experience comes tranquility.  Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) couldn't have been calmer as he pulled out of the peloton to get a front wheel change.  Valverde is the oldest rider in the peloton with his 42nd birthday coming this week.  Watching the wheel change, I was reminded of the Indy 500 pit stop row complete with power tools being used to change his wheel.  I suspect that the fan holding the Colombian flag would have hoped to be this close to one of his countrymen in the race as opposed to this rather famous Spanish cyclists.  The Movistar team leader was easily able to chase back onto the peloton rather quickly due to a skilled wheel change by his mechanic.

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-/3881089-502-195767/Painting/pit-stop-lbl22-2.html

TDF, Stage 21: Their Work Is Never Done

Unfortunately, my pen does not have spell check, nor does it catch bad grammar.  Clearly, I meant 'their' not 'there.'  Somehow I got to the last stage of the Tour without a single painting of a daredevil mechanic leaning way too far out of a team car to effect a bike repair on the fly.  Anthony Perez (Cofidis) had a plastic bag stuck in his rear derailleur hanger which was bound to interfere with shifting if not completely lock up the rear wheel.  With the peloton going full gas, there wasn't enough time to stop for a repair or bike change, so out the window it was.  It worked and Perez was able to quickly catch back onto the rear of the peloton.  And the mechanic still had all of his fingers.  It really does take a full team to compete successfully in the Tour.

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 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/2021-Tour-de-France/3824856-141-291436/Painting/their-work-is-never-done-tdf21-140.html

TDF, Stage 13: A Fast Swap

There must have been some serious panic in the team car of Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-Quick Step) when he had a flat tire in the last 20 kilometers of the stage.  To the mechanics credit it was an incredible fast bike change.  The team went for a full bike swap rather than take the time to remove and install a new rear wheel.  Cav remain very calm, which I am sure reduced everyone's stress level.  Now could he chase back on without spending too much of his energy for the final sprint.  If he were to get it right, he would tie the record for career stage wins.  No pressure on anyone here.

This is a small 4x6 inch original watercolor painting that is available through my website at www.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 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/2021-Tour-de-France/3822870-82-291436/Painting/a-fast-swap-tdf21-81.html

Dauphine, Final Stage: Bike Change

Not quite sure why, but Richie Porte (Ineos-Grenadiers) had a quick bike change at 50 kilometers to go.  It was just before the climbing got going in ernest.  There didn't seem to be a mechanical so it could have been that he wanted to change to a lighter climbing bike with a different gearing then the bike set up for the early part of the stage.  Given how calm and fast the change was, it seemed more planned than a mechanical emergency.  Porte did a beautiful job defending his Maillot Jaune that he claimed in stage 7.  Spoiler alert, he took the overall win at the end of this stage, with his teammate Geraint Thomas taking the final step of the podium.  Alexey Lutsenko (Astana-Premier Tech) finished second overall, a position he held on the general classication since the stage 3 time trial.

This is a small 4x6 inch original watercolor painting that is available through my website at www.greigleach.com, or you can simply follow the direct link at the end of the post to purchase the painting above.  Since ti is an original work of art, it is a first come first seved reality. The painting was created using Yarka St. Petersburth watercolors 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/Criterium-du-Dauphine/3816426-124-185083/Painting/bike-change-cd21-40.html

Tour, Stage 18: Quick Change at a Bad Time

 Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) is having a great Tour despite his near daily need of a bike change when the race is at its most decisive.  Today it was the gravel section across the final climbs plateau that puncture his front tire.  He manged to keep racing on the flat while both calling for his team car and staying with his group on the gravel road.  His bike change was swift and he was able to catch up on the decent to finish with his GC rivals.  I do enjoy seeing the cowboy bandit scarf method of a mask that Porte's mechanic is employing.

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-2020/3703971-126-282744/Painting/quick-change-at-a-bad-time-tdf20-119.html

Tour, Stage 16: High Speed Diagnostics

Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step) seems to be having a love/hate relationship with his bike, or perhaps it is the mechanics that are in a toxic relationship with his machine.  He is in the break about ot start the climb up the Col de Porte and appears to be unable to shift out of his big chain ring.  Earlier it looked like he was having cleat issues, but instead he was struggling just a bit to re-cleat after having kicked his front derailleur with his heel to get it to shift.  The Mavic Neutral Service came up to him, but it was more of a job for his own team car, and team mechanic.  I had to step away from the live broadcast for a bit, (and am writing this as I wait for the replay of the stage) so I don't know what the final diagosis from the mechanic was.  But it must be said that these guys have an amazingly high pressure job to fix anything while a rider and the car are moving along at 25 miles an hour.  That is a recipe to lose some fingers at the very least.

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-2020/3701503-107-282744/Painting/high-speed-diagnostics-tdf20-101.html

Tour, Stage 14: As Quickly as Possible

Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo) had a very badly time mechanical, but he, his teammate Kenny Elissonde and the team mechanic all acted very quickly.  Ellisonde passed his bike first, and then when his team car could get to him, they made a very quick change onto Porte's back up bike.  With everyone's quick actions Porte was able to tuck back into the peloton.  The video of him re-entering the tail of the group was wild, it seemed he was traveling at three times the speed of the tail of the multi-bike beast.

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-2020/3699670-93-282744/Painting/as-quickly-as-possible-tdf20-87.html