Tour Down Under: Getting Away, Stage 2

After the peloton enter into the Bell Lap a small group of GC teams jumped out to try to ride themselves of as many sprinters as possible.  So Porte's, Evans' and Garrans' teams along with Garmin-Sharp set out in hopes of pulling off the surprise move.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that could be yours by visiting my artist website at www.greigleach.com or you could just follow the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20Down%20Under%202014/2296401---194179/Painting.html#.UuCm4c8o7IU

Tour Down Under: One for the Road, Stage 2

After making the steep climb up to where the finish line will be on the third lap the team helpers lined up to pass out water bottles at 40 kilometers per hour.  This is William Clarke grapping a bottle from the Drapac team worker.  With less than twenty kilometers to go, the riders are no longer allowed to get bottles or food from their team cars, so their only hope for another drink is from either the neutral service vehicle or from the side of the road.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that could be yours by visiting my artist website, www.greigleach.com or you could just follow the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20Down%20Under%202014/2296391---194179/Painting.html#.UuCkG88o7IU

Tour Down Under: Three Over the Top, Stage 2

The early break of three riders included William Clarke (who spent all of Stage One out in front) along with Boy Von Poppell (Trek) and Campbell Flakemore (Uniesa).  Clarke and Flakemore fought it out for KOM points in the early kilometers of Stage 2 before the peloton made the catch with about 15 kilometers to go.  At this point they are cresting the climb up Checker Hill.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard created using cake watercolors from www.richesonart.com and can be yours by visiting my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  Or you could just follow the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20Down%20Under%202014/2296375---194179/Painting.html#.UuCheM8o7IU

Tour Down Under: Showing the Home Colors, Stage One

Wearing the Australian National Champion Jersey that he had won just two weeks earlier, Simon Gerrans takes the sprint ahead of the powerful Andre Greipel (Lotto) and Steele Van Hoff (Garmin) with Diego Ulissi (Lampre) pulling fourth in the finale of the first stage of the Tour Down Under.  I think the Gerrans surprised even himself by getting around Greipel who had a great lead out and the early jump.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that you could call your own by visiting my artist website at www.greigleach.com or you could follow the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20Down%20Under%202014/2295961---194179/Painting.html#.UuAZqc8o7IU

Tour Down Under: Alone with 1 K, Stage One

After attacking with his Europcar teammate, Bjorm Thurau looks over his shoulder to discover just how much gap he had with the one kilometer to go banner just ahead.  Unfortunately for Thurau it was a long drag up to the finishing straight and his break had cost him too much to hold off the charging sprinters.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that could be yours by visiting my artist web site, www.greigleach.com or by just following the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20Down%20Under%202014/2295941---194179/Painting.html#.UuAW888o7IU

Tour Down Under: Attacking the Climb, Stage One

After all of the positioning, attacks and three hours of racing the peloton had sucked up the breakaway and hit the only climb of the day, Menglars Hill.  With first Garmin and then Sky trying to set it up for their man, it was Adam Hansen of Team Lotto that jumped from the reduced peloton to grab the KOM points (and the jersey) of the Tour Down Under.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that can be yours by visiting my artist web site at www.greigleach.com or just follow the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20Down%20Under%202014/2295931---194179/Painting.html#.UuAURM8o7IU

Tour Down Under: Under Sky's Control, Stage One

With two riders out in front, Team Sky got to the business of setting a fast tempo hoping to soften up the legs of the sprinters and position Richie Porte for the final climb up Menglars Hill.  The approach to the climb took the peloton through the Barossa Valley and the vineyards of Southern Australia.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that could be yours by visiting my artist web site at www.greigleach.com or just follow the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20Down%20Under%202014/2295929-2-0-194179/Painting/Sports.html#.UuAR3M8o7IU

Tour Down Under: First Break of the Season, Stage One

I am excited to start my season of painting the peloton along with the Pro Tour getting started in sunny warm Australia with the Tour Down Under.  The first break of the day jumped out at the drop of the flag with William Clarke and Neil Van Der Pleog managing to hold off the peloton until 19 K and the start of the Menglars Hill climb.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard painted from a live broadcast of the TDU that I have accessed from www.cycling.tv   All of the works in this series are created using cake watercolors from www.richesonart.com and can be purchased from me at my artist website, www.greigleach.com, just look for the Tour Down Under Gallery or follow the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Tour%20Down%20Under%202014/2295925-1-0-194179/Painting/Sports.html#.UuAPh88o7IU

A Long Wait for the Worlds

It is still a long way off until the world rolls into Richmond, Virginia to vie for the 2015 Rainbow Jersey, but all of us cycling fans can't wait.  As you most likely know, I spent last season painting a number of the big tours of the Pro Tour calendar along with some of the shorter 7 day stage races.  This is a painting fantasizing about what it will be like as the Elite Men contest the World Road Championship snaking their way through the streets of my adopted home town.  So while we are all waiting for the start of the 2014 Pro Tour season, enjoy this little guess what the 2015 Worlds will look like (and yes, I did stick Team USA on the front as they rip down Monument Avenue).

New Art Out of the Studio

This is a new piece of art that I just completed in the studio this afternoon.  Unlike most of the art on this blog, this painting was created using Shiva Paintstiks on rag paper and is rather large at 52"x36".  The image is in celebration of the World Championships coming to my adopted home town of Richmond, VA in the United States in 2015.  It has been years since the professional, world tour peloton have swung through the streets of Richmond, but the cycling community is very strong here in the South.  This work will be available through my artist website, www.greigleach.com when I give it a title and load it up.

In 2020, during the Black Lives Matter Protests, the Lee Monument became a focus point for those who found these statues to Confederate "heroes" either a symbol of all that is racist in America, and to those who hold some of those same racist beliefs, a symbol of the "strength of the South"  During that summer, shortly after the death of George Floyd, I decided that I needed to create a painting dealing with the protests and all that they represented.  

As I was thinking about that, it became clear it would be symbolic to create that new work over this painting.  The resulting piece, "I Can't Breathe" has now been included in the visual history of the Black Lives Matter organization.  The new piece is a much better work of art, made all the more so by having this painting underneath (and hopefully what the monuments celebrate buried underneath as well). 

You can see this artwork (and purchase a print of the original) at my website, www.greigleach.com and all of my other paintings as well.