Paris-Nice Stage 2: Staying Off the Front

Another stage and another break away made up of the invitational teams.  Aleksejs Saramotins (IAM Cycling) and Anthony Delaplace (Team Bretagne) got away from the peloton with just 2 1/2 kilometers covered.  Delaplace was the first to surrender but the stronger Saramotins managed to hold off the rest of riders until less than 10 kilometers left to cover.  He is trying to make himself as aerodynamic as possible having slid forward off of the saddle and nearly resting his chin on the handlebars.  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/Spring%20Classics%202014/2325465---195767/Painting.html#.Ux5hmM_D_IU

Paris-Nice Stage 2: Sucking Up the Last Points

With only one small climb on stage two of Paris Nice and a two man break away up the road, yesterday's winner of the Polka Dot Jersey, Christophe Laborie, jumped out of the peloton to pick up the one remaining point on today's stage.  Laborie is building on the long solo break that put him into the King of the Mountains lead.  This is an original watercolor and ink postcard that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg Watercolors and Steven Quiller Brushes from www.richesonart.com.  This work is available for purchase through 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/Spring%20Classics%202014/2325463---195767/Painting.html#.Ux5e-8_D_IU

Paris-Nice Stage One: Grabbing the Win

With all of the efforts put in by the big teams and their lead out trains, it was Nacer Bouhanni who grabbed the first stage of Paris Nice with a little improvised freelance sprinting.  He forced his way through the crowds, jumping from train to train, finally coming clear at full speed with about 200 meters to the line.  With the opening stage win, he will start the race tomorrow in the leader's Yellow Jersey and have the lead in the Points Jersey as well.  This is an original watercolor and ink painting that 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/Spring%20Classics%202014/2324989---195767/Painting.html#.Ux1aS8_D_IU

Paris-Nice Stage One: Checking for the Train

With just a couple of kilometers left to race, the teams of the sprinters come to the front of the peloton and wind up the pace to prevent any further breakaways, setting things up for their guy to jump out for the win.  However, with multiple teams trying to exercise the same strategy, it can get very confusing, so you will see heads snapping around making sure their guys are behind them.  Here it is a mix of Omega Pharma Quickstep, Giant-Shimano and Cannondale all jumbled together.  This is an original watercolor and ink painting that can be yours by visiting my artist website, www.greigleach.com or by following the direct link at the end of this post.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Spring%20Classics%202014/2324987---195767/Painting.html#.Ux1YGs_D_IU

Paris-Nice Stage One: Chasing Back

One thing that every Director Sportif and every commentator stresses is that you need to ride near the front of the peloton to avoid getting caught out in crashes or splits in the groups.  Apparently, Romain Bardet wasn't listening and got caught behind a crash about half way down the peloton on a narrow section of road with just 20 kilometers left to race.  While he did hit the deck himself he was stuck behind the tangle of wheels, legs and bike frames.  He was fortunate enough to have a teammate along side him to help in the chase back to the main peloton.  This is an original watercolor and ink painting that could be yours by being the first to visited 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/Spring%20Classics%202014/2324985---195767/Painting.html#.Ux1WGM_D_IU

Paris-Nice Stage One: Riding Alone

Paris Nice, like most every race and every stage, opened with a breakaway, this time a lone rider, Christophe Laborie, riding for Bretagne, went out on his own building up an over seven minute advantage over the peloton.  For his efforts he capture the maximum points for the King of the Mountains Jersey (not so coincidently sponsored by the same company that sponsors his team).  This is the first of the works I will be painting of Paris Nice as the race unfolds.  This work was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steven Quill brushes from www.richesonart.com   The works can also be purchase through 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/Spring%20Classics%202014/2324983-4-0-195767/Painting/Sports.html#.Ux1Tw8_D_IU

My side step from cycling into painting the Olympics

I took the most of the month of May to paint the games of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.  While I am an undoubtable fan of cycling, I have always enjoyed watching the Olympics particularly the Winter Games.  34 years ago will watching the Olympics, I turned to the young woman sitting next to me and asked if she wanted to get married.  Her response, "When?"  We have been together now for 34 years, married for just shy of the same number of years.   And have enjoyed watching the Games together for all of that time.  With her brilliant ideas to drive my creativity I started painting both the 2012 Tour de France and immediately after the Summer Olympics in London and that what launched this whole blog and my chronicling sports with my watercolors and brushes.  The link below is a video slide show of all of the paintings I created set to music by our good friend, Deni Bonet and it was assembled by our nephew, Gabriel Sullivan.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK3Tqb67wgE

 

Enjoy!

Spring Classics: Sprinting for the Line Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne

With both Team Belkin and Omega Pharma Quickstep creating the powerful break, it was up to them to bring home the win.  With the advantage of numbers, OPQS was in the strong position and then having Tom Boonen (a former wearer of the Rainbow Jersey) as the man designated for the win, it was their race to lose.  And Boonen delivered with a powerful sprint holding off the charging Moreno Hofland and Sep Vanmarcke of Team Belkin.  This is an original watercolor and ink painting that 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/Spring%20Classics%202014/2321717---195767/Painting.html#.UxUc-M8o7IU

Spring Classics: Checking the Damage Kuurne-Classic-Kuurne

The course of Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne was littered with short step climbs some cobbled and some not.  Bernard Eisel of Team Sky has gone to the front of the chase group in hopes of further splitting the field and of chasing down the Belkin/OPQS breakaway.  The front group built up a minute lead that the large chase group just couldn't work out how to pull back.  This is an original watercolor and ink painting that 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/Spring%20Classics%202014/2321605---195767/Painting.html#.UxUads8o7IU

Spring Classics: Well Represented, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne

The first weekend of March marks the start of racing in Europe with the famed Spring Classics mainly contest in narrow and oft cobbled roads of Belgium.  Today's Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne was fought out on dry roads and more hospitable temperatures than the weekends opener.  Heads up riding by Omega Pharma Quickstep and Team Belkin put the two teams in a ten man breakaway that was the deciding move of the day.  OPQS set out with the mission to atone for the failures of the first day of racing on home soil getting five of their eight riders into the move.  This is an original watercolor and ink painting created using cake watercolors and brushes 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/Spring%20Classics%202014/2321595-1-0-195767/Painting/Sports.html#.UxUWUc8o7IU