Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds:Sprinting to the Rainbow

Lizzie Armistead (UK) raced a brilliant final kilometer to win the coveted Rainbow Jersey in the Women's Elite Road Race.  She lead the group of eight up the final climb and then sat on the front bringing the pace to a crawl.  It was as if she was daring the other women to try and out sprint her.  The only one who took the challenge was the winner of the second La Course race on the Champs Elysees, Anna Van Den Breggen.  The Dutch woman got the jump on the Brit, but didn't have the legs to sustain the effort on the false flat to the line.  Armistead turned her legs to claim the victory on the line by not much more than half of a bike.  Van Den Breggen held on for Silver and the fast closing Megan Guarimier (USA) grabbed the last step on the podium.  Those who missed out on the sprint were Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) 4th, Emma Johansson (Sweden) 5th, Pauline Ferrand Prevot (France) 6th and Katarzyna Niewradonna (Poland) 7th.

This is an original small watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com.  These paintings are created live while watching the races through a feed provided by the Richmond 2015 Worlds organization.  For two more days, you will be able to watch me create the works live at the Fanfest area at 5th and Marshall Streets near the finish line.  You can also purchase either the originals or one of two different sizes of prints while you are there, or later at www.richmond.com.

Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds: Who's Going to Jump?

The powerful Lizzie Armistead (UK) lead this group of eight up the final climb of the race.  As they rounded the corner onto the finishing straight it seemed that the entire octet was going to come to a complete standstill.  It was beginning to look more like a track race than the end of a 130 kilometer road race.  Each rider was looking at her adversaries trying to see who was about to launch her sprint.  Armistead was in the least favorable position trying to see who was going to open up the sprint for the line.  Following the ongoing aggression of the Dutch women it was Anna Van Der Breggen who made the first move.

This is an original small watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com.  These paintings are created live while watching the races through a feed provided by the Richmond 2015 Worlds organization.  For two more days, you will be able to watch me create the works live at the Fanfest area at 5th and Marshall Streets near the finish line.  You can also purchase either the originals or one of two different sizes of prints while you are there, or later at www.richmond.com.

Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds: Leading Up the Cobbles

On the penultimate ascent of Libbie Hill, it was the American Coryn Rivera who lead the thinning peloton up the cobbles.  She was matched by the Italian Valentina Scandolara, Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) with Katarzyna Niewradonna (Poland) trying to hold the climbing carbon wheel.  The atmosphere on the hillside was electric as the starts of women's cycling ascended to Chruchhill yet another time.

This is an original small watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com.  These paintings are created live while watching the races through a feed provided by the Richmond 2015 Worlds organization.  For two more days, you will be able to watch me create the works live at the Fanfest area at 5th and Marshall Streets near the finish line.  You can also purchase either the originals or one of two different sizes of prints while you are there, or later at www.richmond.com.

Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds: Going It Alone

The Dutch team has been pushing the pace of the race around every lap.  With every attack there was a Dutch woman ready to drive the pace to pull the escapee back.  When it was Chantel Blaak's (Netherlands) time she jumped away on the ascent of the twisting cobbles of Libbie Hill.  Just so you all know, this is not a road that is ever open to traffic it is merely for us fool hardy cyclists to scale.

This is an original small watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com.  These paintings are created live while watching the races through a feed provided by the Richmond 2015 Worlds organization.  For two more days, you will be able to watch me create the works live at the Fanfest area at 5th and Marshall Streets near the finish line.  You can also purchase either the originals or one of two different sizes of prints while you are there, or later at www.richmond.com.

Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds: Over Cooked the Corner

With the roads much dryer than was feared as we all went to bed last night, there were far fewer crashes than had been feared.  Poor Paola Munoz (Chile) just plan overcooked the corner swinging back on to Broad Street.  She ran out of road surface and fell into the attractive plantings along the median of the road.  While the plants may have been soft, the bricks that line the planting beds certainly is not.  Fortuantely, Munoz quickly grabbed her bicycle and jumped back into the race.  This is no sport for the feign of heart, one has to be willing to take quite a bit of pain to succeed.

This is an original small watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com.  These paintings are created live while watching the races through a feed provided by the Richmond 2015 Worlds organization.  For two more days, you will be able to watch me create the works live at the Fanfest area at 5th and Marshall Streets near the finish line.  You can also purchase either the originals or one of two different sizes of prints while you are there, or later at www.richmond.com.

Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds: One for the Road

Shortly after the riders pass through the start finish line they come to the feed zone.  This is were riders can be passed drinks (often with energy gels attached) and on a designated lap be given a musette filled with food to sustain the athletic effort they are undertaking.  The Australian Katrin Garfoot looks over her shoulder realizing she missed her soigneur about eight guys back.  She needn't worry, it will only be about 25 minutes before she can try again.

This is an original small watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com.  These paintings are created live while watching the races through a feed provided by the Richmond 2015 Worlds organization.  For two more days, you will be able to watch me create the works live at the Fanfest area at 5th and Marshall Streets near the finish line.  You can also purchase either the originals or one of two different sizes of prints while you are there, or later at www.richmond.com.

Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds:

No sooner than Monika Zur (Poland) had been pulled back than another rider went on the offensive. The team most often on the attack was Australia, this time is was their rider, Katrin Garfoot, who was lighting it up.  As the laps continued to tick by the big names were starting to pay attention to the moves (or at least have one of their teammates monitor the front end of the race).

This is an original small watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com.  These paintings are created live while watching the races through a feed provided by the Richmond 2015 Worlds organization.  For two more days, you will be able to watch me create the works live at the Fanfest area at 5th and Marshall Streets near the finish line.  You can also purchase either the originals or one of two different sizes of prints while you are there, or later at www.richmond.com.

Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds: Closing the Gap

The peloton was in no mood to let anyone escape although there was attack after attack.  This time it was Monika Zur (Poland) who was reeled back in by the American lead peloton.  At this point the group was headed back down Broad Street after their loop around the Monuments and the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University.  I remember when the tower on the Seigel Center was built, I never thought I would see it being broadcast around the world.   VCU is where I studied to refine my art education and start the process of becoming a professional artist.

This is an original small watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com.  These paintings are created live while watching the races through a feed provided by the Richmond 2015 Worlds organization.  For two more days, you will be able to watch me create the works live at the Fanfest area at 5th and Marshall Streets near the finish line.  You can also purchase either the originals or one of two different sizes of prints while you are there, or later at www.richmond.com.

Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds: Am I Away?

After the first trip up Libbie Hill it was the Russian, Svetlana Vasilieva, who took advantage of the steep descent and off camber corners to ride everyone off of her wheel.  She glances back over her shoulder to see if the peloton was going to let her go.  I will assume that in just two blocks she was going to turn right and hit the short 18% climb up 23rd Street.  I think that those behind figured she would be quickly back in the pack by the top of the rise.  They were right.

This is an original small watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com.  These paintings are created live while watching the races through a feed provided by the Richmond 2015 Worlds organization.  For two more days, you will be able to watch me create the works live at the Fanfest area at 5th and Marshall Streets near the finish line.  You can also purchase either the originals or one of two different sizes of prints while you are there, or later at www.richmond.com.

Richmond 2015 UCI Worlds: Tooling Along Dock Street

The Elite Women know a bit more about what it takes to win a race that covers just under 130 kilometers, step one, don't waste energy.  The peloton tooled around the flatter sections of the 16.2 k course.  At this point they are on the flat Dock Street closing in on the sharp left hander that will lead them up to the cobbles of the now infamous Libbie Hill.  Over their collective shoulders towers the high rises of downtown Richmond, VA and two their right are the elevated train trestles of the main north/south eastern railroad lines.  It is fun to realize that these champions of the sport are riding down roads that I ride nearly every week.  The pace they are seemingly coasting along at would be me riding flat out.

This is an original small watercolor and ink painting that was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors and Steve Quiller brushes from www.richesonart.com.  These paintings are created live while watching the races through a feed provided by the Richmond 2015 Worlds organization.  For two more days, you will be able to watch me create the works live at the Fanfest area at 5th and Marshall Streets near the finish line.  You can also purchase either the originals or one of two different sizes of prints while you are there, or later at www.richmond.com.