Tour Down Under: A Change at the Front

With the penultimate climb of the day the team of last year's over all victor, Rohan Dennis (BMC) came to the front to lift the pace and shuck some of the contenders.  BMC had yet to put their noses in the wind, but must have felt like today was the day to set up Dennis or perhaps their new rider, Richie Porte.  Porte took second last year, just two seconds behind his new teammate, Dennis.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting created using watercolors from www.richesonart.com and is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  In addition, be sure to check out my new book, "Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships" available now at www.artofcycling.bike.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20Down%20Under/2674759-70-194179/Painting.html#.Vp_R_fkrLIU

Tour Down Under: Taking Them Up

Orica-GreenEdge has been expected to do the work on the front, first by being a ProTour team from Australia, and secondly, because the Ochre Jersey is on one of their team members.  So it is that Luke Durbridge, Michael Hepburn and Michael Albasini were called upon to ride tempo and keep the lone break away rider in check.  With the repetitive uncategorized climb on the finishing circuit, it was unlikely that their sprinter, Caleb Ewan, would be able to keep is leader's jersey, but the team leader, Simon Gerrans, had already picked up 5 bonus seconds in the earlier intermediate sprints.  He must be setting the stage to go for the General Classification lead by the end of the day.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting created using watercolors from www.richesonart.com and is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  In addition, be sure to check out my new book, "Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships" available now at www.artofcycling.bike.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20Down%20Under/2674747-69-194179/Painting.html#.Vp_PwPkrLIU

Tour Down Under: Going It Alone

Stage 2 of the Tour Down Under feature a bit more climbing than the opening stage with the only KOM climb coming right out of the gate (again).  The climb proved too much for the sprinter, Rafael Valls Ferri (Lotto Soudal) as he was the first to withdrawal from the race.  His teammate, Adam Hansen, went off on his own in a solo effort to claim a stage for the Belgium team (Hansen is an Australian, however).  The Aussie held off the peloton for almost 80 kilometers before being reeled back in on the final circuit.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting created using watercolors from www.richesonart.com and is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  In addition, be sure to check out my new book, "Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships" available now at www.artofcycling.bike.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20Down%20Under/2674729-68-194179/Painting.html#.Vp_MlfkrLIU

Tour Down Under: First of the Year

For my regular readers, you will know that I love a title with more than one meaning.  Here is another.  First of the Year refers to both Caleb Ewan's (Orica-GreenEdge) first win of 2016, but it also refers to the first ProTour stage win of the season and the first win for Orica-GreenEdge.  Nothing like getting the first victory out of the way, not that it makes a sprinter any less hungry on the next day out.  With this victory it follows the Ewan is the first overall leader of the Santos Tour Down Under and will be spraying the press photographers with champagne shortly.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting created using watercolors from www.richesonart.com and is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  In addition, be sure to check out my new book, "Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships" available now at www.artofcycling.bike.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20Down%20Under/2673672-67-194179/Painting.html#.Vp6JXfkrLIU

Tour Down Under: All Together at 1 K

Despite all of his efforts from the very start of the stage, Sean Lake (UniSA-Australia) was caught with less than 6 kilometers left to race.  The young Australian had been out front of the peloton for over 120 kilometers just to be swallowed up a few minutes from the finish of the day.  All was not in vain, he will be pulling on the King of the Mountains Jersey on the podium tonight.

All day Team Sky was hidden from view, until the peloton closed in on the final kilometer of the stage.  It was then that Peter Kennaugh (Team Sky) hit the front driving the pace for his sprinter.  Fortunately everyone got safely across the railroad crossing and were able to sprint it out for the stage win and the leader's ochre jersey.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting created using watercolors from www.richesonart.com and is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  In addition, be sure to check out my new book, "Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships" available now at www.artofcycling.bike.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20Down%20Under/2673670-66-194179/Painting.html#.Vp6HfPkrLIU

Tour Down Under: Swapping Wheels

As a team rider, one has to be ready to aid your protected rider at all times.  Here Mathew Hayman (Orica-GreenEdge) stops to give his man, Simon Gerrans, his back wheel in order to keep Gerrans in contention for the overall.  With the wheel, Gerrans saved the time it would have taken for his team car to get up to him with the replacement for his punctured rear tire.  Hayman then waited for the his mechanic and rode in with the follow caravan leaving Gerrans able to finish with the same time as the winner of the stage.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting created using watercolors from www.richesonart.com and is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  In addition, be sure to check out my new book, "Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships" available now at www.artofcycling.bike.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20Down%20Under/2673664-65-194179/Painting.html#.Vp6FGfkrLIU

Tour Down Under: Down to Two

With the peloton just 45 seconds behind the break away, Martijn Keizer (LottoNL-Jumbo) sat up having seen the hand writing on the wall.  However, Alexis Gougeard (AG2R) had already claimed both intermediate sprints gaining 6 bonus seconds, whereas Sean Lake had already claimed the first leader's jersey of the Santos Tour Down Under, the King of the Mountains jersey for getting over the first climb of the season first.  By virtue of being off of the front, the pair were getting some great TV time from the TV Moto on their back wheel.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting created using watercolors from www.richesonart.com and is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  In addition, be sure to check out my new book, "Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships" available now at www.artofcycling.bike.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20Down%20Under/2673264-64-194179/Painting.html#.Vp3YUPkrLIU

Tour Down Under: Drinking on the Job

With the heat beating down on the peloton, it was important to keep drinking.  Michael Hepburn (Orica-GreenEdge) and his teammate, Luke Durbridge rode tempo on the front of the peloton,  The duo pegged the break away at two minutes, holding them there until the last kilometers of the stage. With the three men up the road, it was less likely that someone with fresh legs would jump out of the pack and spoil the sprinters' day.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting created using watercolors from www.richesonart.com and is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  In addition, be sure to check out my new book, "Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships" available now at www.artofcycling.bike.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20Down%20Under/2673259-63-194179/Painting.html#.Vp3VE_krLIU

Tour Down Under: The First Attack

Santos Tour Down Under is the opening of the Pro Tour season taking advantage of the January summer heat in the southern hemisphere.  The first stage was marked by very hot temperatures along with strong gusts that plagued the peloton for over 130 kilometers.  The only climb of the day came at just 12 kilometers into the stage.  The early break were off the front, therefore the first mountain jersey was up for grabs between Alexis Gougeard (AG2R), Martijn Keizer (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Sean Lake (Team UniSA-Australia).  Lake got the jump on his two break compatriots, Keizer gave chase but didn't quite have the legs to catch the fading Aussie.

This is a small original watercolor and ink painting created using watercolors from www.richesonart.com and is available through my artist website at www.greigleach.com.  To purchase this particular painting, just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  In addition, be sure to check out my new book, "Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships" available now at www.artofcycling.bike.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Tour%20Down%20Under/2673257-62-194179/Painting.html#.Vp3S2PkrLIU

My new book, "Art of Cycling: Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships" pre-selling now!

It is almost ready!  My book of all of my paintings and writings on the Richmond 2015 UCI Road World Championships is at the printers.  Pre-orders are being taken now at a $5 savings off of the cover price at www.artofcycling.blogspot.bike  The 160 page full color hard bound book contains all of the paintings I create live during the races as they were contested on the streets of my adoptive home town of Richmond, Virginia.  I worked from the race feed creating the works in real time as the races were happening.  The text for the book is based on my daily posts in this blog, but edited for accuracy, spelling and the difference between blog grammar and writing for the printed page.

You can still purchase prints of the artwork in the book at http://www.timesdispatchshop.com/category-s/39.htm and some originals are still available at
http://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Richmond%202015%20UCI%20World%20Road%20Championship/2640041-1-213398/Richmond%202015%20UCI%20World%20Road%20Championship.html#.VoqwgqTSnIU