Tour Down Under, Stage 3: Team Work

EF Education First was using some true team tactics today.  James Whelan had been out in the break all day.    Two guys jumped out of the peloton and bridged across to the original break, each had a teammate to join up with.  As the original group slowly fell apart, Whelan was able to press on helping his fresh legged teammate, Alberto Bettiol.  The duo put everything they had into the difficult final circuits around Uraidla.  The effort was most likely doomed, but it allowed the rest of the team to "rest" back in the chasing peloton.

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-Down-Under/3285582-127-194179/PaintingTeam-Work-TDU19-9.html

Tour Down Under, Stage 3: One of Seven

As the title would imply, the early break today was seven riders strong.  One of the surprise members was Elia Viviani (Deceuninck-Quick Step), the former leader of the race and the current points leader, he was hoping to hold onto that jersey and perhaps to retake the lead.  At this point he was the virtual leader.  Along with the Italian were Manuele Boaro (Astana), Nico Denz (Ag2r La Mondiale), Nic Dlamini (Dimension Data), Leo Vincent (Groupama-FDJ), James Whelan (EF Education First), and Nicholas White (UniSA-Australia).  With such a big group with so many different teams represented, it was hard to figure who was going to chase down this break.  But the virtual leader did put a little pressure on Team CCC to give chase.

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-Down-Under/3285440-126-194179/PaintingOne-of-Seven--TDU19-8.html

Tour Down Under, Stage 2: Surprising Even Himself

While a massive crash with just a couple of hundred of meters to go certainly changed the nature of the final sprint, it was still a surprise to see Paddy Bevin (CCC) raise his arms in victory.  Behind the New Zealander where some marquee sprinters including Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal), Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Danny van Poppel (Jumbo-Visma).  With yesterday's stage winner, and leader on GC, Elia Viviani (Deceuninck-Quick Step) finishing seventh today, Bevin will change his orange team jersey for the Ochre jersey of overall race leader.  Viviani drops to second by five seconds, with Caleb Ewan slotting in at third just eleven seconds behind.

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-Down-Under/3285105-125-194179/PaintingSurprising-Even-Himself--TDU19-7.html

Tour Down Under, Stage 2: Lining It Out

As I said, neither break away was going to deny the sprinters a chance of taking a stage in the first stage race of the season.  The teams of the sprinters pulled everyone back and then set about the task of getting themselves organized.  With just a kilometer to go, it was Bora-Hansgrohe on the front, with Team Sky and the rest of the peloton lined out behind them.  I am sorry that I don't know who the pink shoed Bora-Hansgrohe rider is, but you know he is working for the former World Champion (and current Slovakian Champion), Peter Sagan.

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-Down-Under/3285097-124-194179/PaintingLining-It-Out--TDU19-6.html

Tour Down Under, Stage 2: Sneaking Away

Once the early break away had been caught, there was a general lull in the action (and the pace) in the peloton.  Matthieu Ladagnous (Groupama-FDJ) decided it might be a good time to go for a long late break away.  The Frenchman was quickly joined by Manuele Boaro (Astana), but it seemed the rest of the peloton wasn't remotely interested in going with the duo.  Shortly after I painted this one, Boaro spoke into his radio and then dropped back to the peloton.  I'm sure Ladagnous would have prefer a bit of company, and help, but once he had started the effort, he kept at it.  With another 47 kilometers to race, it was a long shot worthy of the now commentator, Jens Voigt.  Voigt was happy to see the Frenchman go for it, but he was equally sure it wouldn't succeed.  It didn't.

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-Down-Under/3285018-123-194179/PaintingSneaking-Away--TDU19-5.html

Tour Down Under, Stage 2: From the Back

Jason Lea (UniSA-Australia) did well to get himself back into the early break of the day.  With the only King of the Mountains points coming at just 26 kilometers into the stage, he needed to be off the front if he wanted to hold his new won polka dot jersey.  He took the maximum points at the top of Checker Hill, and then left it for his break away companions to fight out the sprint points.  Artyom Zakharov (Astana) took the first sprint, so Jaime Castrillo (Movistar) tried to attack from the back to get the jump on the Kazahk in Springton.  Alas, Zakharov was too quick for the Spaniard in the second intermediate sprint as well.

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-Down-Under/3285016-122-194179/PaintingFrom-the-Back--TDU19-4.html

Tour Down Under, Stage 1: Taking the Lead in the Dance

It was Elia Viviani (Deceuninck-Quickstep) that struck first in the Tour Down Under.  Viviani's sprint was something to behold, threating the needle between competitors and the barrier to fly past Maximilian Richard Walscheid (Sunweb).  Walscheid may have gone too early into the wind, while it seemed like Viviani had left it too late.  Before the race, the Italian Champion had said he hoped to start the teams season with a win, just as they had in 2018.  Last year the then Quickstep team went on to dominate the Grand Tour sprints, and just about every other Pro Tour sprint.  Rounding out the podium was Jakub Marecko (CCC) claiming the first podium pedestal step for the new CCC Team.

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-Down-Under/3284051-121-194179/PaintingTaking-the-Lead-in-the-Dance--TDU19-3.html

Tour Down Under, Stage 1: Getting Together

Wth just 2 kilometers left in the first stage of the 2019 Pro Tour race, it was a struggle for the teams to get their sprint trains together.  The wide straight roads, the head wind, and the desire to open the season with a win made everyone try to take their chance to hold the front.  At this point it was Mitchelton-Scott (the home country pro team) holding the front as the others lined it out behind them.

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-Down-Under/3284018-120-194179/PaintingGetting-Together--TDU19-2.html

Tour Down Under, Stage 1: Starting Out the Year

I always look forward to mid January and the start of the Tour Down Under.  It is a treat to see new kit, new teams, and who has moved to which teams.  The big switch for the season is the demise of BMC, which has been replaced by CCC.  The new team had been a contential level squad but took the chance to move up to the Pro Tour level for 2019. This trio of Jason Lea (UniSA-Australia), Patrick Bevin (CCC) and Michael Storer (Sunweb) lead the peloton over the first climb and through the first to intermediate sprints.  Lea will be pulling on the first King of the Mountains jersey of the season, but the other two will be swamped in the end by the sprinters' teams.

As I sit in the mid-Atlantic of the USA covered in ice and snow, it was fun to listen to the talk of just how hot it was today in Adelaide, South Australia.

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-Down-Under/3284012-119-194179/PaintingStarting-Out-the-Year--TDU19-1.html

Long Before Watercolors of Cycling...

Since 1979, I have been painting with Shiva Paintstiks (they are made by Richeson Art) to create large scale paintings on paper.  For my newest painting, I am sharing the process from start to finish in a series of You Tube videos like this one.  At this point I have created 5 videos and am roughly half way through the painting (doing the math, I guess there will be 10 in all).  We will see.

Here is the most recent video:

I hope you will take the time to watch these videos.  And that you will subscribe to my channel so that you can see this bar scene come to life.  As always, you can see more of my artwork on my website.