The Art of Cycling

Sunday, September 26, 2021

Flanders 2021: The Sprint to the Rainbow

Having been led out in her sprint by none other than her country woman, Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) Elisa Balsamo had nothing for it but to go hard to the line, braid flying out behind her. Also behind her and unable to come around was the three time World Champion, Marianne Vos (Netherlands). Bringing up the best of the rest is Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland) claiming her first medal in the UCI Road World Championships. But it is Balsamo who will be wearing the Rainbow Jersey every time she takes to the start in a road race for the next year. What a nice new jersey to bring to her new team, Trek-Segafredo, starting next season. As Balsamo raised her arms in victory, we could just see Longo Borghini mirroring her celebration in their distance.

This is a small 4x6 inch original watercolor painting that is available through my website at greigleach.com or you can simply follow the direct link at the end of the post to purchase the painting above. Since it is an original work of art, it is a first come first served reality. The painting was created using Yarka St. Petersburg watercolors from www.Richesonart.com. The work sells for $75 USD plus shipping, and yes international shipping is available.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Flanders-2021/3838702-27-292177/Painting/sprinting-to-the-rainbow-uci21-27.html

Flanders 2021: Watching Every Move

Ruth Winder (USA) and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Poland) had been keeping a close eye (and wheel) on every single move they were making. This attack by Annemiek van Vleutin (Netherlands) was no exception. Of course, Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) was never far off the front being equally vigilant as those just in front of her. With just another seven kilometers to race, there wasn’t a woman who was going to let anyone get away if they could possibly help it. I am excited by this grouping. I am a big fan of van Vleutin and Borghini, plus as an American I have to root for Winder. And then finally, I first painted Niewiadoma back in 2015 when she led the women’s peloton down Main Street in Richmond, VA (my adopted hometown) in the UCI Worlds.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Flanders-2021/3838701-26-292177/Painting/watching-every-move.-uci21-26.html

Flanders 2021: Adding to Her Advantage

The next to get away from the aggressive Dutch led peloton was Mavi Garcia (Espana). Unlike anyone before her, she opened up a thirty second lead on those chasing behind. She had 21 kilometers left to race, but at least through the downtown, fan lined, streets of Leuven, no one was getting any closer to the Spaniard’s wheel. Even the official’s motorcycle and the Shimano service moto were having trouble getting through the sharp corners as quickly as Garcia. It was going to take a united effort to pull this woman back.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Flanders-2021/3838697-25-292177/Painting/adding-to-her-advantage-uci21-25.html

Flanders 2021: Off on Her Own

It was intriguing trying to figure how who was allowed to go up the road and who was chased down as soon as the tried a move. Clearly, if you are wearing orange you will be chased down. Aude Biannic (France) got away on a small rise while on the streets of Leuven. At 30 kilometers to go, it was a tall order to hold of the elite of women’s cycling all of whom wanted to spend the next year in the Rainbow Jersey of World Champion. As you can tell by the volunteer waving the yellow pennant, the rest of their peloton was just down the hill out of sight.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Flanders-2021/3838689-24-292177/Painting/off-on-her-own-uci21-24.html

Flanders 2021: Getting a Gap

The Dutch women were on fire in the road race today. It seemed that they were on the attack every other kilometer. As so as one rider in orange was caught, another jumped free of the group. This time it was Ellen van Dijk (Netherlands) who was looking back over her shoulder to see just who was with her and how big the gap was back to the rest of the peloton. She was followed closely by riders from Australia, Italy, Great Britain, and France. With 44 kilometers to race, this probably wasn’t the winning move, but those behind could not afford to let the strength of this group getting any advantage or their race would be over.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Flanders-2021/3838685-23-292177/Painting/getting-a-gap.-uci21-23.html

Flanders 2021: Trouble on the Moskesstraat

As the women hit the cobbled climbs in Brugge, Demi Vollering (Netherlands) was being plagued by gear problems. On the previous climb of the Smeysberg, her gears slipped but she was able to stay in touch with the peloton. However, on the way up the Moskesstraat climb she wasn’t as lucky (or perhaps, more unlucky would be more accurate). After stuffing her water bottles down her jersey, she signaled for help and then began running up the climb. The race announcer, Anthony McCrossan, said she was going all Chris Froome, although he didn’t think to take his bike with him at the iconic moment on Mont Ventoux. She wasn’t the only one having issues on the climb, the Lithuanian Inga Cesuliene was off her bike just ahead of the Dutch woman. Lauren Stephens (USA) and Ursula Zigart (Slovenia) were having their own issues with the 17% climb themselves. After her bike change, she was over a minute behind the charging peloton and everyone thought her race was over. Everyone except Vollering herself. It wasn’t long before the race cameras picked her out back in the tail end of the peloton.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Flanders-2021/3838684-22-292177/Painting/trouble-on-the-moskesstraat.-uci21-22.html

Saturday, September 25, 2021

Flanders 2021: Just a Few More Pedal Strokes

For Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) and her teammate, Marta Cavalli it was just a few more rotations of the cranks before their Mixed Team Time Trial was over. With their male counterparts, and the woman this duo left behind (Elena Cecchini) the effort earned the Italians a bronze medal. They just squeaked in ahead of the Swiss but it was enough to be on the podium in Brugge.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Flanders-2021/3838545-21-292177/Painting/just-a-few-more-pedal-strokes.-uci21-21.html

Flanders 2021: Rolling Through Quickly

Regular readers of this blog will know that I enjoy a title that has more than one possible interpretation. The same is true for virtually all of my large scale artwork as well. Here, The Dutch men, Bauke Mollema, Keon Bouwman and Jos van Emden were taking very quick pulls on the front of their trio as they neared the end of their leg of the Mixed Team Time Trial in Brugge. When the women had finished their leg of the race, they had improved on the time gaps handed to them by these three guys. The Dutch are the defending champions in this discipline, but today they saw their title go to Germany. With the rides of Annemiek van Vleutin, Ellen van Dijk, and Riejanne Markus the team in orange claimed the silver medal in Brugge.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Flanders-2021/3838544-20-292177/Painting/rolling-through-quickly.-uci21-20.html

Flanders 2021: Is He Waving Farewell?

I may never know why Tony Martin (Germany) was waving his arm while in the first leg of the Mixed Team Time Trial with Max Walschied and Nikias Arndt. But it almost seemed as though he was waving farewell to all of his fans from around the world. This is Martin’s last race as a professional and thanks to these two guys and his female teammates, Lisa Breannauer, Lisa Klein, and Mieke Kroger, it was a gold medal earning finale. While he certainly couldn’t do it alone, nor did he, it was a truly fabulous way to end an even more amazing career as a professional cyclist. I am going to miss watching him race, but I am sure he won’t be totally gone from the cycling world.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Flanders-2021/3838543-19-292177/Painting/is-he-waving-farewall-uci21-19.html

Flanders 2021: You Only Need Two

Both Coryn Rivera and Ruth Winder knew that the time was taken when the second woman finished the course, so they weren’t too worried that they had left Leah Thomas behind. The duo had built on the lead that their male teammates had given them, finishing their effort with the new best time. Alas for us here in the States, their time didn’t stand up to those yet to finish. They ended the Mixed Team Time Trial in eight place, not quite what they had hoped for as they gasped for air at the finish.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Flanders-2021/3838542-18-292177/Painting/you-only-need-two.-uci21-18.html