The Art of Cycling

Monday, July 26, 2021

Olympics 2020, Gold the Hard Way

Falling to the ground and gasping for air, Anna Kisenhofer (Austria) had given everything she had to hold off the peloton from the very beginning of the 137 kilometer Women's Olympic Road Race. Her efforts were hardly in vain. She is now the new Gold Medalist in the Women's Road Race. As she laid on the ground Annamiek Van Vleutin (Netherlands) came across the line waving her arms in apparent victory. She had not realized that one rider remained up the road when the other two from the break had been caught. So it goes when there are no race radios in the riders ears. Not that a silver medal in the Olympics isn't a special thing too. Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) took the Bronze for the second Olympics running.

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/2020-Summer-Olympics/3826279-16-291661/Painting/gold-the-hard-way-o21-16.html

Olympics 2020, Bronze and Silver on the Road

Omer Shapira (Israel) and Anna Plichta (Poland) may have lost the wheel of the Austrian, Anna Kisenhofer, but they still were a minute or two ahead of the peloton with just six kilometers left to race. Should they be able to stay away, they will be fighting for Silver and Bronze medals between them. That is a big IF however.

Alas, they were caught finishing 24th and 27th respectfully. Yet, everyone knows that they were at the Olympics and were very competitive on the road. After all, they weren't caught until inside of the final two kilometers of the day.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/2020-Summer-Olympics/3826267-15-291661/Painting/bronze-and-silver-on-the-road-o21-15.html

Olympics 2020, There May Be a Medal in It

With just three women up the road, Juliette Labous (France) jumped clear of the peloton with hopes of bridging across the the last of the early break away. She has just 17 kilometers to catch at least one of the three and she will be in a Olympic medal winning position. Instead she was chased down by the peloton shortly before they also caught two of the remaining three up the road. She had clearly given the effort everything she had because once caught she couldn't hold the tail of the peloton. She finished her day in 30th three and a half minutes behind the time of the Gold Medal.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/2020-Summer-Olympics/3826263-14-291661/Painting/there-may-be-a-metal-in-it-o21-14.html

Olympics 2020, On Her Own with 5 Minutes

I am intriqued by the camera apparatus hanging from the back of the car ahead of the last remaining member of the early break of the day. Anna Kisenhofer (Austria) had a five minute gap on the main peloton with just forty kilometers to race. The usual rule of thumb is that the rider off the front needs a minute lead for every ten kilometers left to the line for the break to have a chance of succeeding. So it was looking like she has a chance to win the gold medal unless she tires to quickly in the kilometer left to the finishing straight of the Fuji Raceway. Without race radios, she may have a chance of the peloton not getting their chase of her timed out right.

I am also impressed that most everytime I can see the roadway in both road races there is virtually always bike lanes or a completely seperate bike roadway.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/2020-Summer-Olympics/3826262-13-291661/Painting/on-her-own-with-5-minutes-o21-13.html

Olympics 2021, Yet Again!

The Dutch were on a very aggressive ride today. Each would go on an attack only to be caught by the peloton. But as soon as one was caught another would go. I think this was the third time Annemiek Van Vleutin (Netherlands) had escaped the clutches of the peloton. This one looked like it might be the move that left the peloton for the rest of the race. She was eventually caught again. I was cheering for her success in hopes that she could erase the disaster that befell her in the Rio Games five years ago. While on a lone break for the line, she fell on the final descent and broke her back. To see her riding again at all is a true show of determination, yet being in a possible winning move at the next Olympics is simply amazing. Spoiler alert. She was caught, yet manage to sprint for what she thought was the Gold Medal. She hadn't realized there was still one rider up the road, but does take home the Silver.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/2020-Summer-Olympics/3826239-12-291661/Painting/yet-again-o21-12.html

Olympics 2020, Trying to Stay Cool

This foursome off the front of the peloton by over five kilometers was doing everything they could to stay cool in the 95 degree heat. Anna Plichta (Poland) pour her water over her neck and back, while Omer Shapira (Israel) reached for bottles from her team car. Both Anna Kiesenhofer (Austria) and Ashliegh Moolman (South Africa) made to with open jerseys and pedaling on towards a dream of an Olympic medal. My wife was very found of this painting. As she put it, you could see the feminity of the rider, leaving now doubt about which Olympic road race this was.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/2020-Summer-Olympics/3826232-11-291661/Painting/trying-to-stay-cool-o21-11.html

Olympics 2020, Snagging Her Lunch

With another 97 kilometers still to race, it was important to keep eating. The heat made it that much more so, although the cold can make a rider burn even more calories in a race. Anna Plichta (Poland) reached out to grab her musette full of tasty goodies from her soigneur as behind, Anna Kisenhofer (Austria) had to swerve to miss her. Or it may have been that with a bottle in her hand and almost a hundred kilometers in her legs, Kisenhofer wasn't as alert as she should have been in the feed zone. Still, no harm - no foul.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/2020-Summer-Olympics/3826231-10-291661/Painting/snagging-her-lunch-o21-10.html

Olympics 2021, Showing Their Colors

I think that the kits for Selam Amha (Ethiopia) and Mossana Debesay (Eritrea) are the two best kits in the Olympic peloton. These two went off the front early to show that they were in fact in the Olympics. Each was the sole representative of their country and each went on the attack in the race as a point of honor. They stayed off the front well into the race, and even after being caught and passed by a chase group, they stayed away from the peloton for considerably longer than even they expected. Perhaps they were aided by the egos of the marquee riders back in the peloton who seemed to believe that they could bridge a gap of any size (that didn't include themselves) at will. We saw much the same play out in the men's race just 24 hours earlier.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/2020-Summer-Olympics/3826229-9-291661/Painting/showing-their-colors-o21-9.html

Olympics, Redemption

Rather than frustration, Richard Carapaz (Ecuador) banged his handlebars in celebration as he claimed the Gold Medal in the Men's Olympic Road Race. Chapeau! He had a frustrating road race in the Tour, so he must have felt a great since of redemption with his convicing victory in the outskirts of Tokyo. It was his nemeis from the Tour, Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia) just edging out Wout Van Aerts (Belgium) for Silver, with Van Aerts taking the last step of the podium. McNulty ended the day in sixth, out sprinting a number of others who came to the line in the last shreds of the peloton.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/2020-Summer-Olympics/3826105-8-291661/Painting/redemption-o21-8.html

Sunday, July 25, 2021

Olympics 2020, All Alone Now

Perhaps Brandon McNulty (USA) had done too much work, or perhaps Richard Carapaz (Ecuador) had been holding a little bit back for the final kilometers. Which ever it was, Carapaz dropped the other American on a small steep rise to go off on his own. Carapaz had left all of those who had plaqued him during the Tour and was on his way to a gold medal in the Olympics by himself.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/2020-Summer-Olympics/3826104-7-291661/Painting/all-alone-now-o21-7.html