Fleche Wallone Femmes ‘24: Finally Her’s

I have been a fan of Katarzyna Niewiadoma since I first painted her in the 2015 UCI World Championships in Richmond, Virginia.  I hadn’t planned on painting this year’s Fleche Wallone Femmes until I saw on social media that she had won the race.  And she did it in a stunning fashion!  With about 300 meters to go she attacked her erstwhile companions, Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) both national champions of they countries. She quickly dropped the duo winning the race she has long coveted by two seconds over Vollering and another two seconds back to Longo Borghini.  I couldn’t be happier for her, nor her for herself and her team.

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 work sells for $95 USD including shipping, but, yes, international shipping is both available and extra.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Professional-Womens-Cycling/4009725-81-207546/Painting/finally-hers-fw24-4.html

Fleche Wallone Femmes ‘24: Up the Mur d’Huy

First, I am amused that in my excitement with the finale of Fleche Wallone Femmes, I forgot to sign and date the penultimate painting of the race today.  Should you purchase this painting, it will be signed. 

Last year’s winner, Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) chose to lead up the climb of the Mur d’Huy.  As the peloton climbed it came down to just Elisa Longo-Borghini (Lidl-Trek) and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) that could hold onto the Dutch Champion’s wheel.  The trio had just two more kilometers to climb and it certainly looks like Vollering will be repeating her win of the Fleche Wallone Femmes.

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 work sells for $95 USD including shipping, but yes international shipping is both available and extra.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Professional-Womens-Cycling/4009723-80-207546/Painting/up-the-mur-dhuy.-fw24-3.html

Fleche Wallone Femmes ‘24: Let Her Go

With five kilometers and one very steep climb to go, Riejanne Markus (Visma-Lease a Bike) decided to jump clear of the peloton. Not to belittle her effort, she did gain seventeen seconds on the chasers, but they clearly let her go on a solo run.  With the Mur d’Huy laying in wait, those behind were confident that this effort would leave her unable to stay away on the seventeen percent climb of over a kilometer.  They weren’t wrong.

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 work sells for $95 USD including shipping, but yes international shipping is both available and extra. 

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Professional-Womens-Cycling/4009720-79-207546/Painting/let-her-go.-fw24-2.html

Fleche Wallone Femmes ‘24: The End Is Nigh

Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez) looks back to find the quickly closing peloton with another seventeen kilometers left to race.  She and the woman on her wheel, Paulina Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck), had set off to catch the two leaders yet were unable to get within a minute of the pair they were chasing.  With the penultimate climb of the day looming, it is unlikely they will be off the front for much longer.

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 work sells for $95 USD including shipping, but yes international shipping is both available and extra. 

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Professional-Womens-Cycling/4009718-78-207546/Painting/the-end-is-nigh.-fw24-1.html

Paris Roubaix ‘24: Back to Back

I always enjoy when I can use a title that has two interpretations.  Today Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won his second Paris Roubaix in a row.  He was three minutes ahead of his teammate, Jasper Philipsen which is two minutes and twenty seconds better than where they finished last year.  Also, he won today in the Rainbow Jersey of World Champion as did Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) in yesterday’s Paris Roubaix Femmes.  So it was back to back wins for World Champions as well.

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 and Steve Quiller brushes from www.Richesonart.com. The work sells for $95 USD including shipping, but yes international shipping is both available and extra. 

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring-Classics-/4008497-575-195767/Painting/back-to-back.-pr24-16.html

Paris Roubaix ‘24: Racing for Second

With the race leader now three minutes up the road, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), and Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) have resigned themselves to racing for second place in this edition of Paris Roubaix.  Last year it was Philipsen coming in a distant second to his teammate currently up the road, Mathieu Van Der Poel.  Pedersen was fourth last year, and would dearly like to make it onto the podium this year.  Politt was in the top ten last year as well.  This year has been both faster and dryer, but equally exciting (despite knowing who would win the race for the least forty kilometers).  As expected, the sprinter Philipsen took second again, and Pedersen moved up to third this year.  Politt missed the podium finishing fourth on the day.  But in a race that just finishing is a feet, fourth and bad!  The stats are that only 110 finished inside the time limit, with another 18 coming in too late to have their results counted.  Another 43 did not finished the race, with just one rider being disqualified.  Three who were scheduled to start today were unable to even start the Hell of the North.

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 and Steve Quiller brushes from www.Richesonart.com. The work sells for $95 USD including shipping, but yes international shipping is both available and extra.  

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring-Classics-/4008496-574-195767/Painting/racing-for-second.-pr24-15.html

Paris Roubaix ‘24: Chasing the Chasers

Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ) had crashed out of the chasing group up ahead and was making little progress towards rejoining his teammate ahead.  That was until Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck) came up from the next group back on the road.  It may not have been wise for Vermeersch to tow Pithie up to the chasing group since that would bring another Groupama-FDJ rider to help the chase of his own team leader.  However, by now, Mathieu Van Der Poel was three minutes up the road with little chance of anyone seeing am until the fable showers under the Roubaix Velodrome.

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 and Steve Quiller brushes from www.Richesonart.com. The work sells for $95 USD including shipping, but yes international shipping is both available and extra. 

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring-Classics-/4008495-573-195767/Painting/chasing-the-chasers.-pr24-14.html

Paris Roubaix ‘24: Filming the Leader

I toyed with the idea of calling this one “following the leader” but felt that filming the leader was more apt.  In just twenty kilometers, Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) had stretched his lead to just under two minutes over the chasers behind.  They were being frustrated by his teammates latching onto their efforts but not putting in any pulls to bring back the Rainbow Jersey.  It is always stunning to see what the camera men and women will do on the back of a speeding motorcycle to give us all engaging images of the sport we all dearly love.  Of course, this camera angle is from underneath the hovering helicopter.

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 and Steve Quiller brushes from www.Richesonart.com. The work sells for $95 USD including shipping, but yes international shipping is both available and extra. 

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring-Classics-/4008491-572-195767/Painting/filming-the-leader.-pr24-13.html

Paris Roubaix ‘24: Making His Own Luck

A big part of being successful in Paris Roubaix, is having good luck.  That was certainly true of Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck).  But he was going to rely on luck.  As the leading group was just getting going on Pave Sector 13, he but in a massive attack.  Just like that he was away, in seemingly a second he had a five second lead on the others.  He has almost sixty kilometers to go, but he has become the king of the long solo effort.  That is the reason he is the current World Champion since he went on a long solo effort in Glasgow last fall.  Can the men’s world champion follow suit with the women’ champion and claim victory in the Rainbow Jersey?

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 and Steve Quiller brushes from www.Richesonart.com. The work sells for $95 USD including shipping, but yes international shipping is both available and extra.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring-Classics-/4008488-571-195767/Painting/making-his-own-luck.-pr24-12.html

Paris Roubaix ‘24: Leading for Now

After a flurry of attacks on the previous pave sectors, this threesome got away.  It was started by Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck) who was quickly joined by Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) and Stefan Kung (Groupama-FDJ).  Politt had been having a tough go, but once he had the near miss (see my early post) he was on fire.  With 73 kilometers to go, the trio has built up a twenty two second lead on the group of favorites behind.  All three have at least one teammate in the group behind, so it will be left to others to chase them down.

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 and Steve Quiller brushes from www.Richesonart.com. The work sells for $95 USD including shipping, but yes international shipping is both available and extra.

https://www.greigleach.com/large-multi-view/Spring-Classics-/4008483-570-195767/Painting/leading-for-now.-pr24-11.html