Tour de France: Stage 9

What an amazing dynamic between Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador in today's stage. At first, we saw Schleck testing Contador ... attacking, then pulling back, then attacking again. Contador kept up with it all, quietly matching each acceleration. But when they began to approach the lead group of riders, they started working together! It's that ever-shifting strategy of the Tour de France that makes it so much fun to watch. I did a quick painting/pastel of Schleck and Contador on the road...


There were other great strategic moments in today's mountain stage too. Like when Vinokourov launched off the contender group, clearing a path for teammate Contador. Or when Jens Voigt stayed in the lead pack, helping to pace Schleck when he arrived. And then there was Sandy Cesar, who knew just where to be on that final corner before the finish line. He'd done his homework.

The other story of this stage was a sadder one though, and that was Cadel Evans falling out of the lead. Seeing him so upset at the end was really heartbreaking. But we've now just learned that he's been riding with a fractured elbow, caused in a crash during Sunday's stage. It's incredible that he's still in the race. So hats off to ol' Cadel. He's got a lot of heart.

Tour de France: Stage 8

Many people like to say that there's a time to bring every good thing to an end. "Leave while you're on top," they say. Well, I don't agree. There's something a little too perfect in that phrase, as if it's an attempt to mold one's own legacy. I like it when people push the boundaries of their interests and passions.

Lance Armstrong could have retired permanently after his seven Tour de France victories. He could have put them in a little bottle and moved on. But he didn't ... he reached further into this sport he loves, fearless of the effect it might have on his seven-victory legacy. I love that.

So now here we are at the end of Stage 8 of the 2010 Tour de France, and the final chapter of Lance Armstrong's career is about to be written. His string of bad luck has probably made an eighth overall victory impossible. But he will adjust. He can ride for teammate Levi Leipheimer. He can go for some spectacular stage wins. He can help drive the Radio Shack team to victory. He will keep fighting.

Armstrong's seven Tour de France wins will always be a monumental presence in those beautiful French mountains, the subject of my painting for today...


...but a painting for Lance's final Tour de France may be a quieter one. Rather than forging an unbreakable legacy, Lance is weaving a more human story this time, and that's great too. I can't wait to see how it unfolds.

Tour de France: Stage 7

What a Stage! First of all, hats-off to Jerome Pineau for adding points to his King of the Mountains Jersey in such heroic fashion. He earned every spot on that polka-dotted shirt and bike. But equally special was the story of Pinaeau's Quick Step teammate, Sylvain Chavanel. After all the flat tires, bike changes, and terrible luck of Stage 3 that cost him the Yellow Jersey, Chavanel didn't give up. He saw something special in those beautiful green hills of Stage 7. But it wasn't green that was urging him on -- it was yellow...


...the awesome glow of the Yellow Jersey.

Tour de France: Stages 5 and 6

I originally intended to write separate posts for each stage ... but these two need to stay together. Stage 5 and 6 were like two bookends of a great comeback story. First we saw Mark Cavendish's tearful and emotional win in Stage 5, after so many had written him off; and then the next day we watched his jubilant stamp-of-approval win in Stage 6. The incredible Mark Cavendish joined those two days together in a thrilling tale of hard-won victory. That's the magic of the early days of the Tour de France.

The most dramatic moments of Stages 5 and 6 took place in the final kilometers of each day's race, as the lead-out trains sped toward the finish. It's those long lines of riders jockeying for the perfect position to launch their sprinters that is the subject of my abstract painting for today...

Tour de France: Stage 4

Serene, good-natured, even contemplative -- that's what Stage 4 felt like after yesterday's thrilling, torturous cobbles. It was wonderful, really. When you watch the Tour every day, you learn to enjoy its unique ebbs and flows.

Today saw the peloton racing through the treeless fields of northern France ... the subject of my quiet Stage 4 painting:

Tour de France: Stage 3

Cobblestones! Seven sections of cobbled mayhem, to be exact. They were the stars of today's stage. It was as if the Tour de France gods put all the riders in a salt shaker, gave them a good toss, and let the contenders spill out wherever they happened to land.

Poor Frank Schleck, out with a broken collarbone. So sad seeing him go down. It's going to be strange watching his brother Andy race without him. But there were many wonderful rides today too. Contador looked cool and composed throughout. Armstrong rode with such amazing determination and grit, trying to recover from a terribly-timed flat tire. The entire Saxo Bank team dominated the stage, pushing everyone to their limits. And I was delighted to see Thor Hushovd pull out the winning sprint.

There was nothing graceful or elegant about this stage. It was rough, dirty ... and so colorful and thrilling. As always, the fans were amazing. And so it's the cloud of dirt, flags, cobbles, and color that's the subject of my quick impressionistic painting for tonight:

Tour de France: Stage 2

When a crash occurs in a bike race, you see something you don't see in any other sport ... total and complete confusion. One moment all's well -- and then wham! There's a crash and no one knows what's going on, including the t.v. commentators.

Who crashed and who made it through unscathed? Who's in the newly formed mini-groups? Where are the favorites? Which riders have slowed and are waiting for their teammates to catch up? Sometimes the team leaders simply have no clue where their colleagues are on the road.

That's what happened today on the decent of the Stockeau. You can read a great summary of it on the Velonews website here.

Chaos like this actually produces a very human moment in cycling. Everyone is focused on one thing ... reestablishing some sense of order in a frenzied situation.

So I understand why Fabian Cancellara neutralized the stage by convincing his fellow riders to slow down the peloton. Bike racing is not like football where what happens on the field simply happens. Riders can make choices; they can agree to impose a sense of fairness when too much bad luck affects too many riders. It's part of the sport, when used sensibly. In this case, a motorbike crashed trying to avoid Francesco Gavazzi's fallen bicycle, spilling oil on the road. That's an extreme situation, which led to an uncontrollable chain reaction of crashing bikes.

But too many "gentleman's agreements" means it's no longer a bike race. Team Cervelo was unhappy with the neutralization, and they have every right to be. Thor Hushovd could have pulled off a good sprint for second place, earning valuable Green Jersey points. So no one was right here, and no one was wrong. It's the beauty of bike racing ... there are grey areas, just like life.

But one thing was clear ... Sylvain Chavanel earned every thread of that yellow jersey! He attacked and attacked for 187K, never giving up. He got ahead of all the chaos that would later strike the peloton, and he rode brilliantly. So congrats, Sylvain! My painting for today pays tribute to the forested roads of Stage 2, the rainy skies that caused so much havoc, and the lone breakaway: