Tour of California Stage 2

10" x 8" Oil on panel.

With this painting from Stage 2, I worked to get this guy's likeness without getting to detailed (i.e. "tight"). There are a lot of photos of this guy until he dropped out; he seems to attract attention. He also seems to be keeping his glasses in his helmet a lot this year so we can see the expression on his lean face. This is a tight crop from a Jonathan Devich photo.

As the timeboard team, my wife and I prepared for a rainy day all decked out in motorcycle raingear. We stayed dry at the start on Stage 2, but we knew the rain was coming. It was a wet day on the moto, but not as uncomfortable as in previous years. We were between the breakaway and the main field with Mike Friedman at the top of the second to last climb (as he successfully clawed his way back.) Things came together fast on the last climb and we moved ahead to clear out of the way. We descended gingerly as we listened to the reports of crashes behind us. The riders were also decked out in rain gear that they mostly wore to the finish. As you can see in this painting, Lance is wearing several layers.

Lance in the Time Trial

10" x 8" Oil on panel

Sold.

As a response for "do I paint cycling pictures", here is one. I would like to paint more, but am sensitive to copyrights, so I would welcome more shots where it was clear that I could use them for reference. I would like to find some sprint finish shots that I can use. When I am working at events, I never will get the chance to capture my own reference.

This is an imagining of what Lance may look like later this year in the TT. We haven't seen him in a RadioShack skinsuit yet, but this was adapted from a photo by Anita Ritenour from the Amgen Tour of California. Thanks for licensing your photos this way, Anita.

See the original photo reference here:

Anita's Lance Photo / CC BY 2.0