The green, yellow and reds of the Tour de France.
The road cycling season is over but I’m still in a Tour de France mood. The fact is I’m pretty much always in a Tour de France mood. Don’t get me wrong as summer ends and we drift into fall I love watching cyclocross racing from Europe and all the UCI Track Cycling on NBC Gold. But I do miss the big bright colorful peloton winding it’s way through the French countryside.
Iconic races, places and faces is my mantra for what I like to draw and there’s nothing more iconic than the jerseys of the Tour de France.
I love the big red polka-dots of the climbers jersey worn by the strongest man in the mountain. A coveted prize for any that dare chase their dreams into the highest passes only to come screaming back down to earth on the other side. For me it’s my favorite jersey.
The green points jersey worn most often by the best sprinter, although these days they have to be stronger than ever before and not just always a pure sprinter. To put this on your back after twenty-one days of racing is not as simple as just being fast. Finding your way over the big mountains and keeping on top of all the available intermediate sprint points on any given day adds to the pressure of being the fastest man in the peloton.
The yellow jersey. Le maillot jaune. The winner of the Tour de France. Yellow the color of summer. Yellow sunflowers, yellow hats, dresses and shirts. In France during the summer it’s hard not to see yellow everywhere you look. The country is bathed in yellow for good reason, they love the Tour de France and I’m glad they do.
I’ll see you soon again, colors of summer.
Just select the link if you’d like to purchase all three of these watercolor paintings as a set | “The Colors of Summer”
