By this time in our relationship it must come as no surprise that my favorite time of the year is the Tour de France. And while I love a grand tour, the Giro and the Vuelta seem to pale next to the Tour. I can’t tell you why. I don’t think anyone can tell you why, but the Tour de France is and always has been “The” grand tour.
Something old.
I’ve just recently finished a large original painting on canvas that I’ve named “Tour de France 1903”. That was the inaugural year of “la grande boucle”, the big loop around France. We all know the story and reason the tour started and I have to say it was one tough race. In fact so difficult many of the starters never finished.
This original painting was created on a 40×60 inch canvas with acrylic paints. Layered to create a textured finish and designed to have a sense of the golden poster age, with a modern flair. I had found a copy of the original Tour de France route and I was able to drag that into the painting. The stages were incredibly long and over unpaved roads. The first gravel races for sure. It was every man for himself with all kinds of insane rules like you were limited to how much water you could drink in a day – because it could cause cramps! Don’t you just love history.
You can see more photo details of this painting or a link to prints, here TOUR DE FRANCE 1903
Something new.
This year’s Tour de France will finish with three trips up Montmartre before finishing on the Champs-Élysées – a truly unique ending.
With three times up Montmartre, riders will speed past the famous Basilica Sacré-Cœur as they creste the climb, and the church will once again feature at this year’s Tour like it did during the 2024 Olympic Road race.
This special ending of the Tour de France meant a special painting and print was needed to mark the event. Using the French flag as simple background of blue, white and red I used aggressive bold passes of color to create this painting. The original work is 24×36 inches on canvas painted with acrylic paints.
The final painting as well as the print has the title “Montmartre Tour de France 2025” hand lettered on the canvas.
Vive le Tour!
You can see more photo details of this painting or a link to prints, here TDF 2025 MONTMARTRE
Learn more about the 2025 Tour de France.
