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La Vuelta 2013: Stage 12 – Maella to Tarragona
Hola! Stage 12 of La Vuelta came from east to west into Catalunya, passing through the Costa Dorada town of Cambrils. Sunshine and flattish coastal roads made for a good stage. The sharp uphill finish saw Edvald Boasson Hagen make a bid for the win but he was overtaken in a burst for the line by Philippe Gilbert, the […]
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La Vuelta 2013: Stage 11 – Tarazona to Tarazona
Hola! Stage 11 of La Vuelta was the individual time trial. After a much-needed rest day, the teams flew north to the province of Zaragoza. The stage was based around the landscape and town of Tarazona, including the corrida and a third category climb. The mighty thighs of Fabian Cancellara powered him round the course […]
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La Vuelta 2013: Stage 10 – Torredelcampo to Güéjar Sierra
Hola! Stage 10 of La Vuelta surprisingly is the first official climbing stage of the race. What have the riders been up to the previous nine you might ask! The course looked hot and dry the only relief being through leafy streets in Granada. A huge crash at the start saw some drop out, but […]
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La Vuelta 2013: Stage 9 – Antequera to Valdepenas de Jaen
Hola! Stage 9 of La Vuelta took a turn inland taking a course through typical Andalusian landscapes. Red and gold earth stretching between houses with terracotta rooftops, juliet balconies and pot geraniums. The course was back to rolling with a fearsome kick uphill to the finish. Exciting nip and tuck racing all the way, but […]
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La Vuelta 2013: Stage 8 – Jerez de la Frontera – Estepona
Hola! Stage 8 of La Vuelta returned to the sea and the mountains, crossing the coast of the Costa del Sol and turning inland to climb Alto Peñas Blancas in Estepona. Riding in glorious sunshine, the climb was dominated by Igor Anton but he was passed at the finish by four or more riders and the […]
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La Vuelta 2013: Stage 7 – Almendralejo to Mairena de Aljafare
Hola! Stage 7 of La Vuelta turned south and crossed into the heat of Andalucia. Riders coped with temperatures touching 38 degrees as they left the countryside for the tree-lined town of Mairena de Aljarfare on the outskirts of Seville. The race was a much closer affair than Stage 6, with a nip and tuck […]
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La Vuelta 2013: Stage 6 – Guijuelo to Caceres
Hola! Stage 6 of La Vuelta explored further inland, into the plains of bull-fighting country. Certainly the theme carried over into the race with an incredible performance by Tony Martin. As the world time-trial champion, he set a blistering pace and led the stage by a great distance for 170km. In spite of huge effort, […]
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La Vuelta 2013: Stage 5 – Sober, Lago De Sanabria
Hola! Stage 5 of La Vuelta turned away from the sea and travelled inland through rolling countryside, fields and pine trees. Orange roofs gave way to dark grey and for the first time in this race there was rain. Sunshine prevailed by the end as riders came into Lago de Sanabria to a sprinters’ finish! Here […]
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La Vuelta 2013: Stage 4 – Lalin, Estrada, Finisterre
Hola! Stage 4 of La Vuelta was a rolling course again taking in coastal scenery and pretty red-roofed houses. There was barely a flat road on the route but the test came with the climb to the Mirador de Ézaro. This was a test for everyone’s legs! Here are my drawings:
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La Vuelta 2013: Stage 3 Vigo – Mirador de Lobeira, Vilagarcía de Arousa
Hola! Stage 3 of La Vuelta was a twisting, turning route through the Galician coast and hills. Climbs not as tough as Stage 2, but strong crosswinds off the coast to contend with not to mention narrow roads and tight space over the bridge to the Illa de Arousa. The surprise finish came in the form […]
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La Vuelta 2013: Stage 2 Pontevedra – Baiona
Hola! Stage 2 of La Vuelta continued exploring the Atlantic coastline of Galicia with a dramatic climb from the coast road to the finish at Alto de Monte da Groba in Baiona. The day’s racing was led most of the stage by a breakaway of three riders but the stage was eventually won in style by […]
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La Vuelta 2013: Stage 1 Vilanova de Arousa – Sanxenxo
Hola! So good to be back in the saddle for the last Grand Tour of the season, which takes us round Spain. Stage 1 took place as a team time trial on the gorgeous north-west coast of Galicia. 22 teams began the race by crossing a glass pontoon at Vilanova de Arousa and riding their way […]
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Pretty in pink
My second post that ties in with the Festival of Flowers blog. A great idea and very inspiring. Find out more – and take part, on http://festivalofflowers.wordpress.com/, (or click the logo below). It was one of those perfect late summer days yesterday, so I took my pens and watercolours into the garden and made some drawings. The […]
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Cricket, lovely cricket!
Hello! This year’s Ashes contest between England and Australia has been a mixed bag of matches where both sides played well and badly in turn. The Little Urn was retained by England in a match stopped by rain! It all felt a bit flat. However, the 4th Test at Durham was a return to form […]
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Little African Violet
This is a post that ties in with a blog project based around flowers. Well worth a look and taking part. Find out more on http://festivalofflowers.wordpress.com/ , or click the logo below. This is a little african violet that sits at home with us and quietly goes about its work in a charming way. Here is my drawing:
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Bolero!
Hola! Music and dance are a great source of inspiration. I’m fascinated by orchestras, bands and dancers and the way they work together. There was an exciting development at the Proms, where the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra were joined on stage by the Antonio Marquez Dance Company. They worked brilliantly together. The climax of the concert […]
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RideLondon 2013: Surrey to London
Hello! A great new event took place in London this weekend, RideLondon engaged the whole cycling population of the city with races for amateurs and professionals alike. The course took a similar route to the Olympic road race last year, riding through the lovely county of Surrey with its deceptive climbs, woodland and refined villages. The […]
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Diving High
Hola! The World Championships for Diving and Swimming took place recently in the spectacular city of Barcelona. It was a great return to the pools used 21 years ago for the Olympics in 1992. A breathtaking outdoor location for diving, which was phenomenal! Here are my drawings:
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Anniversary Games 2013: London
Hello! This weekend saw the return of the much-missed Olympic spirit to London in the form of the Anniversary Games. A great idea and the beautiful Queen Elizabeth Stadium was packed to see the stars from London 2012. They did not disappoint. A wonderful warm-up for the upcoming World Championships. Day 1 saw a great […]
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Tour de France 2013: Stage 21 – Versailles to Paris Champs-Élysées
Bonjour! Stage 21 is the celebration stage. Rolling out from the Palace of Versailles and heading for Paris in the evening for a twighlight sprint around the Champs-Élysées. Setting off in beautiful late afternoon sunshine, all the riders looked relaxed and in good mood. This year, the sprint went round the Arc du Triomphe and there […]
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Tour de France 2013: Stage 20 – Annecy to Annecy-Semnoz
Bonjour! Stage 20 was outstanding, from the weather and scenery to incredible racing. There were many highlights, including Jens Voigt showing the youngsters how to climb a hill and fantastic breaks between Froome, Quintana and Rodriguez, not to mention some handsome cattle suitably dressed. Most of the final places overall were resolved in this stage. […]
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Tour de France 2013: Stage 19 – Bourg-d’Oisans to Le Grand Bornand
Bonjour! Stage 19 was a long stage, with five climbs overall. Sky had a better day and Chris Froome held on to his lead. Pierre Rolland, showed his metal in the climbs and descents for much of the race, but eventually overtaken for the win by Rui Costa. The real winner today perhaps was the […]
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Tour de France 2013: Stage 18 – Gap to Alpe d’Huez
Bonjour! Stage 18, the one with the notorious climb to Alpe d’Huez, lived up to expectations. An intense, gruelling stage, leaving riders not only battling the hill, but contending with arguably the largest crowds ever. The roads were chaotic all the way. Van Garderen led for most of the race and then with barely 2km […]
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Tour de France 2013: Stage 17 – Embrun to Chorges
Bonjour! Stage 17 was an action-packed individual time trial. The terrain was tough with climbs and descents – made all the trickier because of patchy rain. The big decision for teams was to complete the stage on one bike or to change mid-way for the fast descent. Chris Froome and Sky chose the second option […]
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Tour de France 2013: Stage 16 – Vaison-la-Romaine to Gap
Bonjour! Stage 16 saw the Alpine stages begin travelling through quietly dramatic scenery, through gorges and by rivers. The stage closed with a climb and hair-raising descent of the Col de Mense. A passing train briefly brought all the riders to a halt and likewise, Chris Froome was momentarily dislodged by a hurtling Contador. Rui Costa joyfully […]
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Tour de France 2013: Stage 15 – Givors to Mont Ventoux
Bonjour ! Stage 15 was a fantastic, gruelling course leading to the summit of Mont Ventoux. Emotional resonance for British fans and arguably one of the toughest climbs on any Tour. Sylvain Chavanel showed wonderful energy early on, followed by the outstanding Quintana. But showing tremendous strength Chris Froome broke away brilliantly and almost sprinted to […]
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Tour de France 2013: Stage 14 – Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule to Lyon
Bonjour! Stage 14 was another long stage with seven hill climbs, practice for Mont Ventoux perhaps? Still, it was a good steady stage, with excitement at the end, after a great surge by Julien Simon of France. Sadly, he couldn’t quite get the win, which went to Matteo Trentin. Here are my drawings:
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Tour de France 2013: Stage 13 – Tours to Saint-Amand-Montrond
Bonjour! Stage 13 was another long stage crossing the farmland of central France towards Lyon. A few surprises as Kittel fell away along with Valverde. While Sky dissolved, Contador attacked Froome’s lead, but he clung on to the yellow jersey. This time though the stage belonged to Cavendish. Number 25 – Brilliant! Here are my […]
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Tour de France 2013: Stage 12 – Fougères to Tours
Bonjour! Stage 12 was long and flat, carving inland across the country. Another stage for the sprinters. Generally a quiet stage until the end, when there was an awful crash, injuring several riders. Much was expected from Cavendish and he broke away brilliantly, duelling with Marcel Kittel, who took the stage by the length of […]
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Tour de France 2013: Stage 11 – Avranches to Mont-Saint-Michel
Bonjour! Today’s stage was the individual time trial, against the backdrop of the stunning Mont St Michel. A steadier day for most, upsetting day for one, but steady progress for Chris Froome and a stage win for Tony Martin whose pace caused brief collapse at the end. Here are my drawings:
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Maxine Dodd 