pen

Back to the bikes: Women’s Tour

| Maxine Dodd - Art

Hello! I’m delighted to be drawing cycling for the first time this year. Even more delighted that it is the first Women’s Tour of Britain. My first drawings are from Stages 1 and 2 which were held in Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Bedfordshire – not far from where I live, so a real thrill! Here are my drawings:

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Women’s Tour: Riding in the wet
Women’s Tour: Rainy day racing
Women’s Tour: Stage 1, Oundle to Northampton
Women’s Tour: Riding past the hedge parsley
Women’s Tour: Cornering the bend
Women’s Tour: Stage 1, Start
Women’s Tour: Stage 2, Rainy Hinckley

La Vuelta 2013: Stage 7 – Almendralejo to Mairena de Aljafare

| Maxine Dodd - Art

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 race between the two leaders Gilbert and Stybar to the cross the finish. Here are my drawings:

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Into the shade
Coming into town
Everyone dives for the line!

La Vuelta 2013: Stage 6 – Guijuelo to Caceres

Bullish! Tony Martin, by Maxine Dodd, watercolour, pen and ink
| Maxine Dodd - Art

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, the peloton could not keep up. The sting came at the finish where the riders finally caught and passed him as they crossed the line itself. Martin finished in seventh place. Cruel sport indeed… Here are my drawings:

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We’ll run with you!
Still in front!
… The rest of the pack!
Bullish! Tony Martin

La Vuelta 2013: Stage 5 – Sober, Lago De Sanabria

| Maxine Dodd - Art

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 are my drawings:

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And then came the rain!
Puebla de Sanabria
Charging for the line!

La Vuelta 2013: Stage 3 Vigo – Mirador de Lobeira, Vilagarcía de Arousa

| Maxine Dodd - Art

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 of 41-year old Chris Horner,  who after 4 hours of riding, sprinted uphill to take the win like a teenager, giving hope to us all! Here are my drawings:

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Leaving Vigo
Tight bends
The coast road
Trouble on the bridge!
Peloton catching through the trees
Chris Horner takes the win!

La Vuelta 2013: Stage 2 Pontevedra – Baiona

| Maxine Dodd - Art

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 Nicolas Roche. I confess that my eyes were distracted by the sea, with breakers and high hills – even a landlocked boat! Wonderful! Here are my drawings:

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Riding into town
Peloton heads for the breakers
Climbing towards Alto de Monte da Groba
Hola!

Pretty in pink

| Maxine Dodd - Art

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 two I liked best were of the Japanese anemone, which is so delicate. Unlike the hotter-toned flowers that blaze at this time, the anemone gently leads the garden towards Autumn. Gorgeous! Here are my drawings:

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Anemones and montbretia
Anemone – Pretty in Pink
Anemone – pretty in pink – detail