colourthetour

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It's here!

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The book has gone press - here's a little peak of some roughs.

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The illustrator's cat

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Quick sketch

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who’s this fellow? A better drawing of the boy that earned Eugene Christophe’s points penalty because he operated the bellows in the forge where EC mended his broken fork

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The original ‘eternal second’ Eugene Christophe who, with a seemingly unassailable lead in the tour, broke a fork in 1913 coming down Tourmalet and walked 8 Km to find a forge in a village he made his own repairs but was deducted points by the race officials for enlisting the help of a seven year old boy to operate the bellows. The same thing happened to him in 1919 and 1922 with similarly catastrophic consequences for his chances of winning but as far as I know. he never abandoned. 

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had to be done - stunning ride from Froome today

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Well and truly into the mountains now but before Froome et al completely take over lets not forget the sprinters especially Mr Cavendish. 

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Here is the finished illustration of Lapize up Col du Tourmalet. See the previous post for an account of what happened. the only other thing to mention is this drawing also pays homage to the amazing illustrator of the tour, Pellos, who characterised the mountains as menacing giants who toyed with and bedevilled the riders.

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A drawing to celebrate 1910 winner Octave Lapize and the men behind the tour’s first mountain stage.

The 1910 Tour de France included the first sojourn into the Pyrenees. The route’s suitability was impeccably researched by Adolphe Steines ( Wikipedia says: ‘Tour organizer Henri Desgrange at first refused the inclusion of the Pyrenees, but later gave in and sent Steinès to the Pyrenees to see if it was possible to send cyclists up the mountains. Steinès encountered many difficulties. He went there at 27 January 1910, and asked an innkeeper for directions over the Tourmalet. The innkeeper replied that it is barely crossable in July, so practically impossible in January. Steinès hired a car anyway and rode up the mountain. Close to the top, there was so much snow that the car could not go further, and he continued on foot. Steinès walked during the night, and fell down a ravine. At 3 a.m. he was found by a search party. He quickly got some food and a hot bath. The next morning, he sent a positive telegram to Desgrange: "Have crossed the Tourmalet on foot STOP Road passable to vehicles STOP No snow STOP".’)

The addition of a mountain stage was not popular with the eventual winner Octave Lapize. On passing some race officials on the way to the summit he snarled "Vous êtes des assassins! Oui, des assassins!'

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et voila

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bugger!

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Peloton

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the first few drawings. A mere prelude to the real thing 

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Le Grand Départ (un peu en retard)

So the Tour started on Saturday, it’s already Tuesday and I am in danger of being picked up by the broom waggon. Better late than never, here is a tumblr with work in progress from Colouring the Tour de France. The last few drawings might not cross the line with the Chris Froome in Paris but I should be pretty close behind.

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The cover