Artist to paint scenes from Women’s Tour of Britain cycling race

An artist plans to paint a scene from every day of the upcoming Women’s Tour of Britain.

Garth Bayley, from Stokesley, North Yorkshire, wants to capture the energy and spirit of each stage of the cycling event with daily sketches which will be revealed the next day.

The tour will start on 5 June from Dalby Forest, before travelling through Redcar, Hartlepool and up to Glasgow for the finish line on 8 June.

Mr Bayley described the Women’s Tour as a “brilliant showcase of talent” and he hoped to showcase the dedication of the riders in his pieces.

The 59-year-old said: “Most of my art is expressionist and full of movement and colour.

“It’s all about capturing a moment, one of my specialisms is covering cycling grand tours.

“I take pictures and quick sketches in the moment and then I use them as a basis for pen-and-ink pieces back in the studio.”

He then adds watercolour to the artwork to bring the pieces to life.

There will be 18 teams taking part in the race and 108 riders competing.

Mr Bayley added: “I want to try and translate the dynamism and emotion of each stage onto paper and share that with a wider audience.

“I’ve followed women’s cycling for years and I really enjoyed covering the Women’s Tour de France recently.

“Capturing the movement of the moment is an incredible challenge.”

He said after the event he planned on doing a large oil-on-canvas painting.

“I usually try to use a striking background, this year I’m thinking Redcar would look very impressive,” Mr Bayley said.