Gallery
Helping Hand TdF115
I'm back to using the title to open up the interpretation about what is happening in the painting. Needless to say, the sprinters on a given team get quite a bit of help to be successful at what they do for the team. Conversely, they will help out in anyway they can in return. The rather successful sprinter for Etixx-Quickstep, Marcel Kittel, had a flat tire once the Tour had crossed into Switzerland. As he pulled over the his team car already knew which wheel to bring with them. Kittel held the rear of the his bicycle in the air so that the mechanic could concentrate on making the change as quickly as possible. As the wheel was almost ready to go, another member of the team's support personnel ran up from the car, ready to push Kittel back on his way. With so much of the stage yet to cover, there was no panic about Kittel rejoining the race. However, the last couple of kilometers were not going to play to the German sprinter's strengths, so it most likely wouldn't be his day.