A Steep Climb

The road tilts up, and the race comes apart on it. Spectators stand shoulder to shoulder on the grass bank — watches checked, hands clapping, faces close enough to feel — while the riders grind past out of the saddle: a red bike, a black one, a green jersey pushing in at the edge of the frame. Further up the hill the leaders are already shrinking to specks. A small white chapel sits on the crest under a damp grey sky.

Keith Bird paints bike racing exactly as it looks from the roadside: cold, close and completely thrilling. The perspective puts you in the crowd rather than in the commentary box, and it is all the better for it.

Acrylic on canvas, 60 × 80 cm. Unframed. Signed by the artist.