'Kids from Kilburn aren't supposed to win the Tour'
550 x 22 x 22 cm
Acrylic, pen and mixed media - vintage cycling magazines and Tour de France Route map - original Départ sign from the 2012 Tour de France (hosted by Liège), Bont cycling shoe worn (Team Sky race-used) by Bradley Wiggins, 20mm board and hand-forged meat hook.
£3,000
For buying enquiries - shop@james-straffon.co.uk
This special, commemorative artwork celebrates British cyclist Bradley Wiggins, and his 2012 annus mirabilis.
A truly remarkable 'year of wonders' would see him become the first Briton to win the Tour de France. He also became the only cyclist to have won the Tour de France, Paris-Nice, Tour de Romandie and Critérium du Dauphiné in the same year. As well as the only rider to have won the Tour de France and an Olympic gold medal in the same year.
Wiggins would be awarded the coveted Vélo d'Or, and BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012. And by winning a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympic Games Time Trial, now jointly holds the honour (along with Sir Chris Hoy) of being the most decorated British Olympian - with seven medals. His incredible year would be capped by receiving a knighthood in the New Year's Honours List - becoming Sir Bradley Wiggins.
His affirmation 'Kids from Kilburn aren't supposed to win the Tour' is inscribed on the right flank of the cycling shoe. Which also features a hidden epitaph to Wiggins' childhood idol Tom Simpson - located within the insole.
This unique piece is fashioned from the very materials which have made Le Tour a true spectacle - the directions to the start of the 2012 Tour, the map of its heritage years, the shoe worn by the 2012 Champion.
All artwork, text and images © James Straffon 2024.