Meet the artist and the rider behind the work

My name is Carsten Leth Lundh. I am a visual artist and a former semi-professional cyclist. I have been racing with a license since 1983 and I still compete today in the masters category.

I know cycling from the inside. Sitting in the peloton. Crashing. Sprinting in mass finishes. Descending mountains a little too fast. Training in rain and cold. Winning sometimes, but more often losing and lining up again the following week.

My paintings take their starting point in cycling, but they are really about the human experience within it. Willpower. Doubt. Resistance. Learning to deal with defeat and finding the belief to try again. Being alone in your own effort while still being part of a strong community.

The state of mind I search for on the bike is the same one I look for in the studio. When I paint, I try to reach the same level of focus and presence as when I race.

Cycling has shaped my life. The sense of freedom I felt the first time I rode a bicycle without training wheels is the same freedom I still look for in my work today.

My paintings are not meant to be explained.

They are meant to be felt.