At a massive group dinner in Paris that included most of Sram and some of People for Bikes, I met Ryan van Duzer. Between talking about Japan and eating cured meats, I showed him my Instagram feed and what I'd been up to for most of the year. He seemed impressed. And because I have a hard time understanding why anything I do would be noteworthy, I was confused and flattered.

So when he suggested I paint Lucas Euser - "he's a really nice guy," Ryan said - I wrote it down. Because Ryan's a nice guy, and even though I am fully aware that nice guys can have dick friends, I like to keep hope alive. So I Googled. I Instagram-stalked. I prepared a plate.

It was supposed to be fairly simple, with just a little shading. It was supposed to be my "reward" for wading through a portrait that was supposed to be finished last week but got washed down the drain instead. Instead, I spent twelve hours on Lucas' face, and came up with this.

Thanks, Ryan for the suggestion. And thanks Lucas, for having a pretty nice face.