Alberto Contador sells bicycle from voided Giro victory to aid Red Cross

The cyclist is auctioning the bike he rode in the 2011 Tour of Italy and Tour de France to raise funds to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Published : Apr 09, 2020 19:12 IST , Madrid

 In this picture taken on July 25, 2010, Alberto Contador of Spain speeds down the Champs Elysees during the 20th and last stage of the Tour de France in Paris, France. Contador retired from cycling in 2017.
In this picture taken on July 25, 2010, Alberto Contador of Spain speeds down the Champs Elysees during the 20th and last stage of the Tour de France in Paris, France. Contador retired from cycling in 2017.
lightbox-info

In this picture taken on July 25, 2010, Alberto Contador of Spain speeds down the Champs Elysees during the 20th and last stage of the Tour de France in Paris, France. Contador retired from cycling in 2017.

Alberto Contador is auctioning the bike he rode in the 2011 Tour of Italy and Tour de France to raise funds to fight the coronavirus pandemic, he said on Thursday.

“The fight against this COVID-19 continues, and I wanted to make an extra effort. I’m going to auction this bike, used during the Giro and Tour 2011, which means a lot to me. The funds raised will go to the Red Cross. I'm doing it on eBay,” the 37-year-old Spanish rider said in a video he posted on Twitter and Instagram .

In that Giro, Contador took the lead with a victory up Mount Etna in the ninth stage and went on to finish first, which would have been a sixth straight victory in a major tour in which he had ridden. He then finished fifth in the Tour de France. After a series of falls early in the race he made a spectacular, but ultimately fruitless, attack up Col de Telegraphe early in the 19th stage to Alpe d’Huez.

ALSO READ | Cavendish opens up about battle with depression

His results in both races were voided because of a positive drugs test on the Tour de France the previous year which was revealed in the off season. “It’s the Etna bike, from the attack at the Col du Telegraphe,” he said.

The bidding, on Spanish eBay , started at EUR 2,500, and was around EUR 13,500 (USD 14,661) at 1200 GMT on Thursday. The auction, will end on April 15, shortly before 1000 GMT. Apart from races from which he was later disqualified, Contador, who retired in 2017, won the Vuelta three times and the Tour de France and Giro twice each and is one of seven riders to have won all three.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment