A bike given to the Pope by a champion cyclist is being auctioned online with an estimate of €30,000.
The Pinarello machine was given to Pope Francis in 2021 by rider Egan Bernal. The Colombian rider had just won the Giro d’Italia, the 2nd rated of the Grand Tour cycle races after the Tour de France, which he won in 2019.
The Dogma F12 model bike was painted in Argentinian colours – blue and white – before it was handed to the Pope.
Bernal meeting the Pope with his Giro-winning bike and jersey.
Bernal made the gift, along with a signed maglia rosa (the pink jersey that indicates the leader of the Giro) that is also being sold, to raise awareness of social protests in his native Colombia.
The rider is a Catholic and told media in June 2021 that meeting Francis was “more important than winning the Giro and the Tour”, adding it was “the most beautiful experience in my life”.
It is being auctioned online and is currently attracting a bid of €8,500. The sale is due to close on March 24.
The bike itself is valuable. A new model would cost around £13,000 now.
The signed leader’s jersey is currently under offer at just €300.
Expert press reckon that the bike has not been ridden by the current occupant of the Throne of St Peter. The seller is anonymous, and the Vatican has yet to respond to requests for comment, however, another cycle gifted to Pope Francis sold in 2020, making €30,000 for charity.
Worn jerseys from famous riders can make hundreds of pounds, even unsigned.
A bike ridden by Lance Armstrong to “win” the 2009 Tour de France sold for just over $10,000 in December 2023.
