Published December 17, 2021 08:22PM
If you’re a Wout van Aert fan but couldn’t get excited about buying a digital token affording you “ownership” of an animation representing the “moment” he won a Tour de France stage, don’t fret. You can now get your hands on the actual, physical bicycle he rode over Mont Ventoux en route to victory this July.
Jumbo-Visma is auctioning off 24 Cervélo bikes used during their 2021 season, allowing the rest of us to bid for the bikes that carried their riders to big results this season.
The R5 that Van Aert rode to his emphatic stage 11 victory is just one of the offerings on auction at Catawiki.com. Also available are an S5 that Primož Roglič rode on his way to his third Vuelta a España title, the S5 that Marianne Vos rode on her way to a Gent-Wevelgem win, an S5 ridden by Jonas Vingegaard en route to second overall at the Tour, and other bikes that were ridden by the likes of Tom Dumoulin, George Bennett, Sepp Kuss, and Dylan Groenewegen.
“Proceeds of this auction will go to the further development of the team. Not only for the top riders to perform better, but first and foremost to the academy and talent development of Team Jumbo-Visma,” reads a description provided for the items listed by Jumbo-Visma manager Richard Plugge. “This is one of the key pillars to creating a world-leading team and inspiring people to go cycling.”
With nearly 10 days still remaining for the auctioned bikes, the S5 ridden by Dumoulin when he returned to racing after a hiatus is currently the highest-ticket item on auction, with the current bid at €9,625 as of Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the bidding for Van Aert’s Ventoux-stage-winning R5 stands at €6,750 as of publication time. While that number is almost certain to rise, it still seems like a steal compared to the NFT commemorating the victory, which sold for over €15,000 worth in Ether cryptocurrency.