A replica of Tadej Pogačar's Tour de France-winning bike is available to buy for over £450,000 online, in a silent auction.
The bike, a 54cm frame Colnago V3Rs, is painted with an identical yellow finish to the one the Slovenian rode on the final stage in Paris in 2020, where he won his first yellow jersey. That same year, Pogačar also topped the mountains and youth classifications, a feat he would go on to replicate in the 2021 edition of the race.
Led by American home technology firm Plume, the auction is part of the company’s PlumeStrong charity initiative, with proceeds going to support education programmes for refugee children in Ukraine and Moldova.
At the time of writing the bidding stood at €550,000 (£474,000).
In an interview posted on Plume’s YouTube channel, the two-time Tour de France winner said: “[Plume] do charities for children and a lot of events to support that. I think it’s good to team up and do something great together.
“That’s what I also want to do, help to others, and I think this is a great opportunity to work together.”
In August, Pogačar was announced as a brand ambassador for Plume, promoting their annual Cycling Challenge fundraiser. This year’s challenge takes the form of a five-day, 650km charity ride through the Swiss mountains, in which Pogačar will participate in the first stage.
All proceeds from both the auction and the ride will be donated to Street Child, a nonprofit that works to provide vulnerable children with access to education.
Pogačar has been involved in charity initiatives throughout his career during his time off the bike. In July, the UAE Team Emirates rider launched the Tadej Pogačar Cancer Research Foundation, supporting research teams focused on cancer metabolism and treatments.
When launching his charity, the 23-year-old worked with digital art marketplace ItaliaNFT to auction off a pair of diamond-encrusted DMT cycling shoes. There have currently been no bids placed for the lot, which includes both the physical shoes and a non-fungible token reproduction of them.
The winner of the latest auction will join Valteri Bottas in an exclusive club of people who own one of Pogačar's bikes. The F1 driver, who competes in gravel events, previously purchased the Slovenian's 2021 Tour de France bike at a charity auction in Monaco.
Bidding for the Colnago V3Rs road bike closes at 4pm CEST (3pm BST) on 9 September.
