Racing bike owned by Pope Francis comes to auction on Catawiki
The auction follows the sale of Miguel Indurain’s 1994 Tour de France Pinarello, Jonas Vingegaard’s Cervélo R5 in 2022 and Thibaut Pinot’s Lapierre Symbiosis bike from the 2023
Amsterdam, 14 March 2024 - Catawiki, the leading online marketplace for special objects, today announced that a bike owned by Pope Francis is coming to auction later this week.
The bike, a Pinarello Dogma F12, was gifted to the pope in 2021 by Egan Bernal, the 2019 Tour de France winner and then Giro d’Italia champion. Its colour scheme is based on the flag of the Pope’s native Argentina and has been estimated at 20,000 - 30,000 euros. At the time, 24 year old Bernal, who is a Roman Catholic, described meeting the Pope as a “unique” experience, “the most beautiful I’ve had in my life” and more important than winning the Tour de France or Giro d’Italia.
The online auction, starting on Friday 15 March, isn’t the first time an extraordinary bike has been sold on Catawiki. Miguel Indurain’s 1994 Tour de France Pinarello sold for €20,000 in 2023, Catawiki’s partnership with cycling Team Jumbo-Visma saw Jonas Vingegaard’s Cervélo R5 sell for €20,000 in late 2022, the bike he rode in the mountain stages of Tour de France, in which he ultimately won the tour’s yellow jersey, and therefore the overall race. And Thibaut Pinot’s Lapierre Symbiosis bike from the 2023 Tour de France, his final before retirement, as part of the exclusive Groupama-FDJ’s auction. Pinot’s bike became the most favourited Tour de France object to be sold on Catawiki, with the final bid coming in at €12,600.
Following the debut series of Tour de France: Unchained launched on 8 June 2023, Catawiki saw a 50% increase in searches for “bikes” the week following the release. So unsurprisingly, experts expect the Pinarello Dogma F12 to be popular amongst both cycling fans and the general public. Catawiki Sports Memorabilia Expert and former pro-cyclist, Ana Maria Covrig said, “It is a privilege to witness the auction of such an extraordinary bike, it is a truly remarkable moment for Catawiki.”
The bike will be at auction on Catawiki from Friday 15 March, 11AM CET Sunday 24 March, 7.01PM CET.
ENDS
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