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news
Wiggins top tube detail (picture - London Cycle Exchange)Sky customer wins Wiggo's Tour de France bike - but has to sell it
A man who wanted to upgrade his Sky broadband speed got something rather quicker than he bargained – a Pinarello bike Sir Bradley Wiggins rode to victory in the 2012 Tour de France. But while some might envy Chris Green’s luck in winning it in a prize draw, financial realities mean he has to sell the Italian dream machine.
According to BBC Sport, Green “absent-mindedly ticked a couple of boxes on a letter about his internet service from Sky.”
To his surprise, two months late a box arrived containing a Pinarello Dogma 2, a signed Team Sky jersey, and a certificate of authenticity signed by team principal, Sir Dave Brailsford.
Green, aged 37, had recently bought himself a fairly decent bike, but decided to jump on the Pinarello for a quick blast on the roads near his home in Surrey.
"It was like going from an Escort to a Ferrari," he said. "It felt so light that when I got out of the saddle it was like there was nothing beneath me."
On reflection, it was a bit too much bike for him to handle, and his suggestion to his wife that it might look good on the wall was met with the response: "It's very nice, darling, but it's not going in the living room."
“I'd love to keep hold of it,” says Green. “But we're a single-income family with two kids. It's a no-brainer, really.”
The bike, equipped with Shimano Dura Ace Di2, Osymetric chain ring and Shimano Dura Ace C35 Prototype wheels, among other things – sadly, Wiggins’ SRM power meter wasn’t thrown in – is listed on pre-owned high-end bike specialists, London Cycle Exchange.
There, it says: “Offers more than £8,000 will be considered.”
The fact the bike is currently showing as ‘sold out’ suggests that a buyer has already met that price.
Anyone buying the bike for £8,000 will get themselves a considerable bargain. A fairly bog standard (okay, we're being relative here) replica would cost more than that. Okay this bike has been used, but it has been used to win the Tour de France by the first ever Briton to do so and has been looked after by some of the best mechanics in the business while doing so.
You can still view the listing, complete with photographs, here.
Part of the reason Green listed the bike on London Cycle Exchange, according to the BBC, is that the UK market for sports collectibles is dominated by football, with cycling very much a niche area.
Sports memorabilia expert from Bonhams in Chester told the BBC: "We have never sold a bike. We did once sell a Lance Armstrong jersey, though. I think it got nearly £600," he added.
Potential buyers are split into three categories; fans wanting a connection with the sport, investors looking for something that will rise in value – unlikely in the case of that Lance Armstrong jersey – and institutions such as museums or clubs.
But London-based Graham Budd, who trades in sports memorabilia, said cycling hasn’t traditionally been a category attracting much interest, although that is starting to change.
"There hasn't really been a market for cycling collectibles in this country, but we are just beginning to see one emerge," he said.
In fact, only last week, he sold his first bicycle: "We sold the bike that Erika Salumae [of Estonia] won the sprint on at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona," he revealed.
"It was a significant moment because the Berlin Wall had just come down and it was Estonia's first Olympic medal as an independent country.
"The auction was front-page news there, and all over the TV as well. She's a big star. It went for £8,000 to an Estonian buyer in the end."
The price that bike fetched, and the nationality of the buyer, are connected.
Salumae’s was the first gold medal won by an athlete competing for Estonia since the Berlin Games in 1936, and the country has only won two Summer Olympic gold medals since then, and four in the Winter Olympics.
The bike therefore occupies a significant place in Estonia’s sporting history. It is unique.
That, Budd said, creates issues regarding exclusivity when it comes to selling Wiggins’ Tour de France-winning bike, given that according to Sky, it is one of three Pinarello Dogma 2 bikes he used during the race.
"All collectors crave owning something that nobody else has," he explained.
Regarding the bike ridden by Wiggins, he said the problem was that “we are not sure how unique this bike is, and wherever you have the risk of multiples, value is diluted.
"It happens quite a lot with football shirts - players get given long-sleeve ones and short-sleeve ones, and some like to change into a fresh shirt at half-time. It can be difficult to prove that your shirt is THE shirt."
Budd himself should know that even when it is unique, Wiggins-related memorbilia may not tempt buyers. Last year, the throne the cyclist sat on outside Hampton Court Palace after winning Olympic Time Trial gold failed to reach its reserve in an auction held by Budd's firm.
One-off bikes can command high prices at auction, however. In 2009, a Trek Madone customised with a butterfly theme by artist Damien Hirst that Lance Armstrong rode in that year’s Tour de France raised $500,000 for the Livestrong charity at a sale at Sotheby’s in New York.
It was one of seven bikes given the custom treatment by famous artists and ridden by Armstrong in his comeback season that raised a combined $1.3 million at the auction.
A prototype Cinelli Laser Nostra fixed-gear bike was expected to fetch up to $20,000 when it went under the hammer at Sotheby’s in New York City last night in a charity auction on behalf of the AIDS charity, (RED).
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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63 comments
It would have been a keeper for me and I'm not a particularly big Wiggo/Sky fan.
As Keith eloquently said it's not cost him nowt (more of an early Xmas pressie), plus it's a little bit of history.
Keeping it would be amazing but I'd have been thinking that its quite a big bit of history. That raises some challenges of its own. How much would I actually ride that bike, or would I just keep it locked away to keep it safe from crashes? What if it gets nicked (this does happen, even in Surrey)? Insurance preserves the financial value for me, but not the impact of the unique object.
Donating it to a bike museum would be fantastically generous, but perhaps not everyone can make that sell to their spouse.
Selling it yields control and is messy, but if the value is right (and maybe £8K is low, but that was just a suggested minimum) at least suggests that the purchaser can put appropriate value on it and treat it accordingly.
I can certainly see how selling it at a good price would be the best of some difficult options.
I'd have done exactly the same thing and laughed at anyone ^ who thought otherwise! I'm sure Bradley wouldn't care less what the winner did with it. You can have your opinion but there's no point calling him greedy as you obviously don't understand his situation.
And as for getting in a huff about it...
I was going to hold my tongue. But after a few "interactions" on twitter and seeing the state of comments sections lately. I'm not going to hold back.
This is a f*cking joke, this was a fan competition, some "fan" he his, gets the bike and then sells it. Sky already kicked up a fuss about another prize bike they gave away being punted on eBay for £10,400 and now this.
It'll make up their mind not to give away prizes like that anymore.
If he didn't want it, give it back or donate it to a charity auction, but to just sell it pisses me right off.
He WON the f*cking thing, he's not out of pocket, just a greedy c*** who can't appreciate the TRUE value of the bike.
I'm VERY skint at the moment, but there is no way I would be selling it. I am not even a Wiggo fan, but I can appreciate that this back, being 1 of only 3 made, is a piece of history.
Disagree with me all you want, I couldn't give a toss what you think, that's MY opinion.
(p.s If you "LIKE" this post, don't just click the button, interact with the forum)
Calm your passion chap. Its his bike let him do what he wants! Its not worth bursting a blood vessel over.
Oh and its his fault that ur skint like
As much as it was his bike once it was given to him. I am a little surprised that, on a site for cycling fans, there is so little appreciation for a nice bike / race history.
It's a shame that such competitions aren't open to fans only though. Can't help thinking of the expression 'pearls before swine.'
Let's hope whoever bought it is a real fan of the sport. Who knows, they might even know how to put the bar/hood angle properly!
I noticed that, maybe it should have been confiscated for that reason alone?
That seems a very condescending attitude! I've been following cycling since the early eighties and racing for most of that time; is that enough to qualify me for your clique? Competitions for fans only; define 'fan'?
Are you chairman of the 'Keep Cycling a Cinderella Sport" campaign?
@pwake
Misunderstood my post then!
By fan, I meant someone who'd enter as they wanted the prize, to keep as it meant something. To appreciate it.
Additionally, my criticism is of Sky and the set up / pictures from the company selling.
Hope that should be crystal clear now!
I absolutely agree 100%.
I have a bike thats not a collectable by any means, but its one I built and painted and its a bit of a pride and joy that I rarely ride, I wanted to put that up on the wall and my wife went berserk, how ever talking to her last night she actually pointed out the part of the wall that this could go on.
For those that think its a good idea to sell it, how would you feel if you gave a bike to a relative that couldn't afford one, only to find out that they had sold it off for the money?
Which is a totally different situation. He has a bike which he bought but on recieving something of value he sold it on to help provide for his family. If i won it I quite possibly would have other priorities that putting it on my wall, and i don't have a family to look out for.
IMO getting in a huff about what this guy did is ridiculous, jealousy is never a good look.
The judgemental attitudes on here are quite saddening. Keith, for someone who knows hardship I find your vitriolic outburst quite shocking.
I have a single, low wage and a family to support. If I happened to win a bike like this I couldn't justify keeping it when my 23 year old car is falling to bits and there are jobs needing doing to the house. It's nice to know you'd all hate me too.
Call it collectable, historic or whatever you want but in the end it's just a mass produced bicycle.
it's not a fan competition. it's just a competition, run by sky, the TV company, not the cycling team. he entered it, and won. the prize becomes his, and he can do what he likes with it. sky (the TV company) are the ones bankrolling sky (the cycling team) - they no doubt have an agreement in place that they get a number of team bikes a year to use in promotions. the team can piss and moan all they like about the bikes ending up on ebay but i bet they're not actively looking for another sponsor. sky (the TV company) won't care; it'll be a numbers game for them.
the way i see it, two people win here. the competition winner gets a pile of cash for winning a competition that it sounds like he barely knew he entered, and someone that *really* wants wiggo's bike gets wiggo's bike. i don't have a problem with that.
boo hoo, didn't win a bike, did we? You jealous, bad tempered, miserable little git.
I'm so glad you have graced us with YOUR opinion, as the wait was killing me.
Yet again why do people have to criticize what someone buys or does what they want with their own money or items.
Sure. But you are a cycling fan. If you randomly won the 2 woman bobsleigh used by the Canadian duo who won a fantastic Gold in their hometown winter Olympics in 2010 - you'd keep it?
Or the actual set of goalposts from the 1966 World Cup Final that sir Geoff Hurst scored in.
In reality it's not much different from him winning an 100 inch, super amazing 3d TV that he doesn't need so he sells it. It's just stuff.
He doesn't owe Sky or Wiggins anything. He doesn't owe cycling history anything. Just leave the bloke alone, it's really, really not worth getting worked up over.
Given Gkam, like me, is a Scot, that would definitely be something to keep - winters are harsh up where he is and the goalposts would make excellent firewood
You're talking as if he's been drowning kittens.
He hasn't got much use for it or anywhere to keep it, so he's converted it to something his family can use. And that makes him a greedy c***? Jesus.
Can you link the copy of his credit report you obviously have to hand?
I totally disagree. If Sky didn't feel the need to put it in a charity auction I don't see why the winner should. He won it fair and square and can do what he likes with it. If he wanted to shred it I might understand the outrage, but it'll be sold to a collector (who presumably understands the 'value), so I don't see the problem.
It's like a F1 fan winning a Ferrari: it seems like a good thing, but then you realise it's not practical for anything, you can't afford to fuel, service or insure it, and you've got nowhere to keep it away from scumbags with keys who are pissed off at your good fortune...
If you’re not going to hold back, then neither will I…
Wow, what foul language and what a truly spoilt, jealous and horrible human being you have shown yourself to be.
I’d assumed I had judged you wrongly last year when I questioned your plea for help, however having read numerous posts from you and being informed from a friend of your tweets then I retract my apology.
As you are someone who has benefited from the generosity and kind hearted nature of others to help you in your time of need (questionable) then I am amazing at your foul language and the content of your post. After all, this man has WON the prize and it is his to do with as he wishes.
Ever heard the saying “People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones?”
You were kindly donated numerous cycling memorabilia which was set to be sold and donated to charity once you had sourced your trike. Guess the only charity to Keith is Keith. I am sure Jimmy Mac and Dani King would like to know which charity their items went to help? Oh, that’s right, just to help you wasn’t it Keith to buy stuff and fund your lejogle holiday.
I guess you are just going to keep the Garmin Sharp signed poster for yourself rather than sell it and donate the funds to charity…after all you have had about a year to sell it.
I’d be interested to know from anyone with a law background to know if this is fraudulent behaviour and against the law?
You’ll always be skint Keith and you’ll always look to others to give you a free ride…don’t forget to keep dropping in every conversation that you have the early onset of Parkinsons…maybe it will pull on heart strings and get you more free things and influence people.
By the way, how did supporting lejogle, sleep deprevation and sleeping in the back of a car for 5 days go, must have been really tough….but you can’t work?
Just in case you haven’t guessed, I disagree with you and I think you are an extremely selfish and impolite individual who only has his own interest at heart and only helps others to hopefully benefit from it yourself but doesn’t like it when things don’t go your way....that's MY opinion
I am not proud of this post, in fact I am quite ashamed of it, but I am assuming an individual who posts such foul trash and venom about the winner of the Sky bike only understands a similar response.
If I have burnt my bridges with this website because other think he is a ‘jolly decent chap’ and I never get another response to future posts then so be it and only time will tell.
Don't forget to get on twitter Keith and say what a disgrace this is to get support. But you and I both know there isn’t an untruth above!
No, I don’t. I am also amazed that 11 others have liked what you said….say’s quite a lot about todays society.
You are quite welcome around here to post again, I have nothing against you, everyone has their opinion on things.
I have "cooled" down a little since I posted, I may have been a bit rash, but I still do not think it should be sold.
The only thing from your comment I will pick you up on is, the items I received that were to help me get the trike, then before I got round to selling them, I got the trike, they were then going to be sold to aid another cyclist get a bike, which, thanks to his local newspaper, he got without my help.
So through the summer, I have found various causes and sold of the items I was given and then donated ALL that money to those causes. Namely, Pedalling for Parkinsons and 3000 miles to a cure, I have also donated to individuals doing charity events through Just Giving, The only thing I have left from those items donated is a poster from Katusha, of their 2012 team, not signed by anyone and not worth anything....
I'll open the bidding at £8.95.
My misses has just remarked that if I had won it I could have put it on the lounge wall! That's a real piece of history. Amazing
Eight grand?!?!? For the actual bike on which Britain's most medalled Olympian became the first Briton ever to win the Tour de France? It's a lot of money, but I'd have thought it would fetch several times that.
Especially when building a replica would have cost you over £10k
Lucky chap, wish him all the best.
Di2? Sell, sell, sell!
Whatever he gets, it'll probably only off-set his Sky bill for a couple of months
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