Pope Francis ditches Dogma — Pinarello gifted by Egan Bernal put up for auction... if you've got a spare €30,000

Won the lottery recently? Found €30,000 down the back of the sofa? Looking for a new bike to take you into summer? Well, Pope Francis might just be the man to call...

The Pinarello Dogma F12 gifted to the Pope by Ineos Grenadiers rider Egan Bernal following his 2021 Giro d'Italia victory has appeared on the online auction website Catawiki and is expected to go for €25,000 to €30,000.

It comes complete with a striking colour scheme based on the flag of Pope Francis' native Argentina, as well as the papal seal, his regnal name, and his birth forenames, Jorge Mario.

The auction is open until Sunday evening, the current top bid standing at €8,500, although the reserve price has not yet been met, and the size 53 F12 comes with Shimano Ultegra throughout, Vision wheels and Pirelli P Zero tyres.

Described as in very good condition, the Dogma is expected to fetch more than three times the current highest bid, posted by an anonymous bidder on Tuesday morning. Amusingly, the listing informs buyers there is a shipping fee of €55, with the bike to be shipped from Italy in five to 37 days.

As the listing explains, the Pinarello was a gift from Bernal on 16 June 2021, following his Giro success, a separate auction also underway for the signed maglia rosa that the Colombian also signed and gifted Pope Francis with a "special dedication". That auction also ends on Sunday evening, the current highest bid at €300.

"Bernal decided to give Pope Francis the pink jersey he just won and a custom Pinarello Dogma F12 bicycle, as a symbolic gesture of gratitude," the listing states. "Having grown up in a Catholic family, the Pope's blessing represents one of the most important symbols for him."

He described the meeting at the Vatican 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. 

> Pope Francis says road cycling shows value of teamwork – but warns about sport's dark side

"This is a thousand times more stressful [than an important stage of a Grand Tour] because you don't know what you are going to say. You have a few words prepared, but you're very nervous. At least once we began to speak it was easier," he said afterwards.

The Ineos Grenadiers rider said that once he had presented the Pope with the bicycle and the jersey, the pair began to joke, with the Pope asking him "how many tinto" – the sugar-laced, concentrated black coffee shot found all over Colombia – he had needed to drink "to climb so strongly".

Bernal was not the first cycling figure to present the Pope with a bike, Ernesto Colnago gifting Pope John II a gold-plated Colnago in 1979. In 2016, Peter Sagan gave Pope Francis a Specialized road bike in the Papal colours of yellow and white, which fetched €30,000 when auctioned for charity.

You can check out the Pinarello Dogma auction here, and the signed maglia rosa here.