Tadej Pogačar's bike sold for £45,600 at auction

Tadej Pogačar's special edition Colnago C68 sold for £45,600 (approximately USD $59,140) in an auction today.

Offered up via luxury auctioneers Sotheby's, the bike is the first of just 111 'Fleur-de-Lys' models produced and features an 18-karat yellow gold emblem on the head tube, plus gold spokes to boot.

Ready for Amazon Prime Day? Browse cycling deals in advance

Colnago created the set of 111 Limited Edition Fleur-de-Lys bikes to commemorate the 2024 Tour de France starting in Italy for the first time in its 111-year history, with the regal flower being chosen as a symbol of union between the two countries.

The symbol combines both the Coat of Arms of Florence, where Stage 1 of the Tour began, and where the bike was unveiled, and the Fleur de Lys which has been the symbol of French royalty since the Middle Ages.

The new owner will be glad to learn that Pogačar has kept the bike in pristine condition, never actually racing it in anger. Instead, he arrived on it at the pre-Tour UAE Team Emirates’ rider presentation on 27th June.

As you would expect given the ever-increasing price tag of this exclusive bike, the componentry is beyond range topping.

Just like the UAE Team Emirate's team bikes , this special Colnago boasts a Shimano Dura Ace R9270 Di2 groupset, uplifted with limited edition componentry from Italian brand Carbon Ti.

The rotors, rear derailleur cage, and chainrings all come from the brand, which specialises in ultra lightweight componentry, and the chainrings even feature a Colnago branded cut-out to match the bike.

Once again mimicking the WorldTour Team, the wheels come from Enve, though again, these are far from off the shelf.

The ENVE SES 4.5 wheels are Limited Edition Colnago X Tour de France, hand spoked in Italy with special gold spokes to match the blue and gold theme.

The finishing kit is handled by Colnago and Prologo, with an in-house integrated handlebar and stem, and a limited edition Prologo saddle, which of course features the Fleur de Lys design.

But how will the new owner confirm that this really was Tadej Pogačar's bike? Well besides the photos circulating online, the bike features a gold NFC tag on the downtube - scan that, and it will reveal that Pogačar was indeed the first owner of the bike.