Bernal auctions Tour de France jerseys and bike for children's charity in Colombia
Ineos riders puts yellow and white jerseys online
Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) is auctioning a bike, along with jerseys from the Tour de France, in order to provide food and other supplies for Colombian children during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 23-year-old, who won the Tour de France last year, is running the auction to raise money for Fundación Exito, a children's charity.
There are three jerseys up for grabs, including the iconic yellow Tour de France leader's jersey that Bernal wore last year. Bidders can also win the white jersey Bernal wore earlier in the race as best young rider, as well as a standard-issue Team Ineos jersey.
As well as the jersey, Bernal is auctioning a bike that's "similar to the one I train and race on". His standard bike is a Pinarello Dogma F12 with Shimano Dura-Ace wheels and groupset.
"We're currently facing an enormous problem, here in Colombia and across the world, and I want to make a proposition. Together with Fundación Exito, we're going to run a big auction with some great things that will hopefully see many of you participate," Bernal said in a video message.
"In addition, what you can do is, if you want to donate some money, you can go to fundacionexito.org. From the money we manage to collect, we can gather supplies and distribute them to the children who need it most.
"I'm doing something on my part. This is a challenge. Everyone is accepting challenges, this is my challenge, and I hope you accept it and we can raise a lot of money for kids who need it so badly."
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Bernal's auction comes 24 hours after Alberto Contador placed his 2011 Specialized Tarmac on eBay. Others in professional cycling to contribute to the coronavirus relief effort include Davide Martinelli, who is using his bike to courier medicine and other supplies to the vulnerable in his home region in Italy, and Michał Kwiatkowski, who has offered up apartments he owns in Poland for doctors and nurses.
Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.