The Georgia Cancer Coalition (GCC) has raised more than $800 from the sale of the Paris-Roubaix cycling jersey donated by Italian champion Andrea Tafi at the 2005 Tour de Georgia. The proceeds from this sale will be matched by the GCC and allocated directly to Georgia 's Cancer Research Awards program, which brings the total contribution to $1800.
Clive Chapman of Great Britain won the jersey in an eBay auction, telling the GCC, "Andrea Tafi was the winner of the first professional bike race my wife and I ever saw in 1997 and so is very special to us. We have watched him race many times since, either on TV or at the roadside in Europe."
The Chapmans are quite loyal fans of Tafi, having won a jersey of the former champion at another auction. "This will be the second signed Andrea Tafi jersey that we have bought at auction," said Chapman. "In 1999 Andrea was the Chief Guest at an annual cycling charity dinner we attended. At the time he was the Italian champion and he bought with him an Italian Champions jersey for auction. I successfully bid for it and he signed it with a personal dedication to my wife June."
Tafi, winner of the 1999 Paris-Roubaix one-day classic in Belgium, wore this cobblestone-inspired jersey at the 2005 Paris-Roubaix, his final European race. He also wore this jersey in his final race as a professional, Stage Six of the 2005 Dodge Tour de Georgia. After being presented the Aaron's Most Aggressive Jersey for Stage Six in Alpharetta, Ga., Tafi donated this jersey to the Georgia Cancer Coalition.
