Alberto Contador auctions bike from 2011 Giro d’Italia and Tour de France to aid coronavirus fight

Alberto Contador is selling his special edition bike from the 2011 Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.

The retired Grand Tour star is raising money for the Spanish Red Cross during the global coronavirus pandemic, and has decided to sell his custom Specialized Tarmac to raise funds.

Contador crossed the line first in the 2011 Giro, but was later stripped of the win and his position in the Tour that summer after being banned for doping.

Despite being stripped of the results, Contador said the bike is very special to him.

In an Instagram post, the Spaniard said: “Hello everyone, we are still fighting with this Covid-19 and I want to make one more effort, I think there is no better time than now. I'm going to auction this bike, original Giro-Tour 2011 very special for me, the proceeds will go entirely to [the Spanish Red Cross] .I will do it through eBay.

“A big hug.”

The bike, complete with a custom paint job showing the colours of the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, currently has 63 bids on eBay and is up to €12,400 (around £10,000).

Contador has posted a video of the bike on his Instagram account, also revealing his staggering collection of bikes from his career kept in his basement.

The 2011 bike may seem a strange choice for Contador, as he was stripped of all of his results from that season after he was handed a two-year doping ban the following year.

Contador is not the only rider involved in offering helping during the coronavirus pandemic.

>>> Tom Dumoulin says cycling calendar could be permanently redesigned after coronavirus

Team Ineos rider Luke Rowe offered a kind donation of a new bike to an NHS doctor whose bike was stolen while he worked in the intensive care unit.

Rowe’s team-mate Michał Kwiatkowski has offered his apartments out free to health staff who need a place to live or self isolate during the global crisis.