Tadej Pogačar's rainbow Colnago Y1Rs sells for nearly $200,000 at auction

A custom Colnago Y1Rs ridden by Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) during races like the Tour de France and World Championships has sold for $190,500 in a Sotheby's auction.

Many bids were placed on the bike, which had an initial estimated cost of $15,000-20,000 when it was listed, but was sold for ten times that at just shy of $200,000.

Just a few minutes before the auction ended on Friday afternoon, the bidding had stagnated at $90,000, but last minute action saw the final price increase by another $100,000.

Whilst the exact Colnago frame isn't for sale, we estimate the RRP for a similarly equipped Y1Rs to be in the range of $22,000-29,000 (£17,000-22,000).

Sotheby's keep seller information private, so we're not sure who will be receiving almost $200k (minus Sotheby's commission) for the custom machine, but it was part of a collection of four Colnagos called 'Colnago: Legends & Icons', so the seller could well be Colnago itself.

We don't know who got their hands on Pogačar's, either, but the auction house rightly listed it as a collector's item, rather than a very, very expensive new ride for the buyer.

"A unique and historically significant racing machine, the Colnago Y1Rs Raw Carbon is a bicycle for the most passionate and discerning collectors," the listing read.

Other bikes in the Colnago collection at Sotheby's included a restored vintage track bike and João Almeida's C68 from this year's Vuelta a España, which sold for $21,590 – modest in comparison to the huge sum for his teammates' bike.

Pogačar first rode the bike in question during the uphill time trial at the Tour de France this year, in its plain black form, but the paint job and look was upgraded during the race, and now features rainbow details, celebrating the Slovenian's world titles.

The new-look bike first broke cover on the stage to Mont Ventoux.

After making its debut at the Tour, Sotheby's say this was the same bike he used to ride to his other big victories of the second half of the season.

"Pogačar went on to secure his fourth Tour de France title, cementing his place among cycling’s elite. From that day forward, he used no other bike for his major victories, achieving further triumphs including the World Championships, the European Championships, and a record fifth consecutive Il Lombardia — all aboard this distinctive carbon-black Y1Rs," the listing reads.

The bike's short but successful career is now over, and it is now set to be owned by a deep-pocketed collector. Though we don't know who the buyer is, these iconic bikes sometimes end up on show again at bike shows and events, so this iconic steed may be exhibited again soon, an artefact from Pogačar's most successful season to date.