Alberto Contador auctions 2011 Giro and Tour bike for Red Cross

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Alberto Contador has placed the bike he used at the 2011 Giro d'Italia and Tour de France up for auction on eBay in order to raise funds for Red Cross during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The Spaniard initially won the 2011 Giro before placing fifth at the Tour de France, although he was stripped of both results when handed a doping ban the following year. 

Posting a video on Wednesday from his underground bike collection - photographed exclusively by Cyclingnews two years ago - Contador picks out the white Specialized S-Works tarmac he used in 2011 while riding for Saxo Bank. 

The frame comes with personal touches such as Contador's name alongside a Spanish flag, along with pink, yellow, and red chevrons to represent his victories in the Giro, Tour, and Vuelta a España. 

The bike is equipped with a 'Limited Tour Edition' SRAM groupset, which sees yellow flashes on the brake levers and calipers. It has 52 and 39-tooth chainrings at the front and a 10-speed cassette. The cranks are supplied by Shimano and the pedals are from Speedplay. The carbon wheels come from Zipp and the handlebars from FSA. 

The bike was initially listed with a price of 2,500 euros, although, at the time of writing, the bidding stands at 10,000 euros.

All the money raised from the final sale will go to 'Red Cross Responds', the humanitarian organisation's effort to deal with the effects of the pandemic. 

"I want to show you something very special. It's the bike I used in 2011, from Mount Etna [where he won a stage of the Giro] and the attack on the Télégraphe on the stage to Alpe d'Huez [at the Tour]," Contador said. 

"I've decided to donate this bike - an authentic - for the Red Cross' work during COVID-19, which is doing so much damage."

The bike is just one of more than 40 in Contador's basement, which is something of a shrine to his career and also houses a number of his trophies. Click here for a full gallery of the collection.