Bike presented to Pope Francis by Sagan being auctioned off for Italian coronavirus relief
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The Specialized Venge presented to Pope Francis by Peter Sagan in 2018(Image credit: Specialized)
The Specialized Venge presented to Pope Francis by Peter Sagan in 2018 - it glows in the dark!(Image credit: Specialized)
The Specialized Venge presented to Pope Francis by Peter Sagan in 2018(Image credit: Specialized)
The head tube has the coat of arms of the Holy See and Vatican City(Image credit: Specialized)
The Specialized Venge presented to Pope Francis by Peter Sagan in 2018(Image credit: Specialized)
A closer look at the head tube(Image credit: Specialized)
The coat of arms is also on the down tube with the flag of Argentina and Francesco for Pope Francis on the top tube(Image credit: Specialized)
The Specialized Venge presented to Pope Francis by Peter Sagan in 2018(Image credit: Specialized)
The Specialized Venge was on display at Specialized headquarters before being presented to Pope Francis by Peter Sagan in 2018 (Image credit: Specialized)
The Specialized Venge presented to Pope Francis by Peter Sagan in 2018 (Image credit: Specialized)
The Specialized Venge presented to Pope Francis by Peter Sagan in 2018 (Image credit: Specialized)
In 2018, Peter Sagan presented a yellow and white Specialized Venge to Pope Francis and the bike is now part of a collection of items being auctioned for charity to benefit hospitals in Bergamo and Brescia, the areas of Italy hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cyclingnews now has more details about the unique bike that is being auctioned as part of the Pope's "We Run Together" campaign - spoiler alert: it glows in the dark!
The auctions is live on the site Charitystars.com and the highest bid is €13,500 as of this printing.
The Venge came out in 2011 and combines the aerodynamics of the Shiv with the low weight and responsiveness of the Tarmac. That year's McLaren Venge model carried Matt Goss to victory in Milan-San Remo.
The bike that is being auctioned is a first generation Venge with a special paint job that includes a glow-in-the-dark white paint with yellow accents.
On the head tube and down tube is printed the coat of arms of the Holy See and Vatican City, with the flag of Pope Francis' native Argentina and his name Francesco emblazoned on the top tube.
The groupset is SRAM Apex, chosen specifically for the matching white crank arms and shift paddles, with white bars wrapped in matching bar tape, shift lever hoods and cables, and matching saddle and pedals.
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