The most spectacular thing Wout van Aert has ever done on his bike, the 2022 Tour de France remains to this day perhaps. He led the entire peloton into a pile toward Calais, winning sprints and racing in the yellow jersey for four days before taking the green jersey overall. In between, he worked tirelessly for his Visma | Lease a Bike partner Jonas Vingegaard, who won his first Tour de France two years ago.
Van Aert rode part of the Tour on his Cervélo R5 starting in 2021. That bike is also now being auctioned off for charity. Again, because the donor had previously purchased the bike at a similar auction. And whether the rig yielded a nice penny: a bid of no less than 38,000 euros was needed to get the bike.
The bike is signed by Van Aert and also has a certificate of authenticity, handwritten by Van Aert ‘himself’. “I loved having my Cervélo R5 at my side during multiple attacks uphill. Not only to grab points in the hilly stages, but also to help the team in the hunt for the yellow jersey. This bike made it possible to win my first green jersey.”
The proceeds will go to non-profit organization Bremmen, an initiative that organizes camps for children and adolescents with the aim of developing and sustaining self-reliance, a healthy lifestyle, positivity and resilience. Something that is of course tailor-made for Van Aert.
