Tadej Pogacar’s Tour de France bike now worth thousands - UAE 2023 Tour bike headed for an unexpected fate
CyclingSaturday, 19 September 2026 at 21:30
A bicycle carrying a slice of Tour de France history has changed hands for several thousand euros. It is one of the machines used by Tadej Pogacar during the 2023 edition, a race that once again pitted the Slovenian against Jonas Vingegaard in one of the most memorable duels of recent years.
The item, as reported by the specialist podcast Escapa, was put up for auction and the proceeds will go entirely to charity. All funds will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross, which will allocate them to its relief program for those affected by the Kumamoto earthquake.
Beyond its monetary value, the bike evokes one of the most intense chapters of Pogacar’s Tour trajectory. The UAE Team Emirates rider arrived at the French race after fracturing his wrist at Liège–Bastogne–Liège and had to face an edition defined by his nonstop duel with Vingegaard.
The Slovenian finished second overall, took two stage wins, and reclaimed the white jersey as best young rider for a fourth consecutive time. That edition also produced some of the most iconic images of his career, from his victory at Cauterets-Cambasque to his collapse on the Col de la Loze.
Tadej Pogacar reaparece Tadej Pogacar reaparece tras su caída en La Vuelta su caída en La Vuelta
A bicycle tied to one of the Tour’s great duels
The machine gains special value precisely because it accompanied Pogacar during that battle for the yellow jersey. Although Vingegaard sealed the overall, the Slovenian remained his main rival for much of the race and delivered several of the three weeks’ standout moments.
Among them were his win at Cauterets-Cambasque, where Pogacar clawed back time on the Dane, and the episode on the Col de la Loze. There, completely on the limit, the Slovenian radioed his now-famous “I’m gone, I’m dead,” a line that summed up the toll taken during one of that edition’s decisive days.
Pogacar managed to recover partially in the following days and closed the Tour with another victory on the penultimate stage, finishing at Le Markstein. He wrapped up a race in which, despite missing yellow, he again showed his ability to fight to the very end.
Bike goes towards a great cause
Now, that bicycle is back in the spotlight far from French roads. Interest from fans and collectors in bikes used by cycling’s leading figures has turned these items into highly coveted pieces, especially when linked to specific races and moments.
In this case, the historical dimension is matched by a charitable purpose. The money raised by the auction will be used to help those affected by the Kumamoto earthquake through the Japanese Red Cross.
A bicycle that formed part of one of the Tour’s recent great duels will now serve a cause that goes far beyond sport.
Javier RampeCycling Journalist
Javier Rampe is a sports analyst with more than 15 years of experience. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Rome and a Diploma in Business Studies from the University of Cádiz. Despite coming from an academic background not particularly associated with cycling, his passion for both cycling and journalism was instilled in him from an early age. He grew up following Miguel Indurain and José María “El Chava” Jiménez. An admirer of Michael Robinson’s communication style and journalistic approach, he was inspired to pursue a degree in Journalism at the University of Buenos Aires, which he is currently completing.
He has always maintained close ties with the worlds of sport and culture, contributing from a young age to sports blogs and film and music review websites. His work has appeared in media outlets such as Cope, RAI, and Radio Con Vos. He is also the founder of the cycling-focused podcast El Contraanálisis and the football interview channel Días De Fútbol, dedicated to conversations with professional footballers.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Javier has interviewed some of the most influential figures in modern cycling, including Alejandro Valverde and Tadej Pogačar, as well as key voices in anti-doping policy such as Alberto Yelmo, David Varillas, and Marcelo Milano. Marcos Maynar, in relation to the ‘Operación Ílex’ case, is also among the personalities he has interviewed. He enjoys conducting in-depth analysis of the cycling ecosystem and has attended major events such as Strade Bianche, the Vuelta a Andalucía, and Itzulia, as well as numerous national cyclo-cross races.
His background in economics, combined with extensive experience in marketing and corporate communications, drives his continuous study of positioning strategies and ensures that he always keeps his focus on crafting compelling and evocative headlines.
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- This is an informative article, but some of the sentences are very hard to read in English. The following is an example: "Although only one month remains to the season, some meaningful moves are still yet to be made in the market. Some are a matter of time to be made public, but new potential transfers have been rumoured over the past week. Daniel Benson, Ciro Scognamiglio, Wielerflits, Het Laatste Nieuws and Het Nieuwsblad often contribute towards a hub of market activity that creates a clear picture. The previous has reported on three potential signings for the American Modern Adventure Pro Cycling team: Australian national champion Pattrick Eddy; Josh Burnett and Owen Cole." Just get a native speaker or, if that is too expensive, an AI to translate/correct them for you.SuperConfexYokoOno20-09-2026
- I should have guess Mr shoot his mouth off and no research would comment without knowing. Yes on any given year there are 75-100 countries that participate in the world championships. Which is why I said 80. So they’re really good when comparing to all 80. Not as impressive on this list. If you don’t understand how percentages work, and don’t want to do the research, LMK. I’ll explain it for you.mij19-09-2026
- Why should you check about who someone actually is before making comments based on their looks alone? Really??? That’s your excuse? So do you also look at pictures of Black people and make assumptions on looks alone? Who are you to say it is easy money to have one’s picture taken? How many photo shoots have you done? Note to you I’ve been in them. Not for me. But it is grueling for everyone. And of course you have nothing to say about the many other positive attributes of her. You judge on looks alone and use your morals to castigate her. You’re pathetic.mij19-09-2026
- Couldn’t agree more. Demi frequently uses her platform to promote good, thinking back to all the moments she’s raised mental health awareness, eating disorders, inspiring the younger generations to ‘dream’, and now (as she has done many times before) advocating for women’s sport. I’m relieved to see a few members on this forum agree with her, but am slightly concerned by the few users who clearly don’t; some users who I didn’t expect to have such narrow-minded opinions.anonymouscyclist19-09-2026
- Oh dear... we all knew what would happen when Mou got news of it... 3 days later
Rafionain-Glas19-09-2026 - 0:02.5 is 2.5 seconds, not 0.02Rafionain-Glas19-09-2026
- 80 huh? I don’t know how many are in the all- time list and I don’t even know what this list actually represents because it doesn’t correspond to well-labelled ones that include a description of what is or is not included (which would be a more interesting discussion than this one) but I can tell you on the modern list of SENIOR (ie no U23 or other categories) road racing champs there are already 38 different current countries (I specify specifically because if you start considering East/West Germany, Soviet Union, Che/Slo, Balkanisation, etc. things get messy).Mistermaumau19-09-2026
- Sydney Sweeney’s viral nude sports advert is good for womens sport overall. The “Just Sports” campaign, which features Sweeney nude while covering herself with various pieces of sporting equipment could also be good for cycling if Sweeney was naked on a road racing bike. There are quite a few women cyclists thar are just beautiful. Demi said: “For a long time, women have fought to be seen for what they can do, not for how they look.” ... Women should be saying: "We will fight for what we can do, and for how we look." There is nothing nicer than a high class professional female athlete with a beautiful body and a beautiful face. Just take a look at womens beach volleyball... or 100-meter and 200-meter runners... or womens long-jump... or womens gymnastics. I never watch men in these sports. Ad acta.PogiSloFans19-09-2026
- Racing road bikes is a dangerous sport, I've almost lost my life twice doing it. This was a complete tragedy, it shouldn't have happened. The driver of the van was told by spectators the race had passed, which it hadn't at that point as the broom wagon was still behind. For the UCI's part, they are about to implement a gps tracking system so every rider is accounted for within a given race, it probably won't happen until next year or maybe even the year after but it's coming.awp19-09-2026
- Why should I check? If you stoop to such a level with intact intellect you need a bloody good reason. Even Walter White didn’t have good enough reasons for selling out. Comparing and equating someone who uses their body to reach the peak of athleticism with someone who (with a lot of photographic work) shows off their body in order to make easy money? Sorry, you may have good intentions but that’s really warped. Next you’ll be telling women (and girls) they’re lucky they can earn money (and far more than men , for once) this way because there’s a demand, either real or supposed, from a mainly male audience.Mistermaumau19-09-2026
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