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Ivan Basso’s Bicycle in Auction for Emiko Seal Fund

Basso's bike being auctioned to help Japanese adventurer's fight against cancer...

Ivan Basso’s Cannondale Super Six which he rode in his first race on his return to cycling is currently being auctioned by Cannondale Japan, with proceeds going to the Seal Emiko Fund.

The auction can be found here and it's live now and lasts until March 20. To take part you will probably need to be able to speak Japanese or have access to someone who does. Current high bid is 401,000 yen (about £2,900) – the bid page (translated) is here.

The bike, custom-painted by Italian paint-meisters Artech Design, features a Japanese warrior theme and Japanese writing to mark  Basso’s return to pro cycling in the 2008 Japan Cup. It was raced by Basso to a third-place finish in the race and is truly one of a kind.

Emiko Seal is a committee member of JACC, the Japan Adventure Cyclist Club. In 1989, she started a world tour by bicycle with her husband Steve.

Together, they cycled through 77 countries and over 11,000 kilometers. Just before completing the goal in 2001, she was diagnosed with cancer and was given just six months to live. With her usual determination, she fought the cancer into remission and recommenced the tour in 2004. Last year, the cancer returned and Emiko now fights for her life. She continues her lectures “Dream, hope and courage” and has written a book “Beyond Cancer, Aim Towards the Horizon”.

“Cancer has touched my own family, too,” says Basso. “It’s something that has united many of us in cycling, and I’m proud that this bicycle is going to an excellent cause.”

You could translate the auction page using Google or Babelfish… but when we tried the results were far from ideal, or intelligible. However, it's a really good cause so if you are interested in bidding for the bike keep trying - they may put up an English page too and if that happens we'll let you know.

 

road.cc's founder and first editor, nowadays to be found riding a spreadsheet. Tony's journey in cycling media started in 1997 as production editor and then deputy editor of Total Bike, acting editor of Total Mountain Bike and then seven years as editor of Cycling Plus. He launched his first cycling website - the Cycling Plus Forum at the turn of the century. In 2006 he left C+ to head up the launch team for Bike Radar which he edited until 2008, when he co-launched the multi-award winning road.cc - finally handing on the reins in 2021 to Jack Sexty. His favourite ride is his ‘commute’ - which he does most days inc weekends and he’s been cycle-commuting since 1994. His favourite bikes are titanium and have disc brakes, though he'd like to own a carbon bike one day.

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