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Lance Armstrong's bikes go under the hammer

Hirst butterfly bike the star attraction

Cycling fans with deep pockets will be keeping a close eye on proceedings at Sotheby’s in New York on 1 November when seven Trek bikes used by Lance Armstrong’s bikes during his comeback season this year, including six customised by some of the world’s leading artists, go under the hammer.

And the seventh? Well, you may just have heard of this one… it’s the Time Trial bike that was stolen and subsequently recovered in the Texan’s first race this year, the Tour of California.

But the star of the show is expected to be the Damien Hirst-designed Trek Madone which the Texan rode on the Champs Elysées on the final stage of the Tour de France and which incorporates real butterflies on the frame and rims. Recession or not, Hirst's work regularly commands seven-figure sums at auction and it would be a surprise if this one proved an exception, particularly given its uniqueness.

The bikes, which have been donated by Trek, were initially conceived to raise awareness of Stages, a contemporary art exhibition for the benefit of Armstrong’s cancer charity, Livestrong, which involved more than 20 artists and opened in Paris during the Tour de France. The exhibition is now moving to Deitch Projects in New York from October 31 to November 21, before ending at the Art Basel Miami Beach art fair in December.

Meanwhile the bikes themselves are being auctioned to raise money for Livestrong, and besides the Hirst butterfly bike include designs by artists such as Shepard Fairey, Yoshitomo Nara and Mark Newson. In the week prior to the auction, they will be on display to the public at Sotheby’s showroom at 1334 York Avenue in Manhattan in an exhibition called ‘It’s About The Bike’, running from 24 to 31 October from 10am to 5pm.

Riding on top of what are, after all, some pretty serious works of art is bound to have an impact, and Armstrong says “I'm not a gearhead, and my garage is anything but a cycling museum, but I can honestly say that letting go of my bikes has never been harder.”

“From Damien Hirst's masterpiece Tour de France "finale" Trek Madone covered in real butterflies, to the KAWS "Chompers" cycle that I broke my collarbone on in the Vuelta Castilla y León,” he continues, “every ride is a treasured piece of personal history that I'm proud to offer up to benefit Livestrong.
Each of these artists gave their time freely to this cause, and, because of their generosity, all proceeds from the sale of these bikes will go directly to help Livestrong continue to inspire and empower people affected by cancer.”

For those who can’t make the show or the auction in person, you can download a copy of the auction catalogue, which includes some great pictures of the bikes and the background behind the designs, here.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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wild man | 14 years ago
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You could always ride through a field to avoid a crash and hope to collect some butterflies, or fling some emulsion at a moving disc wheel to make a spin painting.

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manonabike | 14 years ago
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Oh if only eh. What a stunning creation the Hirst bike is I just cannot stop looking at it in the catalogue, I think it might just be out of my price league though - shame I think I would have looked good on it B)

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badbunny | 14 years ago
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Do you think I could get it under the bike to work scheme?  3

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