Graeme Obree’s Beastie bike is expected to be the star lot at an auction of more than 20 items from the former world champion and Hour record holder’s career go under the hammer in Glasgow next week.
Four years ago at Battle Mountain, Nevada, Obree hit a top speed of 58.62mph on the bike to set a new record for prone cycling under International Human Powered Vehicle Association (IHPVA) rules.
Built by Obree in his kitchen, and including a repurposed part of a saucepan, it is expected to fetch between £10,000 and £15,000 at the sale at Great Western Auctions in Glasgow next Friday 22 September.
Other items up for sale include Obree’s UCI World Championship gold medal from 1993, when Obree won the individual pursuit using the now-banned ‘Superman’ position, with an estimate of £2,000-£3,000.
There’s also the medal presented to Obree, who turned 51 this week, for breaking the UCI Hour Record in 1994, with bidding anticipated to be in the range of £1,000-£1,500.
For those on a more modest budget, lots expected to go for £200 or less include two national champion’s jerseys worn by Obree as well as a selection of prints and paintings and memorabilia from the 1996 Olympic Games,
The item expected to go for the least amount of money, with an estimate of between £30 and £50?
A key presented to Obree after he appeared on the BBC programme, Through The Keyhole.
As Loyd Grossman used to ask, “Who lives in a house like this?”
We’d like to think that all road.cc readers would have got the answer correct after one look at that kitchen-cum-workshop.
You can view all the lots here.
Simon has been news editor at road.cc since 2009, reporting on 10 editions and counting of pro cycling’s biggest races such as the Tour de France, stories on issues including infrastructure and campaigning, and interviewing some of the biggest names in cycling. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, his background has proved invaluable in reporting on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, and the bike industry. He splits his time between London and Cambridge, and loves taking his miniature schnauzer Elodie on adventures in the basket of her Elephant Bike.