Fenced by the man who stole it in Sacramento for $200, the bicycle whose theft was heard around the world is soon to fetch much more at auction in New York City.
Seven Trek bikes used by Lance Armstrong, six of them custom-painted by premier artists, will hit the auction block at Sotheby's on Sunday. Included is the bike filched and then recovered on the streets of Sacramento when Armstrong was in town for the Tour of California.
The bikes are on exhibition at Sotheby's, and the auction house will be taking bids during a charity auction to benefit Armstrong's LIVESTRONG cancer foundation. Auction participation is by invitation.
The auction catalog describes the bike as "California1274 'Stolen Bike.' " The number 1274 refers to the number of days Armstrong was in retirement following his seventh Tour de France victory in 2005.
In part, the catalog notes:
"On February 15, 2009, it was stolen from Lance's equipment trailer in Sacramento after its run in the Tour of California prologue."
The black-and-yellow Trek time-trial bicycle, valued at $10,000, was one of three bicycles lifted from a rental trailer parked in a downtown alley.
A police report in the court file states that the thief admitted to detectives that he pried the padlock off the trailer with the metal kickstand from his own bike. Then he locked the time trial bike to a tree, re-entered the trailer and removed the other two bikes belonging to Armstrong's Team Astana before returning for the Trek.
The report said Lee Monroe Crider, who has a 21-year criminal history in Sacramento, sold the bike to another man, Dung Hoang Le, for $200.
It was Le who turned the bicycle over to police.
The two men pleaded no contest in Sacramento Superior Court.
In a short essay to potential buyers, Armstrong encourages auction goers to bid generously. He speaks glowingly of the paint and decal ornamentation on the bikes.
"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," Armstrong wrote. "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 Leon, every ride is a treasured piece of personal history that I'm proud to offer up to benefit LIVESTRONG."
Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.
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