I was mildly surprised when I first learned that the bicycle Lance Armstrong rides in the Tour de France is available for sale to mere mortals like me.
I thought there must be secret technology involved in manufacturing the bike. Lance wouldn’t want Trek Bicycles to make the bike available to possible competitors, just like the US didn’t let Lockheed sell missiles to the Soviets. But there it is on the Trek website, the Madone 5.9, on sale for $5,000-plus.
Now Trek is selling 600 exact replicas of the bicycle Lance rode into Paris last summer. In addition to sporting Bontrager components, each Madone is numbered and autographed by Lance. The list price is $9,499.99, but $500 goes to the LiveStrong cancer charity.
As for me, I’d be too nervous to ride it outside. It might get dirty, scratched, or otherwise messed up. If I saved it for indoor riding on a trainer, then the sweat would drip off my nose right onto Lance’s autograph.
I think I’ll stick to my Lemond bike. It’s already scratched and a little dirty, so I don’t have to worry about it.
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