| 10/14/2002 | A UK-based bicycle trade website is to auction a unique cycling jersey to raise cash for CTC's Cyclists' Defense Fund which was set up last year to help cyclists who could be innocent victims of road crashes.
Trade-only website BikeBiz.co.uk is offering the Trek racing top, signed by four times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, for auction from this Wednesday, October 16. The auction will be open to the public as well as the bicycle trade.
Lance Armstrong signed the race-team jersey at the Interbike trade show last week. Those present at the signing included John Burke, president of Trek, one of the world's biggest bicycle manufacturers, and Carlton Reid, editor of BikeBiz.co.uk.
Reid has twice completed CTC's Phil and Friends Challenge ride helping to raise cash for the Fund which now holds almost £17,000. The ring fenced account will be used to fight potential legal precedents that could erode the cyclist's right to use roads.
Reid said: "I originally thought that the jersey would be bought by a Trek stockist to hang, framed, in their shop but the interest in the top has been so great since I returned from Las Vegas that it's only fair that it's offered to the public as well.
“A signed Lance Armstrong team jersey is a rare item and it could raise a tidy sum for the Cyclists' Defence Fund. Lance is a fervent supporter of grass-roots cycling in the US and he was more than willing to help support an important pro-cyclist initiative in the UK."
The auction comes as a welcome boost to the Cyclists’ Defence Fund, formed last year in the wake of claims by an insurer against the parents of nine-year-old cyclist Darren Coombs who was brain damaged when hit by a car.
Once sufficient cash is raised, CTC will use the Fund to enhance legal protection for, for example, cyclists put at risk by negligent motorists, poor road surfaces or court cases where helmet-wearing is an issue.
CTC Director Kevin Mayne said: “Carlton’s support for the Defence Fund, both as a cyclist and a journalist has been unwavering from the day it was set up. But we need substantially more before we can consider legal action. I hope that everyone with an interest in leisure, sport and utility cycling will consider bidding for the jersey and making a contribution to the Fund."
Bid for the jersey at: http://www.bikebiz.co.uk/infozone/auction/auction.php?id=2www.bikebiz.co.uk
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