Every year, as the season draws to a close and sponsors change, it is common to see former team bikes for sale on various official auction sites. Given the considerable costs involved in running a cycling team, this is a good way for teams to recoup their proceeds and ensure a service course to quickly introduce new bikes for the following season.

This year, we have been able to find a number of bikes on the auction site matchwornshirt.com, including Visma-Lease A Bike, Ineos Grenadiers, DSM-Firmenich PostNL, Lotto Dstny, Soudal Quick-Step, and EF Education-Easypost star riders' team bikes were found. As the name suggests, the site specializes in soccer shirts worn by famous players, but there are subsections for everything from speed skating to handball memorabilia.

If you're lucky (and no one bids on you), as of this writing you can pick up a Jonas Vingegaard Cervelo S5 for just over £5,000. Without professional connections, that's a ridiculous bargain at the moment, considering that these specs usually cost £12,000 or more.

Other bargains include Geraint Thomas' Pinarello Dogma F for £3,977, Egan Bernal's comparable but smaller bike for just £3,059, and Richard Karapas' Cannondale SuperSix Evo for £2,989.

Perhaps the biggest bargain is John Degenkolb's two-time Monument winner Scott Foil RC Pro for just £2,985. Sure, there are still four days left in these auctions and prices will undoubtedly skyrocket, but one can dream, can't one?

Are these bikes a buy? On the one hand, they have been meticulously cared for by professional mechanics throughout the season. On the other hand, they have been raced by professionals. On the other hand, they have been raced by professionals, meaning they have been ridden hard in all conditions throughout the season.

Perhaps the disclaimer under the Degenkolb bikes says it best:

“They have been meticulously and professionally maintained by the mechanics of Team DSM-Filmenig Post NL to ensure their safety when used again. Some parts of the bike may have been replaced in order to ensure its safety when used again.