Robin Williams 87 Bicycles Auctioned for Charity
Robin Williams wasn’t only one of the funniest people on the planet. He was was also an avid cyclist and advocate for people with disabilities.
Williams was an obsessive cyclist, often seen riding throughout the Bay Area. “Watching my dad get on a bike was like watching a penguin spread its wings and take flight,” Zelda Williams reflected at the Noble Awards gala in 2015, according to the Paddle 8 site. “He’d take off at inhuman speed, a smile on his face, and never look back.”
“Though bright, skin-tight spandex still remains one of the more embarrassing outfits to regularly witness your Dad wearing growing up, the sport of biking and the people Dad helped through his love of it, will always hold a special place in the hearts of our family,” the family said in an statement. “Causes like the Reeve Foundation, championed by his longtime friends Chris and Dana Reeve, and the Challenged Athletes Foundation, in whose triathlons he often biked, were both deeply important to him and we’re honored to be able to continue to support them both in Dad’s name.”
Eighty-seven of Robin Williams rare, prized bicycles are expected to bring $200,000 in a massive online auction at Paddle 8. Sales from the bikes – which include a unicycle, a child’s Schwinn cruiser and a handmade “Responsorium” by acclaimed builder Dario Pegoretti – will benefit the Challenged Athletes Foundation and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, two of the late actor’s favorite charities.
A polka-dotted “Master Pisa” Futura 2000 bicycle, made by Colnago and La Carrera, is among the most valuable. It has already gotten a $19,000 bid.
