Images of Wout van Aert’s biggest wins sold as NFTs, bids top $2000 after 24 hours
Three images of Wout van Aert’s biggest victories are currently valued at more than $2000 just 24 hours after being put up for auction.
The Belgian’s wins up Mont Ventoux and on the Champs-Élysées at this year’s Tour de France, as well as his 2020 Strade Bianche victory, are being sold as NFTs. A non-fungible token (NFT) is a digital certificate of ownership via blockchain, the same technology used in Bitcoin.
“For the first time in history, three of my career highlights will be immortalised as NFTs,” Wout van Aert said advertising the details of how to become the one and only owner.
Bidding on momentible.io has steadily picked up over the first day the auction has been live, and with 48 hours still to go until the sale ends on the evening of November 16, the price of each will likely increase further.
>>> The truth about cycling and back pain: Q&A with a myth-busting physio
Currently, the Mont Ventoux NFT is the most expensive, the current bid being nearly $1,300, while the highest bids for the Champs-Élysées and Strade Bianche images are $400.
Replying to tweets promoting the NFTs from Wout van Aert’s and Jumbo-Visma’s Twitter accounts, fans were less than impressed with the idea, with many pointing to the environmental concerns regarding NFTs.
While many will balk at the price these images are currently going for, two NFTs listed on the same website featuring images of marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge have bids of nearly $1 million each.
After a successful season where he won three Tour de France stages, Gent-Wevelgem, the Amstel Gold Race, the Belgium National Road Championships and the Tour of Britain, Wout van Aert took home the title of Flandrien of the year for the third year in a row. He won ahead of Tim Merlier and Jasper Stuyven, while Lotte Kopecky took home the women’s award.