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Four-time Vuelta a España winner Roberto Heras has put the golden bicycle he used for his triumphant ride into Madrid this year up for auction on eBay's Spanish web site with hopes of raising money to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina in the U.S.

Heras, who won his fourth Vuelta on September 18, rode a special edition carbon frame from BH with gold-highlighted components into Madrid on the final stage of the Spanish tour.

Bidding began at 1.00 euro on Friday, with early estimates suggesting a final price of around 18,000 euros, but bids had already reached 11,800 euros after just five hours. The ten-day auction will end on October 17, with all of the proceeds going to Katrina relief efforts.

Heras, who won the Vuelta in 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2005, was inspired by the recent eBay auction of the rackets used by Roger Federer and Andre Agassi in the final of the U.S. Open. The rackets brought in a total of $40,000, all of which was turned over to the relief effort.

The Congressional Budget Office, on Thursday, estimated the total recovery costs associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita could exceed $200 billion.