Wheel 5200 for the winners of the Tour of Slovenia

The three best cyclists in the general classification of the Tour of Slovenia will receive special trophies – replicas of the oldest known, 5,200-year-old wooden wheel found in the Ljubljana Marshes.

A replica of this oldest known bicycle was made in the most modern 3D printing technique. The cup was entirely designed by the restorer of the City Museum of Ljubljana, Katarina Toman Kracina. The production of one trophy required almost 50 hours of very precise work, which was done in the Ljubljana company INTRI. The model is printed from special dust particles based on a 3D scan, which was previously made on the original wheel in a German conservation workshop in Mainz. The printed model is then accurately painted, which is the work of a museum restorer. Each trophy also has its own certificate, which proves its authenticity and gives additional value to the sculpture, which will be awarded to the winners of the 27th edition of the Tour of Slovenia.

The original Wheel 5200 is on display in the City museum of Ljubljana.

Photo of the last recipients of the unique Tour of Slovenia cup from 2019: in the middle the winner Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates), left second ranked Giovanni Visconti (Neri Sotolli-Selle Italia), right Alexander Vlasov (Gazprom-RusVelo)

Photo: Mario Stiehl