Is this a sick joke? (Procycling News)



alicem

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Feb 12, 2004
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Photo By File photo


Pantani in 1998, when he won both the Tour and Giro


Former Tour de France winner Marco Pantani was found dead Saturday in the Italian seaside resort of Rimini, according to a report on the website of Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

The report quoted local police officials. The Italian news agency Ansa reported that the cause of his death was still unknown, although police reports said no violence was involved.

Franco Ballerini, coach of the Italian national cycling team, was quoted as saying: "It's something that is so huge, it doesn't seem true."

Pantani, a fine climber nicknamed "The Pirate," who regularly wore colorful bandanas over his shaved head, won both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in 1998. He was the first Italian to win the Tour de France since Felice Gimondi in 1965.

But Pantani was the subject of a major scandal in 1999 when he was thrown out of the Giro. Leading the race, he failed a test for hematocrit -- an indicator, though not proof, of the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

He was also banned in 2002 for using insulin during the previous year's Giro.

Pantani rode in the 2003 Giro, finishing a disappointing 14th, and was later treated in a drugs and depression clinic. His team, Mercatone Uno, was not invited to take part in the centenary Tour de France last year.
 
I was only re watching the tapes of him ride to that epic victory in the '98 T.D.F today.

God bless him and his family.

Alice
 
alicem said:
Photo By File photo


Pantani in 1998, when he won both the Tour and Giro


Former Tour de France winner Marco Pantani was found dead Saturday in the Italian seaside resort of Rimini, according to a report on the website of Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

The report quoted local police officials. The Italian news agency Ansa reported that the cause of his death was still unknown, although police reports said no violence was involved.

Franco Ballerini, coach of the Italian national cycling team, was quoted as saying: "It's something that is so huge, it doesn't seem true."

Pantani, a fine climber nicknamed "The Pirate," who regularly wore colorful bandanas over his shaved head, won both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in 1998. He was the first Italian to win the Tour de France since Felice Gimondi in 1965.

But Pantani was the subject of a major scandal in 1999 when he was thrown out of the Giro. Leading the race, he failed a test for hematocrit -- an indicator, though not proof, of the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

He was also banned in 2002 for using insulin during the previous year's Giro.

Pantani rode in the 2003 Giro, finishing a disappointing 14th, and was later treated in a drugs and depression clinic. His team, Mercatone Uno, was not invited to take part in the centenary Tour de France last year.
ewww
 
alicem said:
Photo By File photo


Pantani in 1998, when he won both the Tour and Giro


Former Tour de France winner Marco Pantani was found dead Saturday in the Italian seaside resort of Rimini, according to a report on the website of Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

The report quoted local police officials. The Italian news agency Ansa reported that the cause of his death was still unknown, although police reports said no violence was involved.

Franco Ballerini, coach of the Italian national cycling team, was quoted as saying: "It's something that is so huge, it doesn't seem true."

Pantani, a fine climber nicknamed "The Pirate," who regularly wore colorful bandanas over his shaved head, won both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in 1998. He was the first Italian to win the Tour de France since Felice Gimondi in 1965.

But Pantani was the subject of a major scandal in 1999 when he was thrown out of the Giro. Leading the race, he failed a test for hematocrit -- an indicator, though not proof, of the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

He was also banned in 2002 for using insulin during the previous year's Giro.

Pantani rode in the 2003 Giro, finishing a disappointing 14th, and was later treated in a drugs and depression clinic. His team, Mercatone Uno, was not invited to take part in the centenary Tour de France last year.
ddds
 
Interesting stories. Cause of death unknown, kind of sketchy. Sounds like homicide maybe.