On Sun, 15 Feb 2004 10:46:02 +0000, "A.Lee" <
[email protected]>
wrote:
>On Sun, 15 Feb 2004 10:33:06 +0000, Steve McGinty wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 15 Feb 2004 10:19:16 +0000, "A.Lee" <
[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>On Sun, 15 Feb 2004 09:57:56 +0000, waffle wrote:
>>>
>>>> a professional athlete with apparent heart failure at the age of 23.
>>>>
>>>> That'd make him about number six, or so over the course of the last year. Doesn't it strike you
>>>> guys as a bit odd that arguably the fittest of all pro athletes (cyclists) aged in their 20's
>>>> have been dropping off. is there s.t. un-natural going on here, i.e. performance enhancing
>>>> drugs or am i missing something
>>>
>>>It is not completely uncommon for very fit sportsmen to have heart attacks, and just drop down
>>>dead.There have been a number of footballers in the UK that have died when apparently really fit
>>>with no known medical problems. Alan.
>>
>> Get real - no other sport has the problems cycling is now experiencing. Unfortunatley there will
>> be many more over the next few years as the effects of blood doping takes it heavy toll.
>
>Yes, cycling has dope problems (as do many other sports),but neither of these 2 deaths have been
>directly associated with doping.Pantani was known to be depressed, and has reportedly put on a lot
>of weight recently,thus ruling him out of any serious racing,the Belgian rider was found dead after
>a heart attack. As stated above,heart attacks do kill young people, and it seems to afflict very
>fit people more, proportionally, than 'average' people. Pantani was an allegedly known drug user
>(though he always denied it),so drug abuse cannot be ruled out yet, but leave it to the inquest to
>find out the truth. Alan.
David Walsh's article in today's Times is a sobering look at the sad death of Pantani
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2094-1002875,00.html
including:
"Speaking from Rome last night, (Professor) Sandro Donati expressed his sorrow at Pantani’s death
and his disgust at those who contributed to it.
“This night,” he said, “there are some doctors in Italy who should not sleep easily. Journalists,
too, played their part. They knew what he was doing and they urged him to go faster and faster. When
he won, they said he was a legend, when he was very unhealthy. Marco Pantani could have been a
legend by telling young people what he had done and how it had affected his life.”
It would be easy to recall the majesty of Pantani in full flight, but it would another piece of
hypocrisy. Better to remember that Pantani was destroyed by his ambition and by a sport with no will
to police itself properly. "
Regards! Stephen