Pantani - Rest In Peace

The news of Marco Pantani's untimely death in a hotel room in Rimini, Italy is indeed very, very shocking news.

No definitive cause of death has been proscribed at the time of writing.

Our sport has lost one of the all time greats.

Marco - thanks for all the pleasure that you gave us through the years - may you rest in Peace.

 

Just re-reading my cycling literature here, as I still try to contemplate Marco's loss.

Cylce Sport Magazine 1998 : September Page 24 :

Pantani on Time :
Prologue Dublin 6-12 down on Boardman, ullrich 6th : Pantani
181st !
Stage 10 : Pau-Luchon : Massi 5-49-10, Pantani 2nd at 10 seconds, Ullrich 8th at 59 seconds.
(Overall Jan 47-25-18, Pantani 11th at 4 mins 41 seconds)
Stage 11 Luchon - Plateau de Beille (170km)
1st Marco 5-15-27, Jan Ullrich 8th at 1 minute 40.
(Overall Ullrich 52-42-25, Pantani 4th at 3 minutes 1 second)
Stage 15 Grenoble - Les Deaux Alpes (186kms)
Marco 5-43-45, Jan 25th 8 mins 57 seconds (!).
(Overall Marco 1st at 71-58-37, Jan 4th at 5 minutes 56 seconds)

Page 16 : Lance Armstrong's article : 1998 TDF was bad for the race organisation, Marco Pantani and for the sport,.
In spite of the riders best efforts and Pantani's great ride, this tour will be remembered for all the scandals.
That makes me feel sorry for Marco because he deserved more.

1998 : was only the 7th time that the TDF and Giro had been won in the same year.


Thanks Marco for the great memories.

 

Cycle Sport : September 1994 :

Marco Pantani : 3rd TDF : 2nd Giro in 1994 (what a season)

Cycle Sport : August 1995 edition : TDF Review.

Pantani winner of two epic stages :
Stage 10 Aime - L'Alpe D'Huez
Stage 14 Saint Orne de Gainville - Guzet.
Marco finished 13th overall that year : 26:20: down to BigMig.

Cycle Sport 1997 :
Pantani finishes 3rd in the TDF (after being out for 18 months after having his legs broken by a car while cycling !).
Wins a legendary stage at Alp D'Huez !!!!!!!!

Cycle Sport : November 1995 ;
3rd in the world road race championship in Columbia.

Forza Marco !
Marco finishes

 

Wow! I have indeed been away from the news, and this is indeed shocking news. Does anyone have any more information on this which would show cause of death?

I am afraid to speculate on this out of respect for one of the greatest climbers ever. But it kind of makes you wonder. He followed shortly after Jose Maria Jimenez, another climbing great. Both of these riders had at least some history of prohibited drug use.

I'll never forget the heroics of this man in the mountains.

 

Speculation is rife at the moment.

But here are the facts : Marco had booked in a hotel in Rimini last week.
According to reports, the staff at the hotel have said that he spent his entire week at the hotel, staying in his room.
According to staff, he only went out of his room to eat his meals
in the dining area of the hotel.
Whe he didn't appear for a meal, the staff became suspicious and they went to his room to see if everything was all right.
The knocked at his door but there was no answer.
They eventually broke in to the room and found him lying in his bed.
He had died some hours previously, according to pathology reports being quoted in the Italian media.
there were some handwritten notes beside his bed and they found some tablets believed to be anti-depressants according to media reprots.

I have just heard on the radio that they now suspect that he died
of heartfailure but they're awaiting an autopsy report to confirm this.

It is very, very sad news - despite whatever allegations were made against him towrad the end of his career.

 

Jimenez died of heart failure too. Both of these guys were absolute climbing machines. Look also at the Tour of Spain. I think Jimenez has the most King of the Mountains wins of anyone in that race. He, too, like Pantani, died of heart failure only a short time after being at the top of his game and only maybe a couple of months before Marco.

This really is sad because it's easy to see these unbeatable champions as invincible.

 

Have just re-watched my Eurosport tapes from 1998 TDF.
Watched Pantani's win at Les Deux Alpes again : great to watch, in what is a terrible week this week.

Col De Galibier : who were first and second over the climb that day ?
Marco and Jose Maria Jimenez.
Who would have thought that within 6 years both of them would have been dead.

great commentary by Dave Duffield and Stephen Roche :
Pantani has a two minute lead over Ullrich as he starts to descend the Galibier, on a wet, cold day.
Waht does Pantani do ?
He stops at the side of the road to put on his cape !
Roche is having seizures in the commentary box "this man is throwing away the TDF !" he says.

As Pantani crossed the line Roche (who got him his contract at Carrera in 1992 says) "I love the guy, he's a great fellow and I'm really delighted to see him win today".
Nice words.

Ullrich lost his lead in the TDF that day to Pantani.
Ultimately, it cost him the TDF.

The following day, Jan attacked and attacked Pantani all day, but he couldn't shake Marco.
The crossed the line together and they shook hands and embraced as they did.
Nice images.

Very poigniant, given what has happened since to Marco, Jose and to a lesser extent, Jan.

 

Marco, rest in peace. You will be missed.

But somewhere far away you will be cycling again...

 

God Bless Marco.

 

It reminds me of the mentality of heavyweight boxers during a championship bout--fighting to the death. Ali, the way he was portrayed in the documentary movie starring Will Smith, was fighting to the death in the rumble in the jungle in Zaire, Africa. Perhaps these climbing greats have the same mentality in these legendary climbs.