Pezcyclingnews: Top Ride: The Carpegna!



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Jan 3, 2005
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The Carpegna climb is best known as Marco Pantani’s favorite training ground – and at 11%+ grades for 7km – it was a perfect place for the late climbing sensation to hone his legendary skills. I’d longwanted to ride it for myself, and got thechance this year while vistingthebike Hotel Lungomare in Cesenatico. I once said that Marco Pantani was therider I most regret not having interviewed – not that I’ve interviewed that many riders, but my gig as ‘Pez’ has afforded some pretty cool access to the sport’s top riders. I first saw ‘Il Pirata’ before he’d taken his nickname when he exploded onto pro cycling at the 1994 Giro, where he won two epicstages in the high mountains, and announced his arrival with swashbuckling rides that dropped guys like the great Miguel Indurain and a super-juiced Evgeni Berzin at one of the most exciting Giros ever. Forget that EPO use was rampant, watching the racing as a naive fan made no difference – Pantani was thrilling to watch.He was tiny – he looked bigger on tv but I was surprised by his diminutive stature when I briefly stood next to him at thesign on for Milan San Remo in 1998. But that little mancould light up the climbs – the steeper the better, and he was gone. His home base was Cesenatico on the Adriatic Coast – an area less known for steep climbs than for its miles of wide flat beaches that make summer in Italy more like...

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