Marco Pantani

Marco Pantani (Cesena the January 13rd 1970 - Rimini the February 14th 2004), cyclist Italy N, was one of best climbing of the history of cycling on road.

With a 1m 72 per 57 kg, Marco Pantani was equipped with a gauge with pure climbing. He is regarded as one of largest climbing of the history, as well as Charly Gaul (with which he maintained the privileged bonds), Federico Bahamontes or Lucien Van Impe. Like these three runners, Pantani had an exceptional class which allowed him to fly away in large the collars. Its career reaches its apogee in 1998, when it gains successively the Tour of Italy and the Tour de France. It is the seventh runner of the history to be realized this doubled, which was worth the to him Vélo of Gold. Its offensive style, like its excesses, are at the origin of its nickname of it Pirated (the " pirate" in Italian). He cultivated this nickname through his look : bored ear, tattooing, bandana, etc It was also called Elefantino , because of its separated ears. Its career knew a serious reverse in 1999, when it was starting interdict of the Turn of Italy which it was about to gain, following a blood control revealing a rate of too high Hématocrite. This episode precipitated the end of its career. It is deceased of an overdose of cocaine in 2004.

The beginnings (1970 - 1992)

Marco Pantani is born in a modest family from Emilie-Romagna with Cesena, and he lived in the seaside resort of Cesenatico, on the Adriatic coast. As of its more young age, he is discovered a passion for the competition and the cycle race. Among amateurs, Pantani gains in 1992 the Baby Giro, a Turn of Italy in model reduced, reserved to the amateurs. Already, it outclasses its rivals in mountain, and impresses the principal observers, which see in him the potential successor of Claudio Chiappucci. It is besides the team of this climbing Italian whom Pantani initially joined at the professionals.

The irresistible rise of a champion (1992 - 1998)

Beginning its career in August 1992 in the team Will square, it passes to the Mercatone Uno in 1997, team in whom it will be directed by Guiseppe Martinelli until in 2001. In 1998, the team receives the financial support of the legendary mark of cycles Bianchi. One of its leaders, Felice Gimondi then becomes one of the advisers of the Pirate. In 1993, it takes part in its Tour first of Italy, race in which it shows that its exploits amateurs will not remain without continuation. It belongs to the twenty first and often accompanies the best in the mountain, when a fall stops its progression and the constrained one with the abandonment. As from this moment, its career will be permanently marked by the falls. In 1994, it returns on the Lathe of Italy, where it is affirmed like the large organizer of the race. It gains two stages back-to-back, the first at the top of Merano and the second with Aprica, at the end of a solitary ride beyond legendary the Passo Mortirolo. In this stage, he arrives to asphixier the pink shirt Evgueni Berzin like Miguel Indurain, which vainly tries to defend its title obtained on the " race rose" in 1992 and 1993. Pantani finishes finally second behind untouchable the Berzin but in front of Indurain. As of the arrival with Milan, he became the pet of the Italian tifosi which admire its style and its outspokenness. He confirms his potential later a few weeks, finishing 3rd Tour de France after having attacked in almost all the stages of mountain. Its ardor, its inexperience and a decreased team undoubtedly deprive it this year of one or two victories of stages. But it only did not leave given. The following year, it gains the legendary stage of the Alpe d' Huez and that of Guzet-Snow, twice as a recluse after having released the Yellow jersey Miguel Indurain. It finishes 13th Turn because of a failure in the stage of Cauterets gained by Richard Virenque. The same year, it finishes 3rd Championship of the world with Duitama, in Colombia. During this race, it in vain tries to release Miguel Indurain, but it is victim of the superiority of the Spanish team and the relative weakness of its team-members, decreased in this end of season (it is besides the first year that the World one is disputed so late in the season, in October). When Abraham Olano attacks at the end of the last but one turn, the Italians answer absent. Finally, Pantani makes the expenses of the excellent Spanish tactic, Indurain remaining in the wheel of the Pirate during the last rise in which its accelerations remain useless. Olano only finishes at the head and becomes world champion. Behind, a group of three composed of Miguel Indurain, Pantani and Mauro Gianetti grants, in this order, the certificates of merit. A few days later, a collision with a roadhog at the time of the Milan-Turin race leaves it with a leg broken in two places (double open fracture tibia-fibula), making fear the worst for the continuation of its career.

It returns in 1997, does not finish Giro d' Italia because of a fall caused by a cat having crossed its road. In spite of this new adventure, it finishes 3rd Tour de France once again, gaining two stages, one with Alpe-in Huez and the other in Morzine, whereas everyone, including him, believes it exhausted. It gains the Tour de France as of the following year. In this Tour de France marked by the businesses of doping, he manages to ensure the spectacle in spite of a team weakened by a first victorious campaign the Giro. Pantani gains this outer loop all alone, initially nibbling its delay on Jan Ulrich in the stage of the Plate of Beille where it with the courtesy to await the " Kaiser" German delayed by a puncture. Then, it takes the yellow jersey following a stage of legend (15th), under the rain and the cold, between Grenoble and the Two Alps, relegating to nearly 9 minutes the big favorite Jan Ulrich. It will be gold Vélo and Mendrisio d' Or at the end of the year for its doubled Grande Boucle - Giro. It then is believed able to gain other large turns; Pantani seems to represent this year the future of a cycling in loss of landmarks.

Descent into Hell (1999 - 2004)

In 1999 it is excluded from the turn of Italy the day before the arrival, whereas it dominated the spectacular test of manner in the mountain, following a blood control showing a rate of hématocrite higher than the authorized limit of 50%, and constrained at two weeks of stop. It then is very reached morally, in particular by the glance of the media on him. He manages all the same to return in 2000, gaining two stages with the turn of France and threatening the yellow jersey Lance Armstrong while launching a solitary attack with the whole beginning of a great stage of mountain, but will never find the exceptional level which he reached between 1998 and 1999.

In 2001, doping still catches up with it. It is suspended 6 months to have held in its room a syringe of insulin during the Turn of Italy, at the time of a spectacular police intervention (" blitz of San Remo") who will touch many runners.

The year 2003 will be that of its last last-ditch struggles. Starting the Turn of Italy with court of competition, it progresses with the passing days and is shown with the fronts stations at the time of the difficult stage of Assembles Zoncolan first of all, then attacks with many recoveries on the road of Cascata del Toce, without managing to take at fault the vigilance of the leader Gilberto Simoni. These attacks will be the last images of a runner whose style offensive, air, without compromise, will have marked thousands of fans of cycling throughout the world. Very disappointed to see its team not-selected for the Tour de France 2003 (Turn of the Centenary), it is detached little by little from the sporting event.

Death (2004)

Become a kind of “black sheep” of cycling, it sinks little by little in the doubt, loneliness, the depression, then drug. The February 14th 2004 it is found died of the continuations of a cerebral and pulmonary edema in a hotel room of Rimini (Italy), in which he had been recluse for several weeks. The autopsy will reveal that its death was caused by a surdose Cocaïne. The death of Marco Pantani, without being revolving in a universe of the cycling broken with the medical dramas, was a shock for many observers. The majority of the colleagues of Pantani, the journalists who côtoyaient it were certainly with the current of its addiction to cocaine. The journalist Mario Pugliese, who had carried out the last interview of the champion for the Voce di Romagna explained shortly after his Malayan death to have perceived it of the Pirate. This last, that all knew at the bottom of the pit, however never ceased being insulated, until only finishing, in a dead loss hotel room of the Adriatique coast: sink metaphor of pitiless a cyclist medium.

More than three years after the disappearance of Marco Pantani, the mother of the champion asked for the opening of a new investigation. Incompetent to recover from the drama, Tonina Pantani does not want to believe in the thesis of an overdose and claims the reopening of the file. The mother of the champion estimates inter alia the hour of its death is not clear. She declared herself ready to spend all her money to discover the truth. A book left in 2007 on the Pantani business raises to him also new doubts as for the official thesis of the overdose of cocaine. A third investigation, requested by the mother from Marco Pantani (Tonina Pantani), is in hand.

Prize list

  • 37 victories at the professionals

  • Victorious of the Turn of Italy amateur (" Giro baby") in 1992 Victorious
  • of 8 stages on the Turn of Italy: Merano and Aprica in 1994, Piancavallo and Montecampione in 1998, Gran Sasso d' Italia, Oropa, Alpe di Pampeago and Madonna di Campiglio in 1999.
  • Victorious of 8 stages on the Tour de France: Alpe d' Huez and Guzet-Snow in of 1995, Alpe d' Huez and Morzine in 1997, the Plate of Beille and the Two-Alps in 1998, the Ventoux Mount and Courchevel in 2000. All these victories were acquired as a recluse, except for the stage of Ventoux in 2000.
  • Vainqueur of the Turn of Murcie 1999 and of a stage
  • Vainqueur of a stage over the Tour of Switzerland 1995 (Punt-Flumsenberg)
  • Vainqueur of a stage over the Week Catalan woman 1999
  • Troisième of the Championship of the World on line in 1995 in Duitama (Colombia)

Classifications on the Tour de France

  • 1994 : 3rd.
  • 1995: 13th.
  • 1996: No the participation.
  • 1997: 3rd.
  • 1998: WINNER, yellow jersey 5 days.
  • 1999: No the participation.
  • 2000: Abandonment.

Classifications on the Lathe of Italy

  • 1993 : Abandonment.
  • 1994: 2nd.
  • 1995: No the participation.
  • 1996: No the participation.
  • 1997: Abandonment.
  • 1998: WINNER, better climbing, pink shirt 5 days.
  • 1999: Exclusion at two days of the arrival in Milan whereas it was at the head general classification.
  • 2000: 28th.
  • 2001: Abandonment.
  • 2002: Abandonment.
  • 2003: 14th.

Classifications on the Lathe of Spain

  • 1995 : Abandonment.
  • 2001: Abandonment.

Anecdotes

The French rock group Wampas pays homage to the cyclist missing in his album Rock' Roll Part 9 appeared in 2006 with the song Rimini .

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