There’s an air of Shakespearean tragedy to the death of Marco Pantani on Saint Valentine’s Day in 2004. Once the most famous cyclist in the world, he died alone in a hotel room on a day devoted to love.
But his love – Cycling – had betrayed him. Once a fixture of the Nineties European road racing scene, he was part and parcel of the culture and spirit that embodied that era. Sensationally, as he was about to win the Giro d’Italia for the second time in 1999, he was thrown from the race after a failed hematocrit test on the morning of the penultimate stage. At a time when doping was rampant throughout the peloton and, as we are beginning to understand now, secretly supported by both the teams and governing bodies, Pantani was torn from the world he knew like a puppy from a warm house and abandoned in the winter cold. He was singled out, vilified, made example of. Confused and betrayed, he would never recover.
A rider defined by brilliant highs and devastating lows, he fit the mold of “enigmatic climber” so well it almost feels cliché to point it out. He won atop nearly all the most famous climbs in cycling and still holds the record for the fastest ride up Alpe d’Huez. But on days that his mind and motivation failed him, he would trail in long after the favorites arrived home.
He was also monumentally unlucky. He was almost crippled after hitting a car head-on during Milano-Torino, after it was mistakenly allowed onto the course in 1995. In 1997, he was forced to abandon the Giro when a black cat crossed his path and caused him to crash. 1998 saw him reach the pinnacle of our sport with the Giro-Tour double before 1999 saw him become the first super-star to be singled out for the (suspected) use of EPO during the jet-fueled late Nineties.
Pantani was more than a cyclist for us. 1998 was the year my VMH and I met, and we built our relationship in part as we shared in the excitement as our favorite rider won first the Giro and then the Tour. (Early in our relationship, she hosted a party at her apartment; when I walked in, she had Star Wars, A New Hope playing on the television. Later that night I learned her favorite rider was Pantani. Needless to say, I’ve never looked at another woman since.) The ’98 Tour remains my favorite, with the stage to Les Deux Alpes the high point.
He inspired me – a big, tall, oafish flatlander – to become obsessed with climbing, an obsession I maintain to this day (or, at least I did until January 28). His climbing epitomized the angelic grace of le grimpeur. Climbing in the drops with his face a picture of focus and determination, his climbing could not be described as effortless, but powerful. A sight to behold. Everything about him oozed cool. I modeled my first dream bike after the gloriously beautiful steed he rode in 1998. My VMH, the same weight and height as Marco, modeled her position and climbing style after his.
My heart aches when I think of how this man, who was part of a system which, however full of flaws, he understood. I imagine that he was not a unintelligent nor an ignorant man, but that he was not prepared for the cruelty of the world outside cycling. I can scarcely fathom his sense of confusion and betrayal that the very system and players who taught him Le Metier would so readily cast him aside and leave him on his own. I don’t believe it’s a stretch to compare the scars he received from this experience to those of a victim of abuse. He would never trust his surroundings again.
Several times, he returned to the only world he knew, the professional peloton. But he wasn’t the same. He was bullied, he was teased. Occasionally, he rose above it all to show signs of his former self. Then, he would recede.
2003 was an exciting season as he returned to form and it appeared as though he was finding his own again. Imagine our excitement when, as we planned to visit the Tour for the month of July, rumors broke that he was leaving Mercatone Uno to join another team in order to race the Tour. We were foaming at the mouth at the thought of Ullrich and Pantani shelling Pharmstrong out the back as they partied like it was 1998.
It wasn’t to be. The team transfer didn’t materialize, and Pantani disappeared. The next time we were to hear from him would be the solemn announcement of his death on CyclingNews. I called my VMH and asked if she was sitting down before I told her what happened. It was as if I had given her the news of her brother’s death.
I truly believe he died of a broken heart.
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
@mightyninja
Where'd you find that? Love it.
I'm going to be devil's advocate here so don't get me wrong, I loved to watch Pantani and whether he doped or not doesn't detract from his brilliant rides in my eyes.
But...
...I think you're over-egging it to make him out as some martyr. He wasn't single out and vilified. 1999 Giro... come on, 1998 was the Festina Tour. Virenque, Brochard, Zulle, Moreau. Mass raids on Tour teams. A criminal trial. That was the environment in which Pantani had haematocrit levels of 60%.
I think part of his tragedy is the classic star trajectory of surrounding yourself with hangers-on and mistaking them for friends, then being surprised when they aren't around for the bad times.
Pantani was no victimised puppy - in many ways he's the prototype for more recent events like Ricco. Cobra, Pirate... not a long stretch to lay that one at Marco's door is it ?
The saddest part of the whole thing is that dying alone in a crappy hotel room with as much dignity as rock-group drummer hasn't put more people off trying to follow his path.
I think this perfectly illustrates the differences of character and how it affects our perception of a person. I think it's safe to say that we are all adults here and we all know in our heart of hearts that doping was/is rampant in the pro peloton. When confronted with the brash arrogance and prickishness of the likes of Armstrong we loathe him and wish him to be hung out to dry. Though we "oppose the proud" we "give grace to the humble" and that is where guys like Pantani come in. He didn't hide behind a "cause" as if he deserved impunity because of it. He merely wanted to ride his bike. My life pretty much revolves around all things 700c. I have my favorite riders and those I dislike and I admit that I base my likes on nothing more than if the guy seems like a nice guy. Zabel admitted to doping but he won me over in Hell on Wheels because he seemed like the average likable guy. Full of faults and foibles. But he didn't seem like a dickhead so I can look past the fact that he succumbed to the Darkside. Pantani likewise. It is sad that corporate greed forces those that start with a passion for the bike to do things for the sake of performing at a level that attracts sponsors and money. But it is angering when you turn to the Darkside because you are driven to be #1 regardless of the cost to those that love and care for you. When you use people and discard them when you have no use for them you become a sad individual that no one will shed a tear for when you fall from pinnacle of the sport.
That photo sends a shiver down my spine every time I see it.
He truly transcended sport, even with a crit of 60%, the man was such an icon.
Thanks for the reminder of the anniversary of his passing. Definitely makes one pause.
Also, I still do not buy that Pharmstrong "gifted" the Ventoux to Pantani in 2000.
RIP Marco
After having tortured us with that yellow monstrosity, your time in front of the Merckx shrine has paid off Frank! Very well written piece on a tragic man.
Ricco is such a dickhead doper. Why doesn't he just die like Pantani so we can be rid of him?
Not. I agree with you in that there are strong parallels between Ricco and Pantani. It's so easy to forget that these people are human. They're supposed to be our supermen who get in the saddle with the sole goal of redefining what's possible, but they are just men. Should they turn to drugs? No. But do we understand why they do? Of course.
In some ways it's in human nature to be scared and insecure. I'd like to imagine that most people dope because they feel(for whatever reason) a vacancy of approval and love, and I can't hate someone like that; I can only empathize.
I hope Ricco has a speedy recovery and is able to escape the coming circus, settle down, take care of his girlfriend and daughter, and if he rides bike he does it for the love of the sport.
Cycling is important, but it's not worth dying over, and Marco Pantani will always remind me of that fact.
The last sentence is so true but where does the blame lie? We put these sportspeople on pedestals, to be worshipped & adored & to be public role models for the young & easily led. What qualifications do these people have that makes us think they are or should act how we percieve them to be? Then, as frank so rightly points out,
"Pantani was torn from the world he knew like a puppy from a warm house and abandoned in the winter cold. He was singled out, vilified, made example of. Confused and betrayed, he would never recover."
drop them quicker then a paperbag filled with crap. In most cases, for being nothing but human, with all of our human foibles. Not everyone can rise above the crap again or forget (especially when the media &/or fellow sportsman won't let you) what it was that ones original path or goal was, i.e. cycling as a sport & a passion, rather than being an idol.
Frank said:
'I truly believe he died of a broken heart'.
And for what I saw of him and for what I understood of him
it's exactly what I think of him.