Marco Pantani - dead at 34
Posted by: Tim Jones on 14 February 2004
Saturday: 2200.
Former Tour de France and Giro d'Italia winner Marco Pantani found dead in Rimini residence, news agency ANSA reports.
Former Tour de France and Giro d'Italia winner Marco Pantani found dead in Rimini residence, news agency ANSA reports.
Posted on: 14 February 2004 by ErikL
It always hurts to see a young guy go.
He'll be missed. His flashy style definitely brought some excitement to cycling.
He'll be missed. His flashy style definitely brought some excitement to cycling.
Posted on: 14 February 2004 by count.d
Dead!!!!!!!!!
What did he die of?
What a waste.
What did he die of?
What a waste.
Posted on: 14 February 2004 by count.d
Marco Pantani, the Italian cycling great who fought his way back from injury to win the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, has been found dead in a hotel room in central Italy, the hotel manager says.
The news of the death of the 34-year-old Pantani on Sunday, who was called 'The Pirate' because of his trademark shaved head and bandana but was tainted by doping accusations later in his career, shocked the Italian sports world.
The cause of death was not immediately known but it appeared that no violence was involved. The Italian news agency Ansa said police had found medicines in the room.
Pantani, who had been suffering from depression, was found dead in a hotel in the Adriatic coastal resort city of Rimini, made famous by the late director Federico Fellini, who used it as a setting for some of his most famous films.
He was a fine climber and won both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in 1998. He was the first Italian to win the Tour de France since Felice Gimondi in 1965.
The last years of his life were spent in legal battles fighting to see doping bans overturned.
Pantani was the subject of a major scandal in 1999 when he was thrown out of the Tour of Italy. Leading the race, he failed a test for haematocrit -- an indicator, though not proof, of the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
He was also banned in 2002 for using insulin during the previous year's Giro.
He rode in the 2003 Giro, finishing a disappointing 14th, and was later treated in a drugs and depression clinic.
His troubles began again in 1999 when he was disqualified while leading the Giro after failing the haematocrit test.
In 2000 he was found guilty of 'sporting fraud' after tests showed use of illegal performance-enhancing products. He was fined and banned from competing for six months.
During the 2001 Giro, Italian drugs police raided riders' hotel rooms, confiscating illegal substances. Pantani was put under investigation after police found a syringe containing insulin at hotel where he stayed.
The news of the death of the 34-year-old Pantani on Sunday, who was called 'The Pirate' because of his trademark shaved head and bandana but was tainted by doping accusations later in his career, shocked the Italian sports world.
The cause of death was not immediately known but it appeared that no violence was involved. The Italian news agency Ansa said police had found medicines in the room.
Pantani, who had been suffering from depression, was found dead in a hotel in the Adriatic coastal resort city of Rimini, made famous by the late director Federico Fellini, who used it as a setting for some of his most famous films.
He was a fine climber and won both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in 1998. He was the first Italian to win the Tour de France since Felice Gimondi in 1965.
The last years of his life were spent in legal battles fighting to see doping bans overturned.
Pantani was the subject of a major scandal in 1999 when he was thrown out of the Tour of Italy. Leading the race, he failed a test for haematocrit -- an indicator, though not proof, of the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
He was also banned in 2002 for using insulin during the previous year's Giro.
He rode in the 2003 Giro, finishing a disappointing 14th, and was later treated in a drugs and depression clinic.
His troubles began again in 1999 when he was disqualified while leading the Giro after failing the haematocrit test.
In 2000 he was found guilty of 'sporting fraud' after tests showed use of illegal performance-enhancing products. He was fined and banned from competing for six months.
During the 2001 Giro, Italian drugs police raided riders' hotel rooms, confiscating illegal substances. Pantani was put under investigation after police found a syringe containing insulin at hotel where he stayed.