Il Pirata, by Jeffrey Veen

Il Pirata

Italian cycling superstar Marco Pantani was found dead in a hotel room earlier today. For those of you unfamiliar with the European peloton, Pantani was on of the biggest names in the sport, having won both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in 1998. He was known as the pirate -- il pirata -- due to his iconic bandana and hoop earrings. And he was cocky. "Only Pantani can defeat the American!" he proclaimed before last year's Tour.

But in '99, he was accused of doping and spent years in court trying to clear his reputation. Last year, he checked himself into a rehab center for treatment of depression and drug addiction. He was back in the Giro last year, but his team was not invited to the Tour. Sprinter Mario Cipollini's comments echo the rest of the cycling world today, "It's a tragedy of enormous proportions for everyone involved in cycling. I'm lost for words."

This entry was written by Jeffrey Veen and posted 14 February 2004 at 4:20 PM. It was filed under Cycling. | View blog reactions

Comments

1. On 14 February 2004 at 5:49 PM vanderwal wrote:

I hear and feel your pain. Pantani was a great colorful addition to the sport of cycling. He was among the current giants and it is an equal void his loss creates.

Peace.

2. On 15 February 2004 at 9:55 AM Antonio Cavedoni wrote:

Jeff, the correct spelling is "Il Pirata" with a final "a". Cheers from Italy :-)

3. On 15 February 2004 at 1:07 PM Mike P. wrote:

Whew - the man had a presence. I saw him two years ago at the Vuelta a Murcia and he had an energy - he'll certainly be missed...

"He was among the current giants and it is an equal void his loss creates."

Well said.

4. On 15 February 2004 at 5:19 PM Joe McBride wrote:

I was definitely shocked at this. Here in south Texas it is especially relevant (Lance).

It seems like doping in sports is at an all time high, though it might be that the press is just paying more attention, especially now that the Bush administration has made it a public issue.

I hear that he wasn't the only one to pass away this weekend, NPR I think mentioned some one else too.

5. On 16 February 2004 at 9:51 PM Jin Kim wrote:

Crud...

6. On 19 February 2004 at 8:21 PM lorenzo laurent wrote:

io soi tristissimo de morte de il pirata. fuo "magister dei montani, cogli aueri 'elphantani'!
il texano serai il palmares! lorenzo laurent

7. On 21 February 2004 at 12:27 PM DT wrote:

Yes, there will definitely be a void.

This is especially sad because it sounds like his depression played a role in his slide in recent years. How much a role it played in his death is hard to say (obviously), but I hopefully others will become aware of how anyone, even those who seem bigger than life can be affected by mental illness. RIP