I”ve been reading The Death of Marco Pantani for the last week or so. Whatever you might think of him or how the cycling world remembers him, he was a superb professional cyclist.
Marco passed away in 2004 of a cocaine overdose. Was he a victim of a professional sport that left him with no choice but to dope – get caught – and spriral into despair? Or was he just a man that made stupid decisions? Reading the book makes me realize that no matter how we all end up in life there was a point when each of us, Marco Pantani included, were just children – full of excitement and innocence. Marco loved riding a bicycle in the hills near his home the way kids today love Xbox, PS3, and the like.
It’s worth watching this video and remembering (if nothing else run the video to the 1:30 point and watch Marco descend the mountains mere inches over tire at incredible speeds. He was brave if nothing else). RIP Marco:
1 response so far ↓
Dan Flynn // July 30, 2008 at 6:32 pm |
Watching the joy on this riders face and the oneness
he had with his bike on some of the most brutal ascents ever filmed, one gets the sense Marco
was totally committed to cycling. totally enjoyed what he was doing. Not many people can say the same. Bravo Marco, Bravo.