Marco Pantani

Marco Pantani (13 January 1970 – 14 February 2004) was an Italian professional cyclist. He was born in Cesena, Emilia-Romagna. He was very good at climbing mountains in races. In 1998 he won both the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. He was a popular cyclist, and his Italian fans gave him the nickname 'Il Pirata' (the pirate) because of his appearance (he often wore a bandana) and because of his aggressive riding style. He failed a test in the 1999 Giro d'Italia. He returned to cycling, but never won a major race again. In June of 2003 he went into hospital with depression. He died of a cocaine overdose in 2004 in Rimini, Emilia-Romagna. His last entry in his diary read:

“

For four years I've been in every court, I just lost my desire to be like all the other sportsmen, but cycling has paid and many youngsters have lost their faith in justice. All my colleagues have been humiliated, with TV cameras hidden in their hotel rooms to try and ruin families. How could you not hurt yourself after that?

”

^[1]

Major results

Tour de France results

1994: 3rd overall; 2nd mountains classification; 1st young rider classification (Maillot blanc)
1995: 13th overall; 1st young rider classification (Maillot blanc); Stage 10 and 14 wins
1997: 3rd overall; Stage 13 and 15 wins
1998: 1st overall (maillot jaune); 7 days in maillot jaune; 2nd mountains classification; Stage 11 and 15 wins
2000: Did not finish; Stage 12 and 15 wins

Giro d'Italia results

1994: 2nd overall; 2nd young rider classification; 3rd mountains classification; Stage 14 and 15 wins
1998: 1st overall (maglia rosa); 1st mountains classification (maglia verde); Stage 14 and 19 wins
1999: Stage 8, 15, 19 and 20 wins
2000: 28th overall
2003: 14th overall