Pantani Day

Today we remember Marco Pantani, who died 17 years ago on February 14, 2004. Here are a few of the times we’ve mentioned him on the site.

Marco Pantani: The Greatest Climber. Ask anybody to name their top five favorite climbers, and you’re sure to get a thoughtful list of their favorites. The man on the street will give a considered response featuring terms like “grimpeur,” “scalatore,” and “Froomey, mate, innit.” But one thing these lists will all have in common is that they’ll include Marco Pantani.

The diminutive climber is widely considered one of the greatest climbers ever to grace the sport, with a distinctive riding style, a predilection for all-out gung-ho attacks whenever the road went uphill, and a cultivated styling as Il Pirata. And also a tragic story of legendary success immediately followed by disgrace, Mafia conspiracies, and a lonely death.

Since all cycling is canceled, let’s just watch Pantani climb again. One of the greatest rides ever. Leading the 1999 Giro d’Italia as it approached its end, Pantani suffered a mechanical at the base of the final climb to Madonna di Campiglio. His teammates assembled and led him one by one until he launched himself away like a rocket. The peloton hadn’t waited for him, and he sent them a message, passing every single rider one by one before winning the stage by a minute.

This ride spawned a game that endures to this day: called simply ‘Pantani,’ you attempt to pass as many people as possible on a climb. Everyone on a bike is a participant, even if it’s a granny with her shopping. Hey, we didn’t say it was a complex game.

His victory in the 1998 Tour de France and expulsion from the 1999 Giro d’Italia also forms the centerpiece of our long-form essay I’ll Climb That Hill In My Own Way: (Dis)Locating The Naturalized Body In Professional Cycling’s Banned Erythropoietin Use Between 1990-2010.

And finally, he appears in last year’s incredible Giro d’Italia promo video. He remains beloved by cycling fans all over the world, and his place among the other legends in this video is well earned.