Bye :( (Marco Pantani)

pinguino79 · Post by **pinguino79** » Sun Feb 15, 2004 10:51 pm

You may have heard it or not, but that's it: yesterday the cycling legend Marco Pantani was found dead in a hotel room in Rimini.
Hopefully some of you (cycling is quite popular in the Netherlands and Belgium) remember him as the last, real, unique old-fashioned grimpeur.
We will miss him.

Fons · Post by **Fons** » Sun Feb 15, 2004 10:54 pm

Yes I heard about it, I don't really like cycling but I really knew who Pantani was, he won the Tour de France a few years ago (1998?)

Very sad...

Tiger · Post by **Tiger** » Sun Feb 15, 2004 11:21 pm

I used to be in France about every summer and the Tour de France often passed in front of our holiday house.
I watched it everytime, and I even have a picture where Pantani is cycling in first place...

nodisch18 · Post by **nodisch18** » Sun Feb 15, 2004 11:24 pm

i just came back from a weekend in the forest, and i was really shocked when i saw this very, very sad news!

Pantani is a true legend and i think he is one of those few sportsmen that have real personality!

For sure everybody will miss him!

It's sad, really sad....

Dakkus · Post by **Dakkus** » Sun Feb 15, 2004 11:33 pm

What killed him? Doping?

avij · Post by **avij** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 2:58 am

Another cyclist death: Johan Sermon from Belgium has died as well.

Ganymede · Post by **Ganymede** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 10:37 am

Dakkus wrote:What killed him? Doping?

I'm not the pathologist of the coroner of course, but everything points to accidental or intentional overdose. His hotel room was littered with boxes for medicines.

Suicide seems most likely, he has been depressed for some time now. In a way you could say that doping killed him, because his career was tragically cut short because he was found guilty of using EPO. He's always denied this. His response was simple: "I don't need doping to win, just mountains."

He tried a comeback in the Giro d'Italia 2003, but couldn't reach his own high standards.

Addio Pirata...

Niloc · Post by **Niloc** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 11:57 am

Being an avid follower of cycling, he will be a sad loss to this colourful sport

CHAPEAU! MARCO.

pinguino79 · Post by **pinguino79** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 4:42 pm

It's great to see how popular he was.
Some clarification is needed: his use of doping has never been proved
(but it should be admitted it's likely

).
He was just a great talent but at the same time a weak personality; after being accused of using dope in 1999 he got into the depression that killed him two days ago.
I hope he will not be remembered for allegations on doping, but for the breathtaking challenges with Indurain, Ullrich, Armstrong and the other legends of modern cycling.

DrGreenTom · Post by **DrGreenTom** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 6:49 pm

sad, he was one of the few people who gave the cycling sports something extra.

Meanwhile my collegues and i were discussing today that it is strange so many sportsman dying in a short time.
About 15 years ago it was the same, the reason then was the experimenting with new types of doping (drug), we think now something similar is happening

nti Täti · Post by **nti Täti** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 7:30 pm

********************** Warning: provocative text ************************

Okai, I'm really provocative now, but I see a beginning for a philosophical conversation in this.
So. Why do you moan after a famous man you don't know personally, if daily news about someone else's death doesn't touch you at all? When coming to think of it, no celebrity isn't any closer to you than anyone who you see daily on the way to school or to work or where ever you go in the mornings. But some magical way a life's end becomes a thing we all must mourn, when the name of the dead is even a bit familiar to us. I find it strange, when I start to think of it.

*****************End of the provocative text-section******************

Suicides are so sad, so.. unneccessary things. Always. Things that shouldn't happen.
A new victim of top sports' way too high demands.

pinguino79 · Post by **pinguino79** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 7:55 pm

nti Täti wrote:Okai, I'm really provocative now, but I see a beginning for a philosophical conversation in this.
So. Why do you moan after a famous man you don't know personally, if daily news about someone else's death doesn't touch you at all? ... CUT ...

I must say, rationally that I agree with your post. The fact is that after reading about Pantani's death I felt emotionally touched, remembering his great victories in 1998 and the thrill I had watching him on TV. Add to this the fact that he died completely alone in an hotel room being only 34 years old.
BTW, my life still goes on, he was just a man who gave me emotions some years ago, I don't feel him close as a friend or as a brother (I just met him once 8 years ago).
BTW, thanks for this post which made me think

Dakkus · Post by **Dakkus** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 8:06 pm

Ms Täti looks acts every day more and more like she was actually a sister of Annie_in_exile. What on Earth is this?
And by the way, since this is somewhat off topic, try to prefer answering Ms Täti's post over answering this one :)

Ralf · Post by **Ralf** » Thu Feb 19, 2004 9:34 am

He was a very great man!