Pantani: the accidental death of a cyclist

[ColinJ]

I spotted him once, drinking coffee at a seaside cafe on the Costa Blanca. The guys I was with didn't believe it was him because he looked different, but I had read that he'd had cosmetic surgery on his ears and nose. A couple of my companions went over and said hello.

I saw him a few days later sprinting up a mountain as I was descending it - there was not a lot of difference in our speeds!

I liked him, but that damn doping ...

And of course, his horrible fate!

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

I watched it this morning, to me it seemed the film implied that it was the Mafia who where involved in him getting caught by the doping controls with a hand from possibily UCI officials, which coincided with large bets been placed on the Giro.... not sure this would implicate the whole UCI .....

Really? I think I missed that undertone. I know he said to mamma that it was "mafia" and wanted to quit in his 1st week as a pro. I just thought he meant along the lines of what happened to the flying Scotsman....not the ACTUAL mafia.

If he did mean the mafia and that the mafia was involved, bloody hell that's sinister.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Friggin hell, a quick google shows I really did miss the undertone. His death is apparently being re-investigated with a pov of murder!

 

[bpsmith]

Anyone who excels for any length of time in cycling, appears to experience a joint effort from multiple parties in taking them down. I understood the initial Mafia reference as being this concept rather than actually The Mafia. Although I wouldn't put it past them either mind you.

I have heard the stories that they had a hand in his death though.

As far as the film is concerned, I enjoyed it immensely, but he did dope to win, which kind of spoilt it for me. Much as we all know that this was the standard at the time mind you.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

only watched it the once so I might have this wrong but before he fails the test he was asked not to win the stage, which he wins, fails test then he talks about betting on the Giro and they name a criminal in jail I'm not sure if they actually say Mafia but criminality in Italy usually equats to Mafia..

I think you're probably right see my post after the one you quoted.

 

[bpsmith]

Yup. And mine @User. He aays "it's a mafia" at the beginning not "its The Mafia". Later on, there's no doubt at what he's eluding too, but he doesn't actually say Mafia iirc.

 

[ColinJ]

I finally got round to watching the film on Netflix last night.

Before I watched it I thought that Pantani was able to do what he did because he was doped to the eyeballs. Now, I think he was a very gifted climber who came into pro cycling ignorant of what was going on. He quickly found that most pros were doping and that he would have to do the same to keep his place in the peloton. It sounds like he wasn't happy about that but in the end decided to go along with it to keep his dreams alive. I think he was very bitter about being punished quite severely for doing what he knew most of his colleagues were also doing.

What a very sad story ...

 

[bpsmith]

He called it a Mafia, the way everything was geared up ready for it and riders had little choice.

 

[ColinJ]

He called it a Mafia, the way everything was geared up ready for it and riders had little choice.

Yes, that's what it sounded like to me. The fact that he told his mum that he wanted to quit pro cycling almost as soon as he started said it all for me. He clearly didn't lack passion for the sport, or natural talent.

 

[bpsmith]

Yes, that's what it sounded like to me. The fact that he told his mum that he wanted to quite pro cycling almost as soon as he started said it all for me. He clearly didn't lack passion for the sport, or natural talent.

That's the tragedy of it all. The guy would likely have had an amazing career anyway, if he hadn't been pressured to dope.

 

[Chris432626]

A good watch. I thought he was troubled by insecurities anyway, the drugs were a way out.
Waste of a great talent though.

 

[blazed]

I think he was very bitter about being punished quite severely for doing what he knew most of his colleagues were also doing.

What a very sad story ...

Imagine how Armstrong felt/feels.

 

[ColinJ]

Imagine how Armstrong felt/feels.

They were both doping cheats. Only one of them appeared to be a sociopathic bully though and he is the one who gets no sympathy from me ...

 

[bpsmith]

They were both doping cheats. Only one of them appeared to be a sociopathic bully though and he is the one who gets no sympathy from me ...

Was about to reply with the exact same view!

 

[Lloss]

Most pro riders have doped to win this has gone on since the start of cycle racing to the present time,to me he was a terrific climber not quite as good as The eagle of Toledo but nether the less a superb rider and should be remembered for that even LA was a superb cyclists if the peloton was clean he would not have had to take stimulants to win.