In Memoriam: Il Pirata, Ten Years Gone

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• @Markp

  Where does one find that?

• @Souleur

  On its surface, many judge Pantani as a doper, one of a self destructive, impulsive and perhaps smug euro snob. However, upon further study and reading, his personality could not have been farther from this. He indeed was an innocent soul, a nationalist inherently, a proud Italian. As he made rank, turning PRO, the capitalistic expectations of returns on investments revealed the organized dope of an era inflicted and something upon him, and perhaps it seems to me the great conflict was manifest between his inherent innocence and love of cycling that drove him deeply into depression and I can't say I can find a thing wrong about that perspective.

  Forever, he will be loved on this day of love, it seems so perpetually fitting for his inherent virtue and innocence

  Excuse me, this is where I get off...

  Fine to remember him if he inspired you, to recall some of his great moments against rivals who were similarly juiced... if people view his rides in the context of their time then knock yourselves out. I'm perfectly prepared to let those who want to glorify him get on with it.

  But it's the attempts to portray him as some sort of victim that I find nauseating and unable to let pass without comment.

  The photo leading this article is of Pantani leading a protest against doping investigations during the 1998 TdF, which he won, and has subsequently been shown to have been taking EPO. That's not only actively cheating it also means he made a personal choice to conspire with others to prevent any changes to the system which provided him with wealth and fame.

  Great rider, sublime climber and undoubtedly cursed with a fragile personality but "inherently innocent, virtuous victim of capitalistic expectations" - the bollocks he was.

• @ChrisO feel free to disagree, I understand.  He, as all true greats are polarizing figures.  And until most recently, as the depths of doping over the past years has been made transparent, it is easy to consider his guilt in this.  However, what if he had no choice nor will as you assume? In the very photo in protest I think it may be misinterpreted.  He isn't a hypocrite, as it would be so easy to dismiss.  Perhaps he was protesting, seriously, as the doping was so organized, it stole the will of riders, in that they really had no choice, there were expectations, follow or leave, and in that is why I think he really was innocent inherently.  Listen, there is so much written of first hand accounts of the expectations, most comically is Joe Perkins 'a dog in a hat', the riders will was not regarded.  The only will that was regarded was the return on sponsors investments.

  I really do respect your opinion, in fact mine was of the same after his death, however, just back up a moment, and consider the possibility in light of the evidence

• Interesting interview with Matt Rendell (who wrote 'The Death of Marco Pantani') over on Velonews:

  Everyone seems to have forgotten that Pantani had a vicious bullying side as well. I remember in the 1999 Giro, he brought Andrea Tafi to tears in the peloton because Mapei had signed [a pledge for clean cycling]. 

  The guys who retired, were bullied out of the sport, or never got a start because they refused to dope -- these are the tragic innocents of the era.

• @scaler911

  Sad really. I loved watching him climb. He made it look so easy. I remember hearing the news of his untimely meeting with his maker (if you believe in such things) and just being sad.

  I'll always wonder why it seems the most inspirational stars that we follow, that we long to be like, don't stay long in this world (PSH, Hendrix, Staley, Cobain......the list seems endless).

  Whinehouse is on that list too; also in the trainwreck that everyone saw coming but was helpless to stop.

  I remember calling the VMH and telling her to sit down before telling her he died. She was a bigger fan than I was even.

• @ChrisO

  A couple points, of importance only if you've already accepted there may be some gray area between being a good cheater and a bad cheater. First, I think your argument is fair enough but it also ignores the complexities of being part of a system and not having any realistic alternative choice other than to go with the flow.  He certainly did have a choice to walk away, but that choice would have put him on the street with very few other options to make a living. Not many would consider that a viable alternative to going along with the flow.

  And, he didn't lead that protest, he participated. The photo just makes it look like he's the ring leader. Also, it was in protest to how the police were treating the riders - TVM in particular - not against the dope controls themselves.  (I think the last person with the balls to protest a drug test was Anquetil.)

• @andrew

  The guys who retired, were bullied out of the sport, or never got a start because they refused to dope "” these are the tragic innocents of the era.

  This is the major point to always remember; I don't feel so bad for the dopers cheating other dopers - I feel bad for the clean guys who got cheated.

  The other thing we've sorted out is that since the UCI defined the 50% hematocrit level, it basically meant that the less talented you were, the more you could dope. It was the farthest thing possible from a level playing field.

  Enough about doping though, those were some batshit crazy awesome races!

• Doped, not doped, pressured, or not pressured, fragile soul, or not - regardless what anyone thinks, that man could ride up and descent a mountain like I could only do in my dreams and is the main reason I started cycling. He will forever have my admiration, however misplaced that may be.

• Terrific story about Il Pirata, but who the phoque is "Layne Staley"?