We continue our Six Days of the Giro series with a look at the troubled bond between Marco Pantani and the Giro.
Some were meant to be tormented, as though it were preordained that their brilliance should be balanced with fatal flaws. These are tortured souls, whose dramatic highs are equalled only by the devastating depths of their lows.
Cycling drinks its fill of these personalities, and climbing seems to attract more than its fair share. Shakespeare himself couldn’t divine a better premise; the discipline most focussed on suffering in a sport totally focussed on suffering will always attract the most enigmatic of sorts. Charley Gaul, José MarÃa Jiménez, Marco Pantani; the list goes on.
Italy’s geography seems to lend itself to climbing and therefor suffering. There are mountains from north to south, and it being a narrow stip of a country, there is no occasion to avoid them for very long before any parcourse is once again forced to go over them. Already Monday’s Stage 3 of this year’s race is a lumpy thing with two categorized climbs and Stage 4 has an uphill finish. This will be a race for those able to suffer.
Pantani in particular seemed inextricably bound to the Giro. Even before winning in 1998, he found himself winning some of the hardest mountain stages, though his temperament dictated that for every great day on the bike, he would be pay at least V bad ones. In 1999, he looked to be the sure winner before registerring a hematocrit over the UCI 50% limit at Madonna di Campiglio. In 2000, he returned once again, but was far from his best and rode in support of his teammate and eventual winner, Stefano Garzelli.
He struggled on for a few more years, but always tried to shine in Italy. In 2003, in a heart-wrenching display of defiance, he gave the last of himself in vain before disappearing from the sport for good.
It reminds me of a song written by a man who’s life was similarly tormented, Layne Staley. Perhaps Layne and Pantani were two parts of the same whole.
My pain is self-chosen
At least, so the prophet says
– Layne Stayey, River of Deceit
Maybe Layne could have been a Cyclist in another life.
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View Comments
Better example of belly breathing.
@pakrat
So yeah that's kinda hard to look at, but the fat sonofabitch has my respect for mounting any sort of a bicycle shaped object at all.
He's way cooler than the little fat guy in the Lampre kit (who sort of looks like a way fatter version of my grandpa).
Ah, that's what I was looking for, Frank. I agree as well, like the square-ish shape, don't like the "shapey" lines. That's kind of how I feel about my ~2007 Centaur crankset. I don't mind the rings, but the cranks have the shapey thing going on.
I really enjoyed the lines of the older Campa crankset that were flattish, square-ish and the rings had the ovalized cutouts. Looks kinda like the 7400 Shimano.
I feel like that guy after the winter, gut in the way of reaching for the bars. And yes, if you are that big but stil out riding, it's better in my book than cashing in your chips and giving up.
@frank
Do you mean Shimano lost the plot design wise when they started looking like Campy cranks?
Caveat: I love all the Dura Ace cranks because they say Dura Ace on them. That and they're fucking amazing, but you know whatever.
@minion
I have a 7400 gathering dust in my garage if anyone's looking to do a retro build. 80s Mavic crank and rear mech too.
@minion
That might sting if you had your order right, which you don't. That DA crank came out way before Campa started fucking with their cranks. But that era of Campa was none better than the Shimano ones. I do like how the current Campa cranks look, despite being carbon.
The best looking cranks ever - on perhaps one of the coolest bikes ever put together. They weighed like a fucking ton, but that era of component building in the late 80's/early 90's was the pinacle of design because they just figured out how to forge smooth surfaces and didn't care yet about weight. Hence delta brakes and big, beautiful cranks.
Chuck Mottet's 1991 RMO/Liberia.
@roger
I seem to think I took mine off on my Record cranks as well as my Shimano cranks at the same time, but looking at the crank (I still have it) it appears I must not have as the bolts are built into the dust caps.
@pakrat
@PeakInTwoYears
Yeah, at least he's out. That must take courage when you are shaped like that.
@PeakInTwoYears
Absolutely. The photo made me giggle in response to the belly breathing comments earlier, but I have so much respect for anyone who gets themselves out there and puts in the effort. After I put that up I felt a tad ashamed. Kudos to him.
@pakrat
Speaking of respect: your avatar. Nicely done.