Categories: NostalgiaSix Days OfThe HardmenTradition

Self-Chosen: Il Pirata & Il Giro

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.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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TBONE says:

May 9 2013 at 10:42 am

@frank

@TBONE

Especially because Ullrich and KlÃ¶den referred to eachother as Ulli and KlÃ¶di. If its good enough for Ulli, it's good enough for me.

[citation needed]

Fun fact, in '97 I was in culinary school. July was butchery month - 5 weeks of cutting up sides of beef, whole pigs, lamb, fish, and chicken. My instructor's first name was Ulrich, we would always call each other Ule. I saw him a few years back, he's still pretty fit, retired and doing 45 minute ascents of the Grouse Grind.
wiscot says:

May 9 2013 at 1:32 pm

@frank

@Nate

@american psycho

Oktoberfest!

Those alloy Pinarellos were the complete tits.

Perfect example of Belly Breathing!

It's like someone photoshopped two Ulli's together: early season top half (big belly, double - or is that no- chin), late season lower half (lean and mean cannons).
Ron says:

May 9 2013 at 4:31 pm

Is it possible to pinpoint the era/series when Shimano cranksets began looking horrible?

The T-Mobile Giant pictured on the grass sure seems like a start on the road towards the current sets that look to be the RoboCop of the crank world.
frank says:

May 9 2013 at 4:46 pm

@Ron

Is it possible to pinpoint the era/series when Shimano cranksets began looking horrible?

The T-Mobile Giant pictured on the grass sure seems like a start on the road towards the current sets that look to be the RoboCop of the crank world.

Yes, between the 7400 and 7410 crank. 7400: nice, clean lines, 7410, shapey, weird.

Exhibit A. 7400. Good.

Exhibit B. 7410. Not good.
Bianchi Denti says:

May 9 2013 at 4:50 pm

@ChrisO

On the Pantani-passion-love them or loathe them subject... yes I can still watch the rides of people in the Armstrong era (for want of a better description) and appreciate them tactically and mentally.

I know they were under pressures and went along with the current but, at risk of invoking Godwin's law, that's the Nuremberg defence isn't it. I was only following orders... I was only doing what everyone else did.

It's the weak way.

The strong ones are the people who didn't. Which probably also explains why Pantani, and one could argue Ullrich, showed themselves to have weak characters in other ways, by making poor decisions about who they surrounded themselves with, by lacking discipline in their training and so on. In that regard you have to admire the utter ruthlessness and dedication of COTHO.

I don't think there is any point in expunging their wins and records, but I do think we have to expunge them from our hearts. What does it say to a clean rider in a tour when he sees the names of Pantani, Ullrich, Virenque written on the road by adoring fans, or looks at a magazine or website to see a paean for their passion which ignores their fraud.

Sure it's OK to read about them or see articles but I don't like to see them immortalised. Like the way David Millar frequently says "I'm an ex-doper" , he recognises every discussion needs to start from that point and I feel the same way about those riders.

As for where you 're-start' caring... I said maybe Sastre and yes the associations are a negative but he just never seemed to fit the doping profile in his riding. He was consistent without being brilliant - a string of top tens, stage wins and podiums in grand tours over ten years but never an explosive rider, not producing anything "unbelievable". I tend to think if he was doping he would have done something to cause suspicion in his riding. I may be wrong but he gets the benefit of doubt in my book.

Herbie Sykes wrote an interesting profile of Damiano Cunego in the Feb 2013 (I think) issue of Procycling magazine. To paraphrase, Cunego's results indicate that he probably dipped his toes in the EPO pool to have a great 2004 season, then stopped doping and has had only occasional wins since. Sykes says that this is probably because he tried the dark side, didn't like it and came back towards the light, and so he is worth our respect. That could be true. He may also have taken a gamble to dope for a season, in order to guarantee a good salary for the rest fo his career. Cynicism versue Hope?

Anyway, it would be an interesting exercise to draw up a list of riders who we are reasonably sure weren't doping, but who were frequently there or thereabouts in the results. That would be a list worthy of respect!

FWIW I woudl also have Sastre on that list.
frank says:

May 9 2013 at 4:51 pm

7400 in all its glory aboard a Team 7-11 Stomper.

I loved how clean it looked, and I immediately took the dust caps off my crankset when I realized none of the pros rode with theirs. That group rivals the beauty of any Campa group, if you ask me.

@huffalotpuffalot

Rad photo, matey. If it hasn't been said already.
frank says:

May 9 2013 at 4:57 pm

@Bianchi Denti

Anyway, it would be an interesting exercise to draw up a list of riders who we are reasonably sure weren't doping, but who were frequently there or thereabouts in the results. That would be a list worthy of respect!

Especially comparing pre/post EPO eras. Looking at known/suspected dopers pre-1991ish and known/suspected dopers in 1991-2013 (yea, we're note out of it yet, lads) and contrast that to known/suspected clean riders in both eras.

My feeling is the mix was much more even in the 80's and before; Hampsten had an interesting bit in Hamilton's book about racing against dopers who were on steroids or amphetamine. He said you could compete because the drugs made them heavy or dumb, so they balanced themselves out. What the dope giveth, it taketh. With EPO, none of that mattered because they can sustain their anaerobic threshold for 80% longer than a clean rider.

That's the difference between a donkey and a racehorse, erased with the prick of a needle.
Marcus says:

May 9 2013 at 5:08 pm

@Bianchi Denti probably dipped his toes in the doping water in 2004?? He was about 12 years old and won just about everything on the calendar - and the way he won! The little fucker must have been swimming in it!
roger says:

May 9 2013 at 5:29 pm

@frank

7400 in all its glory aboard a Team 7-11 Stomper.

I loved how clean it looked, and I immediately took the dust caps off my crankset when I realized none of the pros rode with theirs. That group rivals the beauty of any Campa group, if you ask me.

re: the dustcap covers. is this shimano specific? or do you do it with your campagnolo cranks as well? im doing a tear-down and rebuild of the adr rep, and didnt bother with any special spanner, just an old spoke bent into a U shape and filed down a bit.
Joe says:

May 9 2013 at 5:54 pm

@Frank - Totally agree on on the looks of 7400. Still think Shimano haven't bettered 7800 when it comes to functionality, despite the improved front shift on 7900. I still have 7800 on my broken No.1 bike and I love that groupset.

...Stil have no love for SRAM.