Marco Pantani, former TdF winner, died Saturday
I don't think he competed in the Tour de France this past year, but he's one of the guys I used to root for. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/more/02/14/bc.eu.spt.cyc.pantanide.ap/index.html Former Tour winner Pantani found dead Posted: Saturday February 14, 2004 8:52PM; Updated: Saturday February 14, 2004 9:00PM RIMINI, Italy (AP) -- Marco Pantani, the former Tour de France and Giro d'Italia winner who has been plagued by doping accusations and suspensions in recent years, was found dead Saturday, Italian news reports said. The 34-year-old Pantani, Italy's most popular cyclist, was found in a room at the hotel Le Rose in this seaside city, the ANSA news agency reported. Prosecutor Paolo Gengarelli told reporters that different types of medicine were found in the room, including tranquilizers. No cause of death was given, although news reports said it didn't appear that there had been any violence. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday. There was no answer at Pantani's Mercatone Uno team or his management agency Saturday. A man who answered his manager's phone said the reports of Pantani's death were true, and that the cause of death wasn't yet known. I'm devastated, it's a tragedy of enormous proportions for the entire cycling world, former world champion cyclist Mario Cipollini told ANSA. I'm at a loss for words. Also Saturday, 21-year-old Belgian cyclist Johan Sermon was found dead from apparent heart failure, according to Belgian news reports. He was an under-23 rider with the Daikin team. In 1998, Pantani became the last cyclist to win both the Tour de France and the Giro in the same season. Since then, he has been accused of doping several times. He has denied those accusations. He finished 14th in last year's Giro, one of his best performances since 1998. He had not announced any plans for this season, sparking speculation that he was retiring. It's still difficult to believe, I don't know what his health conditions were, former teammate, and 2000 Giro winner, Stefano Garzelli told ANSA. Certainly he had to deal with a lot of pressure, even from outside cycling. The pressure he was put under would have been tough for anyone to handle. Last summer, Pantani spent several weeks in a health clinic specializing in treatment for depression and drug addiction. In 1999, he failed a random blood test and was kicked out of the Giro, which he was winning. A syringe containing traces of insulin was found in his hotel room in a police raid during the 2001 Giro. Pantani contended the syringe had been planted and that he didn't stay in the room on the night in question. The judges dismissed the claim for lack of proof, and he was suspended for six months. In his prime, Pantani drew hoards of loyal fans to watch him sprint away from competitors while racing up steep mountain passes. After shedding the nickname of Elefantino -- little elephant _ for his big ears and small frame, Pantani became better known as cycling's Pirate for the bandanna covering his head and the earring he wore. After turning professional in 1992, Pantani won eight Tour de France stages and eight Giro stages. He wore the yellow jersey as Tour leader in six stages and donned the Giro's pink jersey 14 times. He registered 36 victories overall, the first coming in a 1994 Giro stage and the last in the 2000 Tour, when he rode wheel-to-wheel with Lance Armstrong. _ Choose now from 4 levels of MSN Hotmail Extra Storage - no more account overload! http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200362ave/direct/01/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
TDF
I watched the team time trial of the Tour De France today, and the US Postal Service team (incl. Lance Armstrong) came from way back to not only win but shatter the course, building up speed with every klick, eventually winning by 30 seconds. It was a stirring achievement to watch, because they really rode as a *team,* all 9 riders streaking down the course as one. Very very kewel. -- Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: TDF
-Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2003 8:17 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: TDF I watched the team time trial of the Tour De France today, and the US Postal Service team (incl. Lance Armstrong) came from way back to not only win but shatter the course, building up speed with every klick, eventually winning by 30 seconds. It was a stirring achievement to watch, because they really rode as a *team,* all 9 riders streaking down the course as one. Very very kewel. Don't forget we totally beat the French! NFH -- Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: TDF
Don't forget we totally beat the French! Speaking only for myself, I'm not rooting *against* anyone - I'm rooting *for* Lance Armstrong. -- Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: TDF
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Don't forget we totally beat the French! Speaking only for myself, I'm not rooting *against* anyone - I'm rooting *for* Lance Armstrong. So'm I. He's the only reason I got interested in TDF in the first place. For that, and geographical reasons, I'll be rooting *for* him in any TDF he's in. (Doesn't hurt that he helps out with an annual bike race around here to help raise money for cancer research, either.) Julia ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: TDF
I spent way too much time replying this morning. Damn you Brin-L! But now at work I can waste as much time as I want. If other's did reply to you off list Julia, could I ask those others to send their opinions to me? Just want to read what others are thinking. I don't want to say I'm a fanatic, but I do tape every TDF from OLN. I got a satellite dish just to get OLN. (Well, the second reason. Comcast, the local cable, has raised the fees the full amount they can each year for the last five years. So this was my FU to them.) I also watch all the other bike races, as well as skiing on OLN. I've gotten into arguments over the TDF, and have not been wrong on the facts. (Just little arguments. At a bike event there was a DJ giving away prizes asking trivia questions. One question was: how many riders on each team in the TDF? A teenaged girl standing next to me asked her dad what the answer was, he said eleven riders. I didn't know these people, but I turned and said, No, it's nine riders. Twenty one teams, nine riders, 189 riders total. (last year). The girl looked at me, then her dad, then ran up to the DJ and said nine riders. She got a pair of socks.) Last year I listened to the live French audio stream coverage of the race while at work. As long as you know the names, everything can be figured out. This year I can't get anything to work, so I just read the text updates. Tom Beck: Who says a playoff series doesn't begin until the home team loses? I've never heard that. Is it in pro basketball, which isn't a real sport? Do they mean the team with the home team advantage, or the home team for each game? I suspect they mean the first but it's still a silly statement. Not trying to pick a fight. I agree with you, LA hasn't lost time on any mountain stages in the last few years. But except for Heras, his team has not helped as much as they should have in the mountains. He doesn't have Hamilton anymore, he lost Andreau last year (who wasn't much of a climber). It will be noticeable if his pick-ups help more this year. Does Ullrich have as good a team around him? Bryon: What press seems to think he'll win, this year? Do you mean non-cycling reporters? I thought last year everyone was fawning over him, with his win in the Swiss race, his standing as the number one cyclist in the world. I read Velo news which is a lot less biased then Bicycling magazine. They aren't cutting at him like they did two years ago, but not as supportive as last year. He has only won two prologues, right, last year and the year before that? While they are important, being the last starter and going over cobblestones would not be fun. He said he didn't start as hard as he liked. Think of it: they ride for 3-4 hours, then spin on a trainer for twenty minutes to get their heartrate way up, THEN they jump up to the ramp for a seven and a half minute race. That's why I like the TDF. You can win the whole thing without winning a single stage. But also one stupid mistake can cost you a 21 day race. Last year for the USPS a flat caused five of them to wreck, they finished second with only six riders. This year they win the team time trial with all nine. Kevin T. - VRWC Off on my own bike. I hope the rain holds off. ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: TDF
Tom Beck: Who says a playoff series doesn't begin until the home team loses? I've never heard that. Is it in pro basketball, which isn't a real sport? Do they mean the team with the home team advantage, or the home team for each game? I suspect they mean the first but it's still a silly statement. Not trying to pick a fight. What they mean is the team that has the 4 games at home. Primarily in the NBA, also in the NHL, to a lesser extent in MLB. Because, in the NBA, the home team has a huge advantage, if each team were to win its home games, the team with the 4 home games would win the championship. I don't know why you say it's silly; it's no sillier than anything else one hears on sports-talk radio (which I know perfectly well is a source of some very silly things indeed). My only point was that Armstrong is so dominant in the mountain stages, that's where this race really begins, at least over the last few years. It was an analogy, which I realize is at best of limited utility, but all I wanted to do was point out that Armstrong has been more of a force in the mountain stages than on flatter ground. -- Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last. - Dr Jerry Pournelle ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
