Why Marco Pantani’s Story Still Haunts Cycling

Marco Pantani was untouchable. On June 5th, 1999, the Pirate stood on the brink of cycling immortality — leading the Giro d’Italia by over five minutes, dominating the mountains, and leaving the sport’s biggest names behind. Then, in a hotel room in the Italian Alps, three doctors took his blood. Five hours later, his race was over. His career would never recover. Five years later, Pantani was found dead alone in a hotel room in Rimini.This is the story of cycling’s most tragic icon: the rise, the scandal, the conspiracy, and the devastating fall of the man who made millions believe in impossible attacks and pure climbing genius.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parlee Cycles ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"Whether it's a tough day, a gruelling training session, an epic road trip or sitting on the side of the road, exhausted and wondering how you'll get to the top... The answer is regularly to just get back in the saddle and ride. Ride The F...ing Bike. RTFB!"Go check out their amazing bikes at https://www.parleecycles.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠4Endurance⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pro level fuel, made accessible. Myself and Sarah trust 4Endurance for all our fuelling needs. Their reange is HUGE and won't break the bank. Go check them out here https://4endurance.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BIKMO⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bikmo protects you and your bike fromtheft, accidental damage, race-day disasters, and even baggage claim shenanigans. Yourhelmet, GPS, and other kit are covered too. Got more than one bike? Of course you do – you get 50% off each extra bike on the same policy.Protect your ride before it’s too late – head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bikmo.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get covered.