"Below from CyclingNews.com:
This afternoon, the body of 34 year old Marco Pantani was found in a room in Le Rose di Rimini apartments in the Italian Adriatic coastal city of Rimini. The alarm was given to the Rimini police by the manager of the apartment complex. When the police arrived on scene they found Pantani's body. The cause of death is not yet known, although according to initial information from the Rimini police, Pantani did not die a violent death. The coroner will come to examine the scene and there will be an autopsy according to Italian law.
Italian national coach Franco Ballerini was quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport as saying that, ""This whole thing doesn't seem real.""
Marco Pantani was arguably the top climber of the 1990's, winning eight stages apiece in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. He won both races in 1998, but was expelled from the 1999 Giro on the penultimate stage while in the lead after failing a hematocrit test. Since then his career has spiralled downwards, and he has had to answer several charges of doping related sporting fraud in court. Although eventually cleared of all charges, he disappeared from competition completely after the Giro d'Italia last year. Several reports claim that he was suffering from depression, and it was doubtful that he would ever return to racing again."
Marco Pantani dies
Oh my, what terrible news. I am saddened. Like or dislike the man, no one deserves such a young death - and he was a superb cyclist.
RIP you Pirate.
As RR points out, the Celestial Cycling Team grows.
????
Terrible news....
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/sports/sports-cycling-pantani.html
"not only a great climber, but that man had guts...here's another article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/3489619.stm"
There is nothing but sadness to Pantani's death and for his downfall.
I heard he played guitar and used to perform the at the local pubs when he was in his local region. I'm sure he was just too sensitive for all he was up against...sad.
Having first read the BBC account of Pantani's life and death in Herb's link, I didn't know what Don meant when he referred to Pantani's courage. Then I read the Times article Don linked, and understood:
From the Times:
(Pantani) took the bronze at the world championships after recovering from the fall.
The same year, he shattered his left tibula and fibia in a crash after being hit by a jeep and injured his collarbone, wrist, arms, foot and ribs as well as suffering from concussion and a dislocated shoulder.
He made his first comeback in 1997 but three months later he returned to hospital after a crash caused by a cat running across his path during the Giro, leaving him badly bruised.
Starting from scratch once again, the next year he won both of the world's cycling classics -- the Giro and the Tour.
Richard, for a rare time, respectfully.
"Marco Pantani
Frank Vandenbroucke
Jose Maria Jimenez (""el chaba"")
Graeme Obree
...And that's just within the last two years or so.
Richard"
You can add a 21 year old belgium rider, Johan Sermon, to the list...
http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=reu-sermon&prov=reuters&type=lgns
We really don't know the incidence of depression among other sports.
But the interesting question might actually be, what is it about depression that there is so much cycling?
Lynn
Overall biking is great, but one of the things I dislike the most about biking is that unlike other sports it doesn't provide a sufficent respite from your own interior monologue. If you are playing tennis or basketball or skiing downhill you have to focus on the activity itself. Running is also bad but you can at least listen to music. Don't get me wrong, sometimes biking is distracting--going uphill,or downhill, riding with an undisciplined group,beautiful scenery; biking can also be wonderfully peaceful and soothing if you get into the right zone; but if you are inclined to negative thinking, biking also gives you plenty of time to stew on worries and fears.
First, Pantani's depression might very well have been beyond simple self help therapy.
As for cycling and your observation of its limitation to lose oneself in itself, I beg to differ. If you have ever done a very long ride, say 5 hours plus, no doubt you will lose yourself in your own head. On full day rides I don't know where the time goes. No doubt I'm in an altered state. And I become quite passive for the rest of the day. I am pretty sure my situation is not unique.
"maybe being unfortunate enough to be a professional racer during a time that overlapped two of the top ten bike racers of all time (each stringing together five straight wins) had something to do with his depression...
http://www.cyclinghalloffame.com/riders/alltime25graph.asp
http://www.torelli.com/raceinfo/tdf/tdfindex.shtml&1
:/
don"
I must agree wit Hank. When I am riding, I rarely think of anything other than my immediate cycling experience: who is around me, how hard am I riding, where am I going, harder, slower, cadence? This is especially true on a long climb, when I am generally on the edge of my limits and anything else is far from my thoughts.
"I know nothing about Pantani’s life and it’s always a shame when a gifted life is cut short.
LB wrote-""We really don't know the incidence of depression among other sports. But the interesting question might actually be, what is it about depression that there is so much cycling?""
It’s a way to self medicate without the side effects of pharmaceuticals.
It is perfectly normal for people to feel depressed from time to time and cyclists are no exception. Some of us are drawn to cycling as a sport because it helps with decreasing mental stress and depression. Other endurance sports like distance running, X-skiing, mountaineering are similar in that when we engage the activity at appropriate levels of difficulty (physical stress) over extended period of time, the human brain produces higher levels of Dopamine to help us cope with the stress. The chemical soup of Dopamine mixed with other endorphines and neurotransmitters helps to give us the perception of euphoria, and actual heighten sense of awareness.
Robert xxx wrote- ""if you are inclined to negative thinking, biking also gives you plenty of time to stew on worries and fears.""
Happens sometimes when you make a conscious or unconscious choice to dwell on those negative thoughts and distractions. Usually those are the times when you ride into a crater size hole, or get doored because of an attractive woman crossing the street. Crash into parked cars when you’re giving a cabbie the finger, etc.
HS wrote- ""No doubt I'm in an altered state. And I become quite passive for the rest of the day. I am pretty sure my situation is not unique.""
JZ wrote-"" When I am riding, I rarely think of anything other than my immediate cycling experience: who is around me, how hard am I riding, where am I going, harder, slower, cadence? This is especially true on a long climb, when I am generally on the edge of my limits and anything else is far from my thoughts.""
Both HS and JZ are describing a meditative state and cycling is very much a moving mediation. The intense focus one needs to perform at high levels requires that you forget about troubles. It is not recommended that you check out the sceneries while you’re in paceline doing 30+. You can be certain LA is not thinking about his grocery list when he rides. The sense of physical fatigue helps us achieve peacefulness of mind; The clarity of thought is not passive, but non-reactive.
–
We all love it because the way we feel while we are riding. Sometimes it’ll even feed our egos when we beat everybody up a hill, or do well in a race; but that’s a double edge sword.
Was Pantani depressed because he stopped riding, or because he stopped winning? Or was the unchecked chemical imbalances to blame? It doesn’t matter much now.
Chuck
Artist and Yoga practitioner, not MD"
Geo Kaplan opines it's that these guys load their bodies with steroids and other performance-enchancing products that produces and results in the depression we're talking about here.
It may be Obree's depression pre-existed his racing days, but were I to create a fictitious character based on my imagination of him, I would have the depression grow from the UCI's banning the bike and the riding style he so assiduously created when it was not illegal, essentially punishing him for excellence and for having the pluck and imagination to be independent and inventive.
Richard
the following story brought tears to my eyes ...
http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Cronache/2004/02_Febbraio/16/pantani_...
"
...[snip]...
The magistrate investigating his death said yesterday that Pantani did not commit suicide, Reuters reported. But the magistrate, Paolo Gengarelli, told Reuters that no cause would be determined until after an autopsy, which was to be performed today.
...[snip]...
He had not raced for almost a year, and then only after a year of near inactivity. He checked into a clinic to treat depression early last year and emerged after two weeks. He gained about 20 kilograms, or 44 pounds, to the 60 kilograms (about 133 pounds) he used to carry when he was climbing mountains with ease.
...[snip]...
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/16/sports/othersports/16BIKE.html?8hpib"
Thank you for that link. It was a very moving story. Awiting the final details of this very tragic event
Ciao Tony M.
the autopsy was performed today and the preliminary report is that Pantani died because of a cardiac arrest caused by pulmonary and brain edema (fluid accumulation and swelling). No word on what caused the edema, as more test will be performed in the coming days.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=cycling&id=1735605
What is going on?
Now your official web site is OFF,and for write for Marco you can go to
www.pantaniboard.tk
please NO rhetorical NO speculation.
Thanks.
