Synopses & Reviews
At 9:30 pm on February 14, 2004, former Tour de France winner Marco Pantani was found dead in Rimini. It emerged that he had been addicted to cocaine since Autumn 1999, weeks after being expelled from the Tour of Italy for blood doping. Conspiracy theories abounded—that he was injected in his sleep by a business rival, that the Olympic Committee had framed him, that Italian Industrialists had engineered his downfall, etc etc. If none of these is entirely true and none of them fully explains Pantani's personal tragedy, none of them is foundationless. This book debunks the myths and makes surprising revelations. About Pantani's personal tragedy, but also about the world of cycling. Matt Rendell had access not only to court transcripts but to many of Pantani's friends and the doctors who treated him. But Pantani's life is about much more than drug addiction. Lance Armstrong described him as "more of an artist than an athlete—an extravagant figure." Despite being plagued with injuries he won both the Giro and the Tour in 1998, something very few cyclists even attempt. He was an inspirational icon, and the remarkable wins against all odds make gripping reading.
Synopsis
Cyclist Marco Pantaniand#8217;s death is one of the most tragic events in recent sports history. After winning both the Tour de France and the Giro dand#8217;Italia in 1998, he was expected to dominate cycling well into the next decade. Instead, he was caught in a blood-doping scandal, disappeared from view, and, in 2004, was found dead of cocaine poisoning. Matt Rendell tells Pantaniand#8217;s story with an investigative reporterand#8217;s zeal for the facts and a novelistand#8217;s skill for depicting deeper truths. He debunks the conspiracy theories that have circulated about Pantaniand#8217;s demise, and also reveals other startling findings about the dark underside of the cycling world.
About the Author
Matt Rendell survived Hodgkin's Disease and lectured at British and Latvian universities before entering TV and print journalism. He is the author of A Significant Other and Kings of the Mountains. He has written for the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, including British coverage of the Tour de France.