Pantani found dead

[ps1074]

edit - might not be breaking as I was out all day yesterday and only just found this out.

Italian cycling star Marco Pantani has been found dead in a hotel in Rimini.

The 34-year-old climbing specialist, nicknamed "The Pirate", won the 1998 Tour de France stmand Giro d'Italia.



BBC SPORT

[muchacho]

1. wow

what a drag. The man was a monster in the hills.

I hope it's not drugs.

[rooboy]

3. So many pro cyclists die young...

that you'd swear the Bush family ran the sport.

[RapidCreek]

5. I do to, but I have a feeling it might be the result of

many years of steroid use. I spent quite a few years in the bicycle industry. I don't know that he used...but most of the pro level racers I "knew" did. Andy Hamsten quit racing because he said he couldn't compete against steroid users unless he used them too and he wasn't willing to. As the French are famous for saying the Tour isn't won on mineral water alone.

RC

[Womblestuffer]

10. Steriods again

[NJCher]

2. not familiar with sports

The first thing I thought of when I saw the headline was that he knew something about bush and the National Guard.


Cher

[Lefta Dissenter]

4. You know that's scary,

because I thought the same thing. Whatever happened to having a president we could look up to???

Well, I am sorry for the cyclist's family, friends and fans. :(

[muchacho]

6. oy

starting to sound like the Vince Foster crowd in here.

[DS1]

7. no kidding, pro athletes drop dead just like anyone else

[BiggJawn]

8. The last man to win TdF...

NOT named "Lance"...
He became the center of an Italian doping scandal after being throw out the Giro and it looks like he never recovered from the shame.

But I read last week about increasing incidents of athletes blowing out their hearts doing things like sitting watching TV and pulling their socks on, so who knows?

On Edit:

Man, this is TOO weird...What did I just say? Read this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/3489675.stm

21 years old, and dies in his sleep from heart failure....

When the weather breaks, the first ride up Hickory Ridge is for you, Marco.
RIP

[Fovea]

14. I will think of him

When I go riding next time, as I climb the 17% grade river bluff up to my house.

[RC]

9. Dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=761701

[demdave]

15. It isn't a dupe unless it has been previously posted in LBN.

[slackmaster]

11. Bummer

I always enjoyed watching him.

My condolences to his family, friends, and fans everywhere.

[AP]

12. That's awful. This isn't Elephantini, is it?

[Fovea]

13. Ciao Marco

May your spirit climb higher.

[Kusala]

16. Even though I'm not a big road cycling fan

I get into the TDF every year..Pantini is one name of many i've learned over the past handfull of years...but even to a casual fan like myself, it's common knowledge how much doping has gone on in that sport..

personally, I'd rather ride over roots than concrete any day..

props to my off-road buddies :)
I doubt Tinker Juarez is pumping up on roids. but then, it's probably only a matter of time.

[Moderator]

17. Kick

:-(

[gulfcoastliberal]

18. Pretty Sure Armstrong

Must've used some kind of enhancer back in the day that caused his cancer. Yes, people get testicular cancer that don't use anything, but when it has metastasized to the lungs and brain, etc, it's generally incurable. That he was able to make a full remission makes me think that he quit whatever he was on, which combined with the chemo eliminated the disease entirely. Survival rates for stage 4 cancer are very very low. I think he was on one of the drugs that generated more red blood cells for extra O2 capacity - think it's called EPO.

spelling/grammar edit