What do you remember about Marco Pantani?
That of the last great climber in history. He had re-established what (the Luxembourger) Charly Gaul had once given off, a kind of ancient cycling, with a taste for risk. Taking the risk of losing to win, that was Pantani. He also had a special relationship with his public. Remember, he had a new communication system with bandanas of different colors that indicated his mood of the day to his tifosi. He had a sense of spectacle, he didn’t race just for himself. He was someone unique, an extraordinary character.
In the peloton of the 90s, he denoted…
He had found his style, the bald head. He wasn’t like the others. I remember his compatriot Claudio Chiappucci a little bothered by the advent of his young teammate (in the Carrera team), by the birth of the one who was already presented as a phenomenon. The rider from La Romagna who we were going to hear about. He had a very particular relationship with the mountains.
That’s to say ?
He said that a climber sees himself when the pass gets tough. Without trying to criticize him, he affirmed, for example, that Richard Virenque was not a real climber to the extent that he was allowed to leave because he was far away from the general, whom he attacked in the plain. He prioritized things. Very young, he possessed exceptional qualities. Doping is one thing but in its heyday, three quarters of riders doped.
Do you remember your first meetings?
I quickly understood that he was an intelligent guy, a loner who looked at the world around him. He didn’t like familiarities, a bit like Laurent Fignon in France. You didn’t approach him like that. He measured people, he knew how to sort them. He perfectly understood the mysteries of the profession, the system, the governing bodies. He had a real understanding of his profession.
Was he an engaging runner?
In private, the man was very endearing. He had a tenderness for the people he appreciated. In the discussion he was an equal, not from Pantani to the journalist. He was interested in the judgment of the other, there was a real exchange with him. He had humanity. He was a very simple person.
In 1998, he won the Tour de France, the one in the Festina affair…
That year, remember, the Tour almost stopped, there were riders’ strikes in Tarascon and he was with them. He was ready to abandon the Tour with the yellow jersey on his back. It says who he was. He was in solidarity with his fellow travelers, not blinded by the idea of winning the Tour. He kept his own mind, his judgment. He had less ambition than a personal desire to please the people who came to see him race.
That year, he achieved the Giro d’Italia – Tour de France double. Had that changed him?
He didn’t have time to change. In May 1999, he was excluded from the Giro two days before the finish (for a hematocrit level higher than normal). This is the beginning of his decline, his de-escalation, his descent into hell even if I don’t like the expression. He finds himself dispossessed of his character, he feels unfairly excluded. The reasons for this exclusion remain very mysterious: he was not that stupid, he knew that he was being controlled. I’m not saying that he wasn’t doping, hence being caught in this way when he had won the race. In Italy, there was talk of the mafia, of clandestine betting and he had to be excluded from the race. There are still so many gray areas.
He was a cycling star. Did he like it?
He struck the imagination. He had an aura, like (Fausto) Coppi in his time. He had built a character for himself through cycling. He had found an identity, a myth, a style. He found himself ugly and thanks to cycling, he loved himself. He had a certain form of fanaticism in him. At one point, he could no longer stand being overtaken at the top of the passes.
He was nicknamed the Pirate and Elefantino (the little elephant). Did he like that?
At home, in Cesenatico, where the Tour will pass, there is the Porto canal designed by Leonardo da Vinci and in this canal, there are pirate boats, hence this nickname. Elefantino, compared to his protruding ears, was not very happy. Ultimately, these nicknames didn’t matter to him.
What relationship did you have with him?
This exceeded the champion-journalist relationship, while respecting the rules. He thought it was only fair for a journalist to do his job, he wasn’t the type to criticize you for an article. I didn’t only write nice things about him. He also had his manager read what was written about him. We used to have dinner together. If he hadn’t died, we would have become very good friends. The regret of what wasn’t…
What is your best memory of him?
When I went to interview him at his home, he either took me to a fishermen’s hut by the sea, or he told me to come to his living room or he invited me to the piadine kiosk, these pancakes. from Romagna. He arrived with his motorbike, there were lots of people around us, very respectful while listening to us. It was a different time, before the internet.
Where does his place lie in Italian cycling?
He made people fantasize. By his silhouette, his appearance, he brought dreams. Let’s not forget Coppi and (Gino) Bartali but Pantani left a deep mark. The results are not everything: (Miguel) Indurain has won the Tour de France five times and two Giro but he has not left the same mark as (Luis) Ocaña (also Spanish). There is the prize list and the imprint. Pantani left a very strong mark.
Was he a runner of his time after all?
In the soul and in the spirit, no. In a way, he got the era wrong. If he could have raced in the 60s, he would have had a huge place today. He’s just a product of his times.
His end of career is sad…
His end of career (in 2003) and end of life (in 2004) are sad. And they are undoubtedly linked. The man declined with his career. He was entirely Pantani. He found himself dismissed from sport, demonized by the cycling world, he lost a lot socially. All this undoubtedly reinforced his taste for marginality. It’s a dark life. His tragic decline and death had a profound effect on me. I knew he was on the edge of an abyss, it was a shock. People like to remember him, it’s a way of keeping him alive.
