Non smetterò mai di rivedere questa tappa e ogni volta che la rivedo mi si raddrizza il pelo marco sei stato un grande continuo a maledire tutti coloro che ti hanno rovinato la vita
I was there that day and what a day-the weather didnt dampen the spirits of the huge crowds and made for a life long memory Oh and of course the sun shone both the previous day and the following day-c`est la vie
I remember as a child the interminable straight at Gap with poor Bitossi overtaken at the last meter by Marino Basso, Gimondi's feat in '73 over Merckx, Zoetmelk and Ocana, then Saronni's splendid close at Goodwood in '83 but this beats them all. It is a legendary victory with gaps from other times that forever delivers Marco Pantani to the Pantheon of the greats. Every adjective and superlative are absolutely justified for what I believe is the greatest and truly dazzling sporting achievement in cycling in the last at least 50 years. Honor, regret and an infinite thank you to the Pirate and an affectionate thought for mother Tonina. Ricordo da bambino l'interminabile rettilineo di Gap con il povero Bitossi superato all'ultimo metro da Marino Basso, l'impresa di Gimondi nel 73 su Merckx, Zoetmelk e Ocana, poi la splendida rasoiata di Saronni a Goodwood nell' 83 ma questa le batte tutte. Si tratta di una vittoria leggendaria con distacchi di altri tempi che consegna per sempre al Panteon dei grandissimi Marco Pantani. Ogni aggettivo ogni superlativo sono assolutamente giustificati per quella che ritengo sia la impresa sportiva nel ciclismo piu' grande e realmente sfolgorante degli ultimi almeno 50 anni. Onore, rimpianto e un infinito grazie al Pirata e un pensiero affettuoso per mamma Tonina.
I well remember this stage... I was living in Boone NC and went on a big mountain ride that day (Beech among others) in very similar conditions. I watched the stage after my ride in front of the fireplace. I remember thinking, "this sure does not suck:" both my ride and Pantani's excellent stage win.
When people say they were cheating by taking E,P,O It's only cheating if no other riders and rivals etc aren't taking and doing it too !! So ye Not cheating on anyone! You are just MAKING THE RACE EVEN AND EQUAL ! AS I say you can't cheat ye rivals If you are doing the same as them ! And Only cheat them If They Aren't !!
Those comments here...do you people realize that he became super depressed after that...because of all the doping he took..so literally all you "fans" wanting excitement in this sport are also responsible that your favorite died and had a miserable life after this "epic" attack... This just shows me that most fans are not real fans, they just want to get entertained and don't care if their so called idol dies from it. All for the show
Despite the Festina scandal, Team Pantani dared to continue doping, Team Telekom no longer dared to do so, or was no longer able to do so to the full extent. That's all.
My favorite part of the 98 tour is when Pantani passes Ullrich on the Galibier and he's like, "What the fuck, i got the best stuff, what the hell did you take!?" Big fan as a kid, but doping ruins the appeal of the sport to me. Those guys were juiced af and stuck to the drugs. Pantanis heart didn't make it and Ullrich is a mess.
Contador was an aggressive and exciting rider but he wasn't as exciting as Marco. This day was the most incredible I have seen since I started following this sport closely in about 1992. A classic David vs Goliath battle with Jan. Kudos to Ullrich for his attack the following day but Marco stuck to his wheel like a limpet all but sealing the TdF win and the last Giro / Tour double. RIP.
It will never cease to irritate me that Pantani had to take the heat for doping. If he had never gotten that suspicious hematocrit reading, he could have easily competed with Armstrong for at least 3-5 years. He would have done the double in 1999 too, that Oropa performance was something else.
@@stennilsen9584 not even EPO, it's the power meter than killed aggression. I mean even into 2010-2011 we had some awesome attacks and battles like on the Tourmalet etc. Sure, time gaps weren't as crazy but guys still went. Not its Jumbo Ineos train and attack with 100 meters to pick up time bonuses. Horrible. They need to get rid of power meters.
@@blackmamba3060When thinking of the great attacks of the era you mentioned, Contador really was the last great rider to ride that style. His attempts at gaining time back in 2011 were reminiscent of some of the pirate’s attacks from way out.
Pantani was never found doped, his ematocrite was higher than 50 but no one found him doped with any substances.. The ematocrite was also probably manipulated by camorra.
Conconi's file Dblab proves that Pantani never boped more than any other cyclist, actually it turns out that he doped less than many of his colleagues.
Bobby Julich had natural talent as he was a gifted junior and amateur rider...his trajectory was long, alas he took shortcuts, had a few untimely injuries and never fulfilled his potential. Sound familiar?
