Marco Pantani: The Legend of a Tragic Champion [Paperback]

John Wilcockson (Editor), Graham Watson (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 2005

Marco Pantani won the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia in the same year, 1998, a feat previously achieved only by giants of the sport like Eddy Merckx, Fausto Coppi, and Miguel Indurain. The master cyclist was also a victim of the drug culture of pro cycling, eventually sinking into a deep depression and dying alone in a hotel room on Valentine's Day 2004. This book chronicles the highs and lows of Pantani's life and cycling career through the words of leading American and European sportswriters, and it includes candid color shots of Pantani in action by renowned sports photographer Graham Watson.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Wilcockson has been writing about cycling for 30 years

GRAHAM WATSON, renowned for his stunning views of competitive cycling, is the sport's premier photographer. He has produced several volumes of his gorgeous photographs, including 20 Years of Cycling Photography.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: VeloPress (February 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931382654
• ISBN-13: 978-1931382656
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Merely average, March 28, 2006

By 

Eric J. Lyman (Roma, Lazio Italy) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marco Pantani: The Legend of a Tragic Champion (Paperback)

It's always sad when something has a wonderful opportunity to be great but settles for being merely average. That was never the way of Italian cycling icon Marco Pantani, but it is, sadly, the only way to look at Marco Pantani: the Legend of a Tragic Champion.

Pantani deserved better. He was obviously -- and fatally -- flawed, but through his flamboyant personality, dramatic cycling moves, and unmistakable appearance he also brought much-needed color to a sport increasingly dominated by single-minded robot-like riders. He died a dramatic, tragic, and pitiful death, and the world of sport was left poorer for it.

Pantani's persona is just one of the reasons this volume should have been much, much better than it is.

Another equally important reason is that editor John Wilcockson assembled a virtual Dream Team of cycling writers for the project, from venerable Italian journalist Pier Bergonzi, the chief writer with the pink-paged La Gazetta dello Sport, to his insightful friendly rival Sergio Neri at BiciSport. Add France's Guillaume Prabois, and the staff of the U.S.-based VeloNews. Even Graham Watson, the best-known photographer in the business, contributed some of his signature images.

These guys pulled out all the stops, tracking down the Ukrainian maid who cleaned Pantani's room in the hotel where he died of a drug overdose (he kept he very warm, she said) and the tourist who was the last person to see Pantani alive (he said Pantani told him, in a local dialect, "I don't know if there will be another day"). Swiss journalist Michel Beuret even manages a thoughtful interview with Christina Jonsson, Pantani's former girlfriend, who avoided the press in the wake of the cyclist's death.

But I think Mr. Wilcockson fails the effort just as a team captain fails his support riders when the pace is too much for him, despite their hard work and preparation.

There are many problems. Sloppy editing means that there are contradictory bits scattered all through the text: at one point the book says only four men ever won the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in the same year; in other parts it says there were seven (seven is correct). At several points it says the 2003 Giro was Pantani's last race, but in the appendix is points out (correctly) that he competed without distinction in the challenging Tour of the Basque Country five weeks later.

What's more, the writing is uneven, plodding, and predictable. Of course, one reason for that is because the bulk of the book was written in Italian and much of what's left was written in French. But giving it a more unified feel and level of quality has to have been on Mr. Wilcockson's list of duties as editor. Don't blame the translator: he got it to this point. Someone needed to finish the job.

And don't get me started on the title. The world "legend" first and foremost means something "presented as history but unlikely to be true." While, technically, the word can also refer to someone so admired they seem to be the stuff of a legend, this is referring to the story. Besides, why the confusion? Why not simply call it "Marco Pantani: The STORY of a Tragic Champion"? Or "The LESSON of a Tragic Champion"? "Or we could get alliterative with "The Tragedy of a Troubled Champion." Should I go on?

I must say I am very tempted to award this review only two stars, but I think its subject earns it a gentleman's C. Still, I had hoped for much more. Chances are, you do, too.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting to know Pantani, November 5, 2006

By 

Keith Manning "Keith" (Alpharetta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marco Pantani: The Legend of a Tragic Champion (Paperback)

One does not expect great literature in a sports biography and this book meets those expectations. However, it does succeed in making you feel like you do get to know Pantani - and it does give a lot of facts that help you to piece together the story and, probably, what was behind it.

Anyone who still thinks that "certain riders" didn't take performance-enhancing substances should read this book (especially the interview with his ex-girlfriend).

Anyone who wants more insight into the TDF should read this book.

Anyone who knows even a little about Pantani and wants to understand his tragic story should read this book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read, Somewhat Disjointed, October 19, 2005

By 

Thomas D. Newman (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Marco Pantani: The Legend of a Tragic Champion (Paperback)

The tragic death of Marco Pantani underlined the darker side of cycling (and any other professional sport), where some athletes feel compelled to cheat in order to further their professional careers. When Pantani was caught cheating in the Giro de Italia, two days from a win, he fell into a deep depression that only cocaine could alleviate. This book is a very interesting collection of journalists' articles on the life and tragic death of one of the world's top riders. Beginning with Pantani's childhood, chapters cover Pantani's life with plenty of descriptions of his most successful races. Although best suited for hard-core cycling fans, there is something for everyone, including a poignant interview with Pantani's ex-girlfriend Christina Jonsson, who confirms Pantani's use of illegal substances both during racing and after in the form of cocaine. The book also reveals a little of the driven personality that seems to lie behind all great road racers. Perhaps one of the most revealing parts of the book is the final chapter which lists Pantani's racing victories. 1998 stands out as the year of Il Pirata, in which Pantani won both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France. Reviewing 1998, it seems to me that either Pantani never came close to realizing his true potential - or - he took massive quantities of performance-boosters in order to apparently maintain a 6 month phsyiological peak. (Maintaining winning form for an entire racing season just doesn't happen naturally, folks!) Be aware that since this is a collection of stories by numerous authors, the text often repeats itself in descriptions of races and events, making for some confusion as to which race Marco won and in which race he crashed, etc. I think that editor John Wilcoxen could have done a better job of synchronizing each chapter. Its a great read and great background on one of Italy's finest riders. A great gift for your cycling enthusiast!