Newz Forum: OTHER: Exclusive Tour de France past winner found dead

Former Tour de France winner Marco Pantani found dead.Marco Pantani won the 1998 Tour de France on August 2, 1998. He thus became the first Italian winner of the Tour since Felice Gimondi in 1965.

It is also only the seventh time in history that a rider has completed the Giro/Tour double (winning the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in the same year).

More soon as the story breaks.

Italian cycling star Marco Pantani has been found dead in his flat in Rimini at the age of 34.

No more information to date on the circumstances.

After winning the Tour De France and the Giro d'Italia in 1998,the following year wasn't a good year for him as he was thrown out of the 1999 Giro d'italia because of an excessive hematocrit level.The Union Cycliste International, the governing body of cycling, limits blood hematocrit to a maxiumum of 50% for male cyclists.Exceeding the 50% limit is a possible indication, although not definite, of the use of the performance- enhancing drug EPO.

I dug up this old report of the scandel around his suspension in 1999

Marco Pantani, Italy's top rider, was given an eight-month suspension Monday by the Italian Cycling Federation for doping. It was yet another blow to the disgraced career of the 32-year-old captain of the Mercatone Uno team.
The suspension stemmed from an investigation into forbidden substances seized during police raids at the hotels of competing teams during last year's Giro d'Italia.


Story Link

Thats pretty sad that he had died. How did he die? Or didnt the article say?

Possible OD?

Originally posted by Ben
Thats pretty sad that he had died. How did he die? Or didnt the article say?

Ben yes it is sad,there is no article it was a exclusive and not many details have been released at the time.



[Edited on 19/3/04 by TRD]

Originally posted by crayon
Possible OD?

Could well be Crayon as he was treated in a health clinic specialising in the treatment of depression and drug addiction last year.

Was he in the tour last year?

Originally posted by Ben
Was he in the tour last year?

Ben havn't a clue.

Cyclist Marco Pantani, who had been found dead in a hotel room in Italy, did not commit suicide it seems Pantani died of a heart attack, for which the cause had not been found.

Update

Former Tour de France winner Marco Pantani's death was caused by coc aine poisoning that appears to have been accidental, according to a coroner's report.The ANSA news agency reported that Giuseppe Fortuni determined Pantani died of "acute coc aine poisoning." The initial autopsy showed he died from severe swelling in his brain and heart, but Fortuni ordered more tests to find out why there was swelling.

Pantani was found dead in his hotel room Feb. 14. About 10 bottles of tranquilizers were found in the room, some of them empty, others just open, police said.

how can a coc aine overdose be accidental? did he fall into it?