cptgaio

PS. For Alessio: there would have been a third option (asking politely) but I omitted it because I believe it is not included in your behavioral repertoire.

@SHERMANOAKS: A) a hematocrit above 50% (like Pantani’s in both cases) is abnormal even in prolonged altitude conditions (and extremely risky for life, just ask Di Centa for example) B) it is backtracking to assert that Indurain would have tested positive (not to mention the discussion about controls): he didn't, therefore, for the sake of the doubt, he wasn't doping. @WbkFans: we understand each other @Alessio: on DeBaser off-topic is tolerated by tradition (by the way, in this case it’s not that off), so you have two solutions if these things annoy you: A) (the best one for me) stop posting on the site B) ask the webmasters to no longer send notifications by default to the reviewers. Ah, I believe you are not in a position to give orders to anyone, at least not here. Best regards to everyone.

And let's not forget the Italian theme song. Lamu' is always Lamu'.

Strange days on DeBaser. (Beautiful review, a proposal that attracts me)

Well, briefly in the book I mentioned what I thought, up there in the first comments, about Pantani (or his image passed down through the years), I believe the only real mistake he made was getting caught. Let me explain: I adored Pantani, he thrilled me (even though I cheered for someone else) and my thoughts now do not start (even if they are a consequence) from the doping scandals; instead, they are influenced by all the (fake) compassion that has now degenerated into a celebration that perhaps would have annoyed him as well. I remember that evening in '99 very well, after returning from Mortirolo, a sports show where many "talking heads" of Italian sports journalism used epithets like "criminal," "scoundrel," etc. Many of them (one, the most vehement that evening, has since died but had time to "redeem" himself and participate in the unhealthy revelry) now herald the vile celebration. Well, while I think this is due to the blind cynicism that afflicts the average journalist, I also imagine it is because in these 10 years, a far worse rot has emerged from cycling compared to what the Pirate did (Armstrong testing positive "posthumously," for EPO in his first Tour victory and never punished, the Operacion Puerto, etc., etc.), and this has led to a hypocritical repentance for words, actions (and omissions?) made at the end of the last century. From my point of view, while Pantani's human story evokes sadness and compassion in me, I am still burned by those two "triumphant" years when my passion was mocked: as a cycling lover, I know very well that probably "(almost) no one is or was innocent," and I am savvy enough to say, "okay, I suspect it but at least don’t let this illusion come to an end" (hence the point about getting caught that I mentioned at the beginning). This is the blame I assign to the Pirate: he dramatically closed a beautiful dream (don't come to tell me there was a plot to "eliminate him" because during those years, following the Festina affair, he wasn't the only one to be stopped; he was the most striking, for sure, but not the only one). Coming down on foot from Mortirolo, I wasn't thinking "criminal" or "scoundrel," I was thinking "how sad to see a dream shattered like this," and now I don’t see Pantani as a myth to be exalted but as a great disappointment in cycling. This is how it is; in my view, superlatives are tied to emotionally positive things, and this leads me to erase him from any sports list. At a human level, beyond compassion, I have no elements to express anything further.

I also found the stage I was referring to (the Pantani-Ullrich one), here it is: Erreur 404 - Sport : toute l'actualité sportive sur l'EQUIPE (Match en direct, Football, Rugby, Tennis, Nba, F1) unfortunately there isn’t a video about it, however if you go here un link you’ll find a photo gallery where at a certain point you can sense the moment. Cheers again.

PPS: take that speech about hypocrisy as general and not referring to you, obviously.

Sure, please send me the text you'd like to have translated.

On Guerini I might be wrong, but on Ullrich, no. It happened like this, go check it out too; as for Rominger, that's an episode I don't recall. I know that the idea of Indurain as the strongest climber is not widely shared, and in fact, I mentioned in the first comment that I was going against the tide (the fact that his ability to maintain his strength in the climbs with such freshness and clarity made him an extraordinary and complete rider is very much accepted, as I've already said). I believe I've explained why I think this way; it's certainly a personal belief, but I'm convinced that over the years it will be accepted as such, while Pantani will gradually be reassessed as the "suspicious" winner of one Tour and one Giro (by the way, this sudden surge of affection for Marco now, from someone who was enthusiastic about him, disgusts me a bit due to how hypocritical it is). The rest of the discussion about hematocrit and the like is classic behind-the-scenes talk from the fans of the Pirate, so there's little to argue: what remains are the facts, as usual. Bye.

Ps: @Kosmo: professional road cycling, as we understand it now, was "invented" (in quotes because the more accurate verb would be "developed") in France and, with a subordinate role, in Belgium. Hello!