Marco Pantani was one of the great climbers in modern cycling. In 1998 he achieved the rare double of winning both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia in the same year, and at the Giro also won the mountains classification. He raced while wearing a bandana, which made him look like a pirate, and brought him the nickname “Il Pirata”. He won a number of stages in the grand tours on climbing stages, but his small size, and lack of a sprint, left him without any significant classic wins. He did have three other podium finishes in the Tour and Giro, placing third in the Tour de France in 1994 and 1997, and second at the 1994 Giro. Pantani had a difficult last few years. He had a positive doping test at the 1999 Giro, and his last few years were beset with rumors of drug use. He died from what was reported as acute cocaine intoxication, and suicide was considered a likely cause.
Italy