Exactly twenty years ago, on February 14, 2004, Valentine's Day for bike lovers ended with a bang.
The Italian Marco Pantani had just been found dead at the age of 34 in a room in a hotel in Rimini.
The official version of the death of the 1998 Tour winner will speak of suicide by overdose of cocaine and antidepressants.
A version which, twenty years later, still does not convince many people.
Even if he pedaled in the mud of doping, Pantani's destiny remains that of a climber apart, a climber whose life has all the passion of a cycling saint.
In faith, redemption and the tragic end.
Philippe Brunel, former journalist for L'Équipe, wrote a beautiful book ("Life and death of Marco Pantani") on the native of Cesenatico, where the 2nd stage of the next Tour de France will start.
For him, Pantani has his place among the giants of cycling.
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