Marco Pantani

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Lore & Background

Pantani's 1998 Tour de France victory was forged through a dramatic comeback. He started the race by finishing 181st of 189 riders in the opening prologue and lost over four minutes in the first individual time trial to 1997 winner Jan Ullrich. Pantani pulled back these early time losses in the Pyrenees, taking 23 seconds off Ullrich in the stage to Luchon and winning the stage to Plateau de Beille, where he took an additional minute and forty seconds from Ullrich. Although still three minutes behind after the Pyrenees, he defeated Ullrich by almost nine minutes in the first mountain stage in the Alps, from Grenoble to Les Deux Alpes, via the Col de la Croix de Fer and Col du Galibier. Pantani launched his attack on the ascent of Galibier, forty-eight kilometers from the finish, stopping to put on a rain jacket at the summit before winning on the final ascent to Deux Alpes. He turned his three-minute deficit into a six-minute advantage that he maintained to win the Tour de France ahead of Jan Ullrich and Bobby Julich. Pantani became the first Italian since Felice Gimondi in 1965 to win the Tour and the seventh rider in history to achieve the Giro-Tour double.

In Their Own Story

In the 1997 Tour de France, Pantani established a record time for the climb of Alpe d'Huez, riding the final 14.5 km in 37'35". Since the actual climb is just 13.8 km long, his time based on 13.8 km was 36'55". His personal record for 13.8 km came in 1995, when he rode the climb in 36'40", which remained the fastest ascent time until Tadej Pogačar broke his record in the 2026 Tour de France with a time of 35'27". Pantani also still holds the third and fourth fastest times at 36'55" in 1997 and 37'15" in 1994, followed by Lance Armstrong at 37'36" in 2004 and Jan Ullrich at 37'41" in 1997. He recorded the fastest climbs up the Tour's iconic venues of Mont Ventoux (46:00) and Alpe d'Huez (36:50). Other cyclists including Lance Armstrong and Charly Gaul have hailed Pantani's climbing skills.

Reader's Guide

Marco Pantani's Tour de France story is defined by his 1998 victory and his record-setting climbs. He is the sixth of seven Italians — after Ottavio Bottecchia, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Gastone Nencini and Felice Gimondi, and before Vincenzo Nibali — to win the Tour de France. His style has been contrasted with that of time-trialling experts such as the five-time Tour winner Miguel Induráin. Although Pantani never tested positive during his career, his career was beset by doping allegations. Following the Festina affair, he stated that he may have won the cleanest Tour because of the fear of police. French cycling magazine Vélo Magazine awarded him the Vélo d'Or as the best rider of 1998. His early death caused by acute cocaine poisoning in 2004 has further turned the cyclist into a popular icon.

Did You Know?

• Pantani recorded the fastest climb up Mont Ventoux at 46:00 and Alpe d'Huez at 36:50.
• He is one of only eight riders to ever win the Tour de France – Giro d'Italia double, doing so in 1998.
• Pantani's personal record for the 13.8 km Alpe d'Huez climb was 36'40" in 1995, which remained the fastest until Tadej Pogačar broke it in the 2026 Tour de France with a time of 35'27".
• He was the first Italian since Felice Gimondi in 1965 to win the Tour de France.
• Pantani picked the nickname 'Il Pirata' because of his shaven head and the bandana and earrings he wore.