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pantani-the pirate dvd bromley video £24.99

cripes jimbo, how do i review this one? having reviewed the three major books about marco pantani over the past year (john wilcockson's velopress book, manuela ronchi's tome and most recently, matt rendell's frighteningly accurate 'the death of marco pantani'), this dvd review came about thanks to david bromley of bromley video, who rather perceptibly pointed out that i hadn't reviewed any dvds at all, apart from the real peloton and that fits into a different category, because it's a (rather good) magazine that happens to contain moving pictures.

so it seemed particularly appropriate to review 'pantani-the pirate' in the light of matt rendell's book and its rather disturbing revelations. and perhaps fortunately, refreshingly and comfortingly, this dvd makes an excellent companion to john wilcockson's book; one for the fan. i doubt that it makes the mark of a good reviewer to admit to any prejudices, whether they are present or not, but as i have written previously and recent revelations notwithstanding, i am still a fan of marco pantani. it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention just to watch the toe down pedalling style of pantani leaving virenque and ullrich trailing in his wake up alpe d'huez. (and if he was on something, the accusations and evidence surrounding the latter two probably make them all equal again).

the chaps at rapha have oft times espoused the great spectacle that is top level road racing, and such is true even up to the farce that was le tour 2006. we may all be privately or publicly debating the validity of phloyd's protestations, but let's face it, it was the most exciting race we've all seen in years - and that's what it's all about really. marco was the darling of the italians and probably several other nationalities, and he obviously inspired something in all those who knew him well or who followed his career closely. the second part of this dvd contains lengthy interviews with directeurs sportif, journalists, and the infamous manuela ronchi. the interviews appear all to have been conducted after marco's death in 2004, and while it is often said that few speak ill of the dead, there is more than just tact and decency on show here.

the surprise of the dvd, to me at any rate, is that it draws a halt at the giro of 1998. more than one of the interviews refer to marco's subsequent tour win and the events at madonna di campiglio but by only watching the first part the viewer would be left bereft of this information. in context, this is not a drastic ommission - we get to see marco at his very best, when his highs were very high and brought on by his demonstrations of climbing superiority. it was a real joy to watch him in the 1997 giro cycling with guiseppe guerini (then with polti - and that jersey doesn't get any better with age) and put several minutes into pink jersey holder, alex zulle (remember him?). as the realisation dawned that a stage win was less than important than the fact that the pink jersey was now marco's, guerini was allowed to lead over the line for a stage win, with pantani quite markedly making sure that he did not contest even the semblance of a sprint. the mark of a true champion. part one of this dvd will satisfy the pantani fan (me, me, me) and bears repeated viewing.

breaking with tradition, and not having started with the negatives, there are few. almost all the footage is from italian tv coverage of the mid to late nineties and its conversion to digital has suffered (as does virtually everything from this era. colour is a bit washed out.) there is also the occasional glitch when a switch is made from commentary to cycling footage, but having made this error myself (several times too often) i shouldn't really complain. (though i'm the reviewer here, and i'm allowed to:-)

the incessant italian commentary is actually a rather attractive feature - the enthusiasm more than makes up for the incomprehension, and where we need a more sober pointer as to the action on display, the inimitable phil ligget is there to take care of business as only he can. (in the second part of the dvd it is verging on the incongruous to see phil at the top of a french alp, in blazing sunshine, wearing a suit. these gems are to be treasured).

this bromley dvd is subtitled 'a moving tribute to a unique cyclist...'. can't argue with that. pantani fans will love it.

you can order this dvd online from bromley video

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as always, if you have any comments on this nonsense, please feel free to e-mail and thanks for reading.