When you are young you think that life could be easy, that your heroes could be heroes forever, that your happines and joy could live forever.

In the sport is pretty much the same.

You think that your hero on a bike, on a field, on a swimming pool could live forever, could be heroes forever.

They are human, they are living their life and life it's not always a good surprise.

There are many talented men and women that make extraordinaries gestures in the sports but some of them are special.

In the '90 all the world amazed and went crazy for a little man without one single hair on the head but with a "bandana" on his head.

In Italy he was known as the "Pirata", for the rest of the world he was simply Marco Pantani.

In the summer afternoons of the '90 there was an incredible hype for the mountain race of Tour De France or Giro d'Italia.

Everybody was excited about that, everybody expected Marco Pantani, his grace, his unbelievable speed when the road began to be slope and the mountain began to be too high for every runner, but not for "Il Pirata". 

Marco Pantani was always ready to get up on the pedals of his bicicle and start his climb where one at a time, be sure, he would leave everyone behind, triumphing.

He was incredible, every single night.

Every spectatore, every fans was out of his skin when Pantani arrive at the finish line, alone, always alone with his arms above the sky.

It was one of the most exciting things that could be seen, they could give an absurd charge to those afternoons and exalt you, on the couch.

On 5th June, 1999, however, that adrenaline became sadness when  the news that Marco Pantani had been found positive to the Ematochrite. 

A shocking news that you could not accept, to which you could not give credit. 

15 years later, that truth is discovered to be almost certainly false and manipulated. 

We had all seen our wings breaking and those of Marco, who a few years later put an end to his life on Valentine's Day. 

The era of easy enthusiasm was over and the era of fear, of disillusionment with life had begun.

We were something else with Marco Pantani.

We were alive.

Now, we are orphan, we are something incomplete without him.