Marco Pantani seemed to defy the laws of gravity when he was at his peak as a professional cyclist. Come to think of it he defied the laws of cycling too. Thinking back to when I first became aware of Marco I remember this little guy from Italy riding the pants off of everybody around him as he flew up some mountain in one of the grand tours (it doesn't matter which) going by the name of Dumbo or Elephant. Both unflattering nicknames related to the size of his ears and not his ability as a pure climber. Only later would he become The Pirate as plundered most of Europe on his way to becoming one of the most important figures in modern cycling. Not only did he ride his bicycle like a Pirate but he spoke like a Pirate too. I can only guess at how a U.S. sponser would react to his inflammatory remarks about the state of cycling in the last half of the twentieth century; I bet he would have lost more than a few during his time as a professional. But I don't think he would have cared too much either. Because Marco expressed something that many Atheletes of our time are afraid to express. Personality, and that's what made Marco special. He was The Pirate on his bike and off. And maybe the last cyclist worthy of a true nickname.