St Valentine's Day marked the 10 year anniversary of 1998 Tour de France winner Marco Pantani's death.

The former cyclist passed away aged 34 in 2004 due to acute cocaine poisoning, following years dogged by doping allegations.

To reflect on 'Il Pirata's anniversary, we were joined by Matt Rendell, author of The Death of Marco Pantani.

"Marco Pantani, to a great extent, was a victim of the sporting system. His rise to the top was the narrative that sport is constructed to promote. But his fall into the gutter was also part of that same narrative," said Rendell who had met and interviewed the Italian who almost certainly doped throughout his career.

"There was something utterly magnetic and mesmerizing about seeing Pantani in the saddle. In the archives of film, from 1994 you see him on the podium on any Grand Tour that he entered. He was one of the great climbers. He was like a deep see creature living under the sea bed with one terrible mortal weapon which was the repeated acceleration that he could make going uphill," said Rendell.

"Sadly with hindsight we know that just as he was doped, so we the people who fell in love with that body movement, spirit and swashbuckling approach to cycling and to life, we too were doped at one remove."

Rendell also delved into Pantani's psychological issues (he did not like being looked at according to the author) and the bullying side of his character which draws similarities with Lance Armstrong's approach, including reducing fellow cyclist Andrea Tafi to tears.

Rendell also discussed Pantani's later life and his spiral into cocaine addiction and eventual death and the reason why he remains relatively well liked, especially in his native Italy.

Image: Marco Pantani ©INPHO/Allsport