Cycling News Flash for February 17, 2004

Edited by Jeff Jones

Pantani's autopsy results

Pantani and father
Photo: © AFP

An autopsy carried out on the body of Marco Pantani has shed some more light on his mysterious death on Saturday afternoon, however the question still remains as to exactly what caused his death. At a press conference in Rimini on Monday afternoon, Professor Giuseppe Fortuni declared that Pantani had died of "cardiac arrest caused by a cerebral and pulmonary edema, and any type of traumatic event is excluded."

"There are is still not enough information to confirm or exclude the utilisation of toxic substances, and we need to wait a few weeks before the results of the histological and toxicological tests are known. It has not been established where and when these examinations will be carried out," concluded Professor Fortuni.

The date for Pantani's funeral has been set at Wednesday, February 18, and will take place in the church of San Giacomo, Cesenatico. A day of mourning has been declared by the town, and special traffic measures will be put in place so that the thousands of fans will be able to get into Cesenatico to pay their last respects to the fallen champion.

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