Arms wide. His face, suffering and full of joy at the same time. Marco Pantani is all there in the large statue inaugurated yesterday evening in the Piazza sull’Acqua, in front of the Tiberius bridge. After the cycle path named after the Cesenatico champion in via Montescudo, here is RImini’s other great tribute to the Pirate a few hours before the historic appointment with the Tour de France, which today will run the first stage on our roads (departure from Florence) with the arrival on the seafront. Rimini will go down in history: “Thanks to the Grande Boucle they will see us on TV in 190 countries around the world…”, recalls the mayor Jamil Sadegholvaad. The statue dedicated to the Pirate is a work by designer Aldo Drudi (who collaborated with Pantani for a long time), donated by a group of companies: Cocer, Eco Demolizioni, Arredissima, Ivas group and Arancio Logistica Trasporti. At the ribbon cutting yesterday, with the mayor, the councilors Mattia Morolli and Francesco Bragagni and Moreno Maresi, dozens of cycling enthusiasts and curious people. “To define this work as beautiful is an understatement. It is an imposing statue (it is 5 meters high) and wonderful – says Sadegholvaad – It is our dutiful homage to the greatest champion of our cycling ever, which we inaugurate on the occasion of the arrival of the Tour in Rimini. Pantani is more alive than ever in the hearts of all of us and this work, which after the Tour we will relocate to another very visible place in the city, will remain as a testimony to his greatness forever.” “Our goal – explains Drudi – is to touch the hearts of the fans and pay homage to Marco, who was a dear friend. And this is the first time that I have ‘taken’ his image after his death, hoping to have done so in respectful manner.” The tribute to Pantani will continue today on the roads crossed by the Tour.
