Bianchi XL EV2 Reparto Corse, Marco Pantani TDF 2000 – SOLD

Marco Pantani (13 January 1970 – 14 February 2004) widely considered as one of the best climbers of his era in professional road bicycle racing. He won both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France and in 1998, is the last cyclist, and one of only seven, to win the Giro and the Tour in the same year. Pantani’s attacking style and aggressive riding turned him into a fan favorite in the late 1990s. He was known as “Il Pirata” (“The pirate”) because of his shaved head and the bandana and earrings he always wore.  At 1.72 m and 57 kg, he had the classic build for a mountain climber.

Bianchi’s Reparto Corse (Bianchi’s Race Department) facility hand built frames for their top riders and of course Marco Pantani was one of them riding for Mercatone Uno sponsored by Bianchi. Their top model  XL EV2 Reparto Corse is made of lightweight triple-butted alloy shaped  tubeset. Aluminum was the material of choice back then, even his biggets rival Lance Armstrong rode full carbon Trek 5500 that season. XL EV2 met Pantani’s  specifications with slightly sloping geometry, and a relatively short head tube to suit his aggressive in-the-drops climbing style. Though not super-stiff as compared to today’s carbon fiber machines, Pantani’s bike was light, even by modern standards.

The whole bike looks amazing, from the Tour de France edition paint, from superb and beautiful combination of polished /carbon Campagnolo Record 10s groupset, Campagnolo Nucleon wheelset, Campagnolo Record Titanium seatpost, Pantani’s personalized Selle Italia Flite saddle, Time Equipe Mag pedals, ITM Millenium stem and handlebar to titanium bottle cage.

We know we will get a lot of comments and questions about it so here are some facts:

• A guy who lives near Mercatone Uno headquater in Imola decided to sell it in our store.
• There is photo on the web by Yuzuru Sunada (pro cycling photographer) of Pantani’s Tour de France 2000 bike (the last photo in gallery, blue background).
• Bianchi provided at least 15 frames per year for Marco Pantani with different variants of headset fit and seat clamp versions, but always with same geometry; this bike has Pantani’s geometry.
• We were lucky enough to get Marco’s bike fitting measurments so we believe this bike was made for Marco Pantani.
• We can’t /don’t want to claim that Pantani rode this bike at the Tour de France 2000, but the fact is that the compoments and measurments are completely the same.
• There is a guy who is claiming he has Pantani’s bike from 2000 and his asking price is 20.000€.

Unique chance for all Pantani fans to get this extraordinary piece for a reasonable price.

Frame / Fork: Bianchi XL EV2 Reparto Corse TDF 2000 paint / Bianchi ful carbon XL

Size:

• seat tube (c-t): 49 cm
• top tube (c-c):  51,9 cm
• headset tube:  11 cm
• standover:  75 cm

Crankset: Campagnolo Record 10s (170mm 53/39)

Rear Derailleur: Campagnolo Record 10s

Front Derailleur: Campagnolo Record 10s

Brake Levers / Shifters: Campagnolo Record 10s

Brakes: Campagnolo Record

Wheelset: Campagnolo Nucleon

Pedals: Time Equipe Mag

Stem: ITM Millenium 120mm

Handlebar: ITM Millenium Ergal 7075,  41cm (c-c)

Seatpost: Campagnolo Record Titanium (27,2mm)

Seat: Selle Italia Flite ”Il Pirata”

Tires: Continental

Bottle cage: titanium

Handlebar tape: Bianchi cork (original)

Year: 2000

Condition: Used as a show room bike. The frame has no cracks, no dents and is not bent. Groupset  in excellent condition.

Price: SOLD (May 2017)