Marco Pantani was an Italian road racing cyclist, widely regarded as the greatest climbing specialist in the history of the sport by measures of his legacy, credits from other riders, and records. He recorded the fastest ever climbs up the Tour’s iconic venues of Mont Ventoux (46:00) and Alpe d'Huez (36:50), and all-time greats including Lance Armstrong and Charly Gaul have hailed Pantani’s superior climbing skills. He won both the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia in 1998, being the sixth Italian after Ottavio Bottecchia, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, Felice Gimondi and Gastone Nencini to win the Tour de France. He is the last cyclist, and one of only seven, to win the Giro and the Tour in the same year.