When Marco Pantani seemed invincible in the late ’90s, he did so from the most distinctive seat in the house: a special edition Selle Italia Flite saddle. There were, in fact, a couple of versions, but all were long, narrow, canary yellow (of course!) with red highlights and bold embroidery that spelled out his infamous nickname ‘Il Pirata’.
Back then the Flite, with its lengthy nose and thin, shallow v-shaped body epitomised the appearance of racing saddles. Did it look like it meant business? With Pantani on board, you betcha! Did it look comfy? Er, no. Much of my respect for pre-modern-era cycling legends stems from their ability to ride further than 100 metres on these things, let alone a Grand Tour. Twenty-five years on, they look so alien.
