Damiano Cunego Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Damiano Cunego

Cunego at the 2006 Giro d'Italia

Personal information

Full name

Damiano Cunego

Nickname

Il Piccolo Principe (The Little Prince), L'Astore del Montello (The Goshawk of the Montello)

Born

19 September 1981 (age 43)
Cerro Veronese, Italy

Height

1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)

Weight

58 kg (128 lb; 9.1 st)

Team information

Current team

Retired

Discipline

Road

Role

Rider

Rider type

Climber
Puncheur

Major wins

Grand Tours

Giro d'Italia

General classification (2004)

4 individual stages (2004)

Tour de France

Young rider classification (2006)

Vuelta a España

2 individual stages (2009)

Stage races

Giro del Trentino (2004, 2006, 2007)

One-day races and Classics

Giro di Lombardia (2004, 2007, 2008)

Amstel Gold Race (2008)

Damiano Cunego (born 19 September 1981) is a famous Italian former professional road racing cyclist. He rode his bike professionally from 2002 to 2018. He was known for being a great climber, meaning he was very good at riding uphill. He also had a strong sprint finish, which is unusual for a climber!

Damiano's biggest wins include the 2004 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Amstel Gold Race, and the Giro di Lombardia three times (in 2004, 2007, and 2008). He also won a silver medal at the UCI Road World Championships in 2008.

Damiano's Cycling Journey
Life After Cycling
Major Achievements
Images for kids
See also

Damiano's Cycling Journey

Starting Out (2002–2004)

Damiano Cunego was born in Cerro Veronese, Italy. Before he started cycling, he was a successful cross-country runner. He became a professional cyclist in 2002 when he was just 20 years old. In his first year, he won two races: the Giro d'Oro and the Giro Medio Brenta.

In 2003, he won a stage and the overall race at the Tour of Qinghai Lake. But his biggest moment came in May 2004. At only 22, he won the famous Giro d'Italia! This was a huge achievement. During that race, he also won four individual stages. He was so strong that year that he also won the Giro di Lombardia in October. He ended 2004 as the number one ranked rider in the world, being the youngest ever to do so.

Years with Lampre (2005–2014)

Damiano Cunego racing in the 2005 Giro d'Italia

In 2005, Damiano faced some challenges. He wasn't able to perform as well in the 2005 Giro d'Italia. Later, it was discovered he had a virus that affected his performance.

He bounced back in 2006, finishing third in a big race called Liège–Bastogne–Liège. In the Tour de France that year, he won the Young Rider Classification. This award goes to the best young cyclist in the race. He also came in second and third on tough mountain stages.

In 2007, Damiano continued his winning streak. He won the Giro del Trentino again and took his second victory at the Giro di Lombardia.

Cunego at the 2010 Giro d'Italia

The year 2008 was another fantastic one for Damiano. He won the Klasika Primavera and the Amstel Gold Race. These wins helped him become one of the top-ranked cyclists. He also won a silver medal at the World Championships. By the end of 2008, he won the Giro di Lombardia for the third time and the Japan Cup. This showed everyone he was one of the best "Classics" riders in the world. Classics are important one-day races.

In 2009, he won the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali and two mountain stages at the Vuelta a España. These wins made him a favorite for the World Championships that year, where he finished eighth.

Later Career (2015–2018)

In 2015, Damiano joined a new team called Nippo–Vini Fantini. He continued to race for a few more years before retiring in 2018.

Life After Cycling

After retiring from professional cycling, Damiano Cunego has faced some health challenges. In June 2020, he was hospitalized due to a brain infection.

In early 2020, Damiano shared his thoughts on his career. He felt that a lot of media attention and sponsor duties sometimes made it hard for him to focus fully on his training. He also expressed some concern about the state of Italian cycling, hoping to see more new talent emerge.