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	(1981-09-19) 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 on September 19, 1981, is a famous Italian former professional cyclist. He rode bikes professionally from 2002 to 2018 for several teams.

Cunego is best known for winning the 2004 Giro d'Italia, a major cycling race. He also won the 2008 Amstel Gold Race and the Giro di Lombardia three times (in 2004, 2007, and 2008). He was a climbing specialist, meaning he was very good at riding uphill. He also became good at time trials and had a strong sprint finish.

Cycling Career

Starting Out (2002–2004)

Damiano Cunego was born in Cerro Veronese, Italy. He started cycling as a teenager. Before that, he was a good cross-country runner. A famous cycling coach, Giuseppe Martinelli, discovered him. Martinelli also worked with the legendary cyclist Marco Pantani.

Cunego became a professional cyclist in 2002 when he was 20 years old. He joined the Saeco team. 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.

He became very famous in May 2004. At just 22, he won the Giro d'Italia. This was a huge achievement for such a young rider. During that race, there was some tension with his teammate, Gilberto Simoni. Cunego showed he was very strong. Later in 2004, he won the Giro di Lombardia in October. This was his 13th win of the season! He ended 2004 as the number one rider in the world rankings. He was the youngest ever to do this.

Riding for Lampre (2005–2014)

Cunego at the 2005 Giro d'Italia

In the 2005 Giro d'Italia, Cunego and Simoni were co-leaders for the Lampre team. However, Cunego had a tough time during the race. He lost a lot of time early on and couldn't compete for the win. His team said he was having a "psychological crisis." After the race, doctors found he had a virus. This meant he couldn't race in the 2005 Tour de France.

In 2006, Cunego finished third in a big race called Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He was beaten in a sprint finish by two other strong riders. In the Tour de France, he won the young rider award. This award goes to the best young rider in the race. He also came in second on a tough mountain stage to Alpe d'Huez.

In 2007, Cunego won the Giro del Trentino again. He also won his second Giro di Lombardia. This showed he was still one of the best riders.

Cunego at the 2010 Giro d'Italia

The year 2008 was another great year for Cunego. He won the Klasika Primavera and the Amstel Gold Race. These wins put him at the top of the world rankings. He also finished second at the UCI Road World Championships. Many thought he would win the Tour de France, but he had to leave the race early. By the end of 2008, Cunego won the Giro di Lombardia for the third time. He also won the Japan Cup. This proved he was a top rider for one-day races.

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

Later Career (2015–2018)

In 2015, Damiano Cunego joined a new team called Nippo–Vini Fantini. He continued to race for them until he retired in 2018.

After Cycling

In June 2020, Cunego was in the hospital because of an infection. He recovered well.

In 2020, Cunego talked about his career in a magazine. He felt that too much media attention and sponsor duties made it harder for him to focus on training. He believes this stopped him from reaching his full potential after his big win in the 2004 Giro. He also shared his thoughts on Italian cycling today. He noticed there aren't as many new young talents as there used to be.

Major Achievements

Grand Tour Results

Grand Tour general classification results
Grand Tour	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Giro d'Italia	—	34	1	18	4	5	—	17	11	—	6	—	19	DNF	44	—	—
Tour de France	—	—	—	—	11	—	DNF	—	29	6	—	55	—	—	—	—	—
/ Vuelta a España	—	—	15	—	—	DNF	DNF	DNF	—	—	33	—	76	—	—	—	—
Major stage race general classification results
Race	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
/ Paris–Nice	—	—	—	—	—	—	17	—	48	—	13	—	—	—	—	—	—
/ Tirreno–Adriatico	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	8	—	32	27	—	—	—	117
Volta a Catalunya	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	6	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tour of the Basque Country	—	16	16	9	—	4	4	6	DNF	DNF	4	16	11	—	—	—	—
/ Tour de Romandie	70	—	—	2	—	—	—	—	—	16	—	27	—	—	—	—	—
Critérium du Dauphiné	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	21	72	—	—	—	—
Tour de Suisse	—	—	—	—	—	5	4	6	—	2	52	—	—	—	—	—	124

Classic Race Results

Championship Results

	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Olympic Games	Not held		—	Not held			—	Not held			—	Not held			—	Not held
World Championships	—	—	9	—	—	50	2	8	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
National Championships	—	—	—	—	—	31	12	2	16	DNF	DNF	28	—	—	DNF	DNF	DNF

See also

In Spanish: Damiano Cunego para niños