Something that seemed like a vow worth keeping, then Damiano Caruso packed his first suitcase of the new season and flew to Spain with the team. In those 271 kilometers from Ragusa to Palermo, up to the Sanctuary of Santa RosaliaDamiano will also have had time to think about the challenges that await him and which he spoke about to the press on Friday, answering questions through the eyes of a camera. And announcing, as he had done confidentially at the end of October, his participation in the Giro d'Italia.
"My plan for next year," he explained, "more or less remains the same. In the first part I will do the Valenciana, then I will continue with the Ruta del Sol, passing through the Tirreno Adriatico up to the Milan-SanremoThen in April, after a training camp in the mountains, I will do the Tour de Romandie again. and then I'm almost certainly thinking of taking part in the Giro d'Italia».
To do what?
The goals are certainly always the same. Meanwhile, that of making a good impression, clearly. We will present ourselves with a team well equipped to do well, both in the stages and in the general classification. Personally my goal is to to win a stage again and then see how the condition will be along the way. I will support any team leaders (even if Landa will go to the Tour, ed) or maybe try to do the general classification yourselfIt's a little premature to say right now. We'll see how I feel in the weeks leading up to the race, how far along I am with my preparations, or how I feel. The only thing I want to do is... prepare these goals with the utmost commitment and the dedication I've always put into it.
Does the idea of the Giro give you morale?
Returning to the Giro means a lot, because There I had the best experiences of my careerI can't wait to experience the warmth of the people on the streets again, which was truly enveloping. I would like to give her some emotions, maybe, as I managed to do in 2021.
Why didn't you do it last year, since you were coming off second place in 2021?
I would have liked to be there, though. Clearly you can't always do what you like, especially when you're in big teams like this one.You also have to accommodate the team's needs, and we all know how that went.
The Tour didn't go exactly well…
I had problems at first. Everyone knows this and it distracted me. (the reference is to the searches which once again affected the Team Bahrain Victorious, ed.). During the race I never felt well and at the end of the second week I had a positive swabThat was the end of my season. I stopped for two weeks after the Tour, and then it was hard to find another peak in fitness.
In 2022 you won the Giro di Sicilia: how did it affect you?
I lived it intensely because I hadn't had many opportunities to run in SicilyEven though the Giro d'Italia has been there several times, I had never managed to make the two things coincide, so I saw it as a great chance to get seen by the home fans. In short, Damiano in live action. It was a goal I prepared for with extreme dedication and a great desire to perform well. I went to the mountains alone for two weeks to prepare myself, to isolate myself, to try to do everything as best as possible. And I trained on the same roads I would later race on.
How was it?
I don't deny that winning there, in front of my fans and my family (my children were there) it had so much valueParadoxically, it may seem a bit banal, but it gratified me, just like winning the Giro d'Italia.
Evenepoel will be at the Giro: the race is over?
It is one of the best in the world and now I think it will be even strongerHe'll have more confidence, he's stronger mentally. I think he's the favorite for the Giro at the moment, but If we look at this year's Evenepoel, in my opinion any type of route suits himThen there will be many other riders, there is talk of other champions who will be at the Giro. It's true, there's a lot of time trial, but then in the last week there's also a lot of climbing.
A race for time trialists?
It's an Tour of Italy with many meters of altitude differenceWe all know very well that there are many unknowns, such as the weather, which can vary drastically over the course of three weeks. So let's not take it too much for granted that the highest-rated one will win.And this, in my opinion, is the beauty of the Giro, because leave the race open until the last weekPure climbers will perhaps have a bit more difficulty, because clearly there are three time trials, however one seems to me to be a hill climb. So in the end everything will be more balanced.
What will your role be?
I honestly don't feel the pressure, because I don't consider the role of favorite to be mineI can't compare myself to Nibali, because Nibali, as a champion, wrote important pages in this field. I have been good at making the most of my abilities in certain circumstancesI never thought I was his heir, especially given my age. The problem is that in Italy we don't have the new Nibali now, but I think we should have one. just a little patience and sooner or later we will have it again too.
Another cyclist killed on the road…
Personally, I didn't know Rebellin very well. Clearly, I've always seen him as a leading athlete, a man with a wealth of experience. What I certainly envied him was his passion for this sport, because he made it a reason for living.I think the effect his death had on me is the same as it had on everyone. Knowing that yet again a cyclist could lose his life in this way is truly painful. And I won't deny that it also scares me a little., because you know it can happen to anyone. Being on the roads is starting to become truly dangerous.
