with Damiano Cunego Gilberto Simoni as with Coppi Bartali, 64 years later. The student who exceeds the teacher, the herd instinct that promotes road captain and went on to win by dominating the Tour of Italy. Ideal setting for a new, often poisonous rivalry.
2004 was a difficult season for Gibo. Saeco in the house explodes in pink and baby-buster, that year, there is not anyone. Simoni wins stage four Corno alle Scale and wears the pink jersey for four days but, overtaken by a young companion, the end had to settle for another third place overall. Within the team the relationship is not idyllic in the interest of all, after another year of Living Dangerously, the roads will separate the two samples. Forever.
BIRTH OF A RIVALRY
TOUR 2004, direct clash
Under the arch of Corso Venezia in Milan, we celebrate the peace between Gilberto Simoni and Damiano Cunego. The Tour of Italy in 2004 ends with a page from the book Heart. The old king that springs a surprise on the podium and abdicates with dignity, raising the arm of former young squire, his successor as king dell'87esima edition of the Giro.
Kudos to Gibo, then, that on the day the third triumph weblog Saeco puts aside personal acrimony, honoring the golden baby, at 22, is the sixth youngest winner of the Tour behind Coppi, Marchisio, Saronni, Bartali and Balmamion.
The youngster who is inspired by Jim Morrison became a reality and has revived the tale of the herd that, in the street, and a crown of pink captain his childhood dream. The "shot" and click on Furcia almost irreverent Bormio have entitled the company built on the victory of Pontremoli, in the third stage, and consolidated at the seventh, with a Montevergine. The Junior World Championship in Verona
99 wins, the second stake, ahead of the Giro of 2'02 "Ukrainian Serhiy Honchar and 2'05" Simoni. And the angel of the beardless face of Verona is the symbolic image of a handover anything but painless.
CUNEGO STORY
Damiano Cunego was born September 19, 1981 in Cerro Veronese, a village just below Chiesanuova Bosco, and, since childhood - mother Anna Maria's word - "not the type to team sports, is a bit 'individualistic' .
son of Enzo and his older brother (7 years) Donato, Damiano first to play hockey, then football. Since 1995, he attended high school in Verona, and excels in cross country, discipline in which student wins bronze at Italian Championships Crotone 1997. That year, leaves and enters the track and field team cycling Gaiga Bruno Gore Tex, a company where he remained until 1999, his second year as juniors.
The first victory comes at the fifth race, the Gran Premio Memorial Antonella Muraro, Bonaldo Veronetta a race held by former racer Renato Giusti. Students get in 14 hits (and second place in the Italian Championship), from 16 juniors, including the Three Valleys Brescia and Lunigiana: the opportunity for the local newspaper entitled "The Lunigiana has found its Pantani."
Damian is in fact a very good climber, and when, in 1998, won Montecampione, now everyone thinks the Pirate, which on that climb and at the same years, has disconnected the Russian Pavel Tonkov to go to win the Tour of Italy.
Cunego for 1999 is the year of the consecration, the first tip to Blue World Championships in Verona, his hometown, winning gold in the junior category. In 2000, he left the team to go gialloblù amateur with the prestigious green jacket Zalf Euromobil Fior. In two years he won the Bassano-Montegrappa and received numerous placings: above all, the Tour of the Regions and the Giro della Valle d'Aosta. Among men under 23 is imposed in 4 races. It is now ready for the pros', achieved in 2002 at the Saeco ds Claudio Corti.
the first year he won two open races, the Giro d'Oro and Giro del Brenta Middle. Two victories in 2003, but other thickness: a stage and the final tour to Qinghai, China race that sees the blue team at the start of a stage race 25 years after the 1978 Vuelta. Then came the 34th place in his first Tour of Italy. In 2004
wins (and two partial successes), the Giro del Trentino, Giro Apennines (before Gilberto Simoni), and the GP of Larchwood. But above all, he won the Tour of Italy, which has won four stages remaining in fraction rose from seventh to 12th and 16th to Milan. Memorable
arrival at the Sanctuary of Montevergine, where an atypical divided Saeco sprints in front of the group, the perfect tactic to Falzes, where he and his companions Andrea Tonti and Eddy Mazzoleni triggers The brawl on the last climb and then comes the solo, blowing the leader's jersey Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovich, the shot of Boario, where he arrived along with captain Simoni, Cioni and Ukrainian Serhiy Honchar and then cross the finish line with arms raised.
2004, the first "LOMBARDY"
the world in his native Verona, Cunego leads the group with the best after trying an attack on the climb of the Torricelle. And then he closes a truly magical year for dominating the Tour of Lombardy over the Dutch Michael Boogerd and Ivan Basso Varese. With the 13th victory of the season in first place Damiano crosses Paolo Bettini in the international ranking of the UCI. He is the new number one in the cycling world.
2005-2008, his years as Captain
also and especially for the incompatibility with Simoni, Cunego wears the uniform since 2005 Lampre-Caffita, wanted by the new team boss Mario Galbraith (Lampre team) and Sergio Zappella (Saeco) and directed by Giuseppe Saronni and Claudio Corti. At
Romandie, the Little Prince (as he calls his fans) for 2 days as the leader's jersey before selling it in the time trial final. Looks like the omen for a great year, but mononucleosis will haunt him for the rest of the season.
In 2006, enter into partnership with the Lampre Fondital Brescia family Niboli joins Cunego and Marzio Bruseghin, Paolo Tiralongo and Slovenian Taddei Valjavec. Damian won a stage and the final week of the Coppi-Bartali Cycling, repeating and final partial success in the Giro del Trentino and appealing in the GP of Larchwood. On the eve of the Tour of Italy 2006 has 5 wins (and third place in Liege), but his adventure will end up with pink 4th place behind the trio Low-Gutierrez-Simoni, at 6'17 "and from the podium 'former captain.
In his first Tour de France, is the protagonist in the last week, the Alpe d'Huez second place behind Frank Schleck, who off in the last km. In Paris reaches 12 ° 19'19 "behind the winner, then disqualified, Floyd Landis, and showing off the white jersey for best young rider.
For 2007, the leaders agree with Beppe Saronni and Giuseppe Martinelli, Damiano change program. In Trentino, won in a sprint finish in the first portion and the second climb. Check the last two stages, is the first rider to win three times in the race.
the Tour of Italy was fifth at 3'49 "from the leader Danilo Di Luca. To participate in the Vuelta in September in preparation for the World Championships in Stuttgart, where it acts as the perfect wingman for the confirmation of rainbow Paolo Bettini. Damiano
closes with a flourish by winning the GP Beghelli and three years later, his second Tour of Lombardy. In the "Classic of dead leaves" beats the sprint Riccardo Ricco, who was fired with on the San Fermo della Battaglia, 10 km kilometers from the finish. In 2008
skip the Tour of Italy to bet on Tour, Olympics and World Varese. Meanwhile, he won a stage in the Tour of the Basque Country, won the Amstel Gold Race (upping Franck Schleck) and placed third in the Fleche Wallonne.
SIMONI STORY
Gilberto Simoni, Gibo said, was born in Palu of Jupiter (Trento) August 25, 1971. Strong climber gets to the professionals with the stigmata of the sample to have won in 1993, the Tour of Italy amateur national championship and the Giro del Friuli.
Among the pro 'debut the following year, the Jolly. After a season marked by physical problems and family losses in 1997 proposed to his team then, Cantina Tollo, to decrease the salary. Since 1997, the ds is the Mg Giancarlo Ferretti and two years later hits the first hit, a stage of the Giro del Trentino.
Stopped for high hematocrit in the Tour of Portugal, in 1998 Simon ponders retirement, but then changed his mind in the wake of renewed enthusiasm after the eighth place in the Lombardy.
in 1999, is third in the Tour of Switzerland (where he won a stage in Grindelwald) and the Tour of Italy. In the race to history for the disqualification of Marco Pantani after the stage of Madonna di Campiglio, Trentino won the first of his seven podiums in pink arriving at 3'36 "behind winner Ivan Gotti, Pantani with his former rival among amateurs, and just one second behind Paolo Savoldelli.
edition of 2000, Simoni was third again, this time in 1'33 "by Stefano Garzelli and 6" by Francesco Casagrande. As a consolation, Gibo won his first Giro stage: the 14th, from Selva di Val Gardena, Bormio.
the Vuelta is the first step in reaching the top of the terrible climb and Port.
In his first World Plouay, click on the finish but his is a progression rather than an attack, and is canceled by some comrades, who reported under the pursuers.
TOUR 2001 AT LAST FIRST
In 2001, Simoni wins Giro d'Italy at last. But success is overshadowed by the doping of Dario Frigo, its biggest rival, and the raid on the NAS in San Remo.
Gilberto attacks immediately. After trying it in the stage of Montebelluna, grab the pink jersey the next day, on Pordoi, 13th in population, which was won by Julio Alberto Perez Cuapio. Then he defends in the time trial from Sirmione to Salo (dominated by Frigo) and finally settles the decisive blow by winning the solo in the rain at Arona, next to last effort before the catwalk for Milan.
the eve of the 18th stage, the Sant'Anna di Imperia-Vinadio, but the NAS break overnight in the hotel where the caravan pink. The result is the disqualification of Fridge and the next day, the cancellation fraction due to the strike of the runners, kept awake by the checks continued until late at night. Back at the Vuelta
, Simoni beats all in the last uphill finish, the Alto de Abantos. At the World Cup Lisbon batsman plays for free. On the last lap shoot upward. German Ullrich and the other big favorites will mark each other and earn Simoni seconds. A 5 km from the finish, however, is his companion Lanfranchi, which reports on the pursuers. In race after the blue say you have not seen take Gibo, which is reached in just over a km to go. Freire wins the sprint. The controversy lasts all winter, that Simon does not end the Lampre: wills Saeco.
THE DISAPPOINTMENT TO AROUND 2002
2002 Giro, Simoni is favored. Instead Paolo Savoldelli will win the day. Bad start, Gibo is imposed to Campitello Matese, upping Francesco Casagrande, but soon to be found positive for cocaine metabolites (the first reflected back to the Giro del Trentino), and the day after the team convinced him to retire. After granting a positive to a dental surgery, Simoni shows that it was due to the balsamic candy for a sore throat purchased in South America (and containing small amounts of coca, used as an analgesic) and give Him an aunt returned from Peru. Acquitted by the court and reinstated the team, Simoni hatching purposes Redemption at the Giro. The eighth place in the Vuelta is not enough.
THE REDEMPTION OF PINK 2003, 2003
Simoni will start with second place in the Tour of Aragon and the first in the Giro del Trentino. Beaten in a sprint finish by Stefano Garzelli in Moena, Gibo off of the 9 "to Ronzone, where he caught and then kept the lead until the epilogue of Arco di Trento. The victory in the Tour of the Apennines, with the record of climbing the nozzle pitch (21'54 "against the 21'56" of Pantani in 1994), Gilberto is the favorite for the Giro. Garzelli
Parade in the pink jersey in the tenth stage, Simoni consolidates the record, winning in Monte Zoncolan terrible ascent (which deals with the Tour for the first time) and the Alpe di Pampeago. Even in the time trial of the leader of the Saeco Bolzano gains on Varese. And the advantage gained in the Dolomites becomes a chasm in the day from horde of Pontechianale and with the third seal final place in the imposing 19th and third last fraction, the Canelli-Cascata del Toce. The cronoepilogo Milan is a mere formality for the team captain of Corti and Martinelli. On the final podium, in fact, Simoni above Garzelli of 7'06 "and Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych of 7'11".
the wake of the triumph of pink, Gilberto tackles the centenary of the Tour de France as a major rival of Lance Armstrong, but now comes from the games for the general classification and consoles himself by winning the Tappone pyrene Loudenvielle.
THE POST-TOUR 2004
In 2004, Simon points to the trio in the Giro, but after winning the third stage, at Corno alle Scale, and wore the pink jersey for three days, will "only" third in 2'05 " the young fellow Cunego and 3 "Serhiy Honchar. In December
Saeco and Lampre Lampre-blend coffee and the new team presents the Tour of 2005, fielding two co-captains: Simoni and Cunego. But the road back to the old hierarchies, with Gilberto - still triumph in the Tour of the Apennines - which attacks Paolo Savoldelli of the windows on the Hill along with Danilo Di Luca and José Rujano. In the drop-down Bergamo fills the gap, then Honchar helps him in the plains. In the subsequent rise of Sestriere, Gibo loses wheels Rujano and then the Giro. For 28 "seconds from the winner Savoldelli. Third, 45 "by the leader of the Discovery Channel, is the Venezuelan Rujano. The
difficult, if not impossible, living with Cunego, Simoni leads to sign at the end of 2005, for the Saunier Duval Prodir, whose captain is immediately in front of another great climber Leonardo Piepoli.
After the third place in the Tour of Italy of 2006, 11'59 "by the leader Ivan Basso, with whom at the end of the 20th stage will create a poisonous polemic, Simon Announces Retirement then reconsiders. It also engages In mountain biking, winning the Classic Rampilonga path and the Italian league, "marathon" in Costa Folgaria.
the Giro in 2007, won for the second time (but on the harder side, to Ovaro) on Zoncolan. The next year, is still there, to do battle. The last to quit.
personality clashes
Two characters are not easy, those of Damian Cunego and Gilberto Simoni. To close them, and as a team in the standings, are now sparks, with the old king who does not want to abdicate the throne and the young lion scalp to succeed to the throne of the Giro. The challenge lasts just over one season, but gives a true rivalry, fierce. Worthy of the great duels of the past who have written the history of Italian cycling.
CHRISTIAN GIORDANO
ch.giord @ gmail.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment