Damiano Cunego

Damiano Cunego, born on 19 September 1981 in Cerro Veronese in Veneto, is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist who rode between 2002 and 2018 for the Saeco, Lampre-Merida and Nippo-Vini Fantini-Europa Ovini teams. His biggest wins were the 2004 Giro d'Italia, won at the age of 22, the 2008 Amstel Gold Race and the Giro di Lombardia in 2004, 2007 and 2008, and he finished second in the UCI Road World Championships in 2008. Primarily a climber, he improved his time-trialling and was characterised by great sprinting ability, unusual for a climber. He had been a successful cross-country runner before turning professional in 2002 at 20, he finished 2004 as number one in the UCI Road World Cup, the youngest rider to do so at 23, and in 2006 he won the young rider classification at the Tour de France.