"At the moment I think Evenepoel is the favourite" - Damiano Caruso wary of man to beat at Giro d'Italia

Damiano Caruso has won his home Giro di Sicilia, however 2022 proved to be a complicated year for the Italian veteran. In 2023 he will return to the Grand Tour where he has built a lot of his career, and has a specific name marked as the man to beat.

“It means a lot for me to come back to the Giro. I had the best experience of my career there, and I can’t wait to experience the warmth of the fans again on the roadside," Caruso said in an interview at the ongoing Bahrain - Victorious training camp in Spain. After revealing he would return to the Giro d'Italia, that has become the main point of interest of his season.

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Caruso had performed in the past, but the 2021 Giro saw the performance of his life, as he rode into second place in the GC, and was the rider who threatened Egan Bernal's pink jersey the most - winning the final mountain stage. He then won a stage at the Vuelta a Espana. In 2023 he will likely repeat that schedule, aiming for a win and possibly the GC alongside Jack Haig (and possibly Gino Mäder).

“At the moment I think Evenepoel is the favourite, and if we look at the Evenepoel of this year, I think that any kind of route suits him,” the Italian said of Remco Evenepoel, who is perhaps the biggest figure to confirm his presence in the race so far. “But we know well that there are lots of unknowns, including the weather, which can change drastically over the three weeks, so it’s not a given that the favourite will win. And that’s the beauty of the Giro: the race is open into the final week," he concluded.

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