Damiano Caruso expects great things from teammate at Giro d'Italia: "I have promised him a statue if he wins"
Cycling
After last year's dominance of a Slovenian phantasm at the Giro d'Italia, the 2025 edition can write a completely different story with a wide range of candidates for victory. Runner-up from 2021 Damiano Caruso thinks that Bahrain - Victorious have the right champion who can conquest the Corsa Rosa.
"I'm fine," he tells Bici.Pro with a smile from Tour of the Alps, the final test of legs for him and team leader Antonio Tiberi, before their depart for Giro d'Italia. "All in all, the feelings are good. These stages at the Tour of the Alps have confirmed it."
"I knew I was coming to race after a good block of work at altitude, so I was looking for some answers in the race and I think they've arrived. I'm not 100 percent yet but I'm fine with that, my goal is the Giro and I hope to be ready for those three weeks. At the moment I can say that I'm exactly where I wanted to be. It was the ideal approach."
Frankly those words didn't apply for Tiberi who was forced to withdrew after first stage due to stomach problems. "Unfortunately, the slowdown came in the last few days with Antonio's stop, but that can happen. We are all human beings. Maybe something will change for him in these days but in general we are on schedule," Caruso calms any panic.
Giro d'Italia
With Tiberi among their ranks, Bahrain - Victorious is not shy when it comes to ambitions for upcoming Giro. Tiberi already climbed into the top-5 last year. And with Tadej Pogacar out of the equation, podium seems like a realistic goal.
"The mentality with which we approach the races leads us to seek the best possible result. It's no secret that with Tiberi we're aiming for the podium. My role will be to stay by his side during this climb. I won't deny that I'd also like to get some personal satisfaction. To be completely honest, I'd also like to win a stage. My main goal is to ride a Giro in which I can have fun and give my best every day."
"I have been lucky enough to work with great champions and the attitude is exactly this: starting to win. It seems that Tiberi also has this attitude, he has to prove it. But the attitude is right. I have always been more modest, not that he is arrogant because he is not like that. I am referring to the goal, for me the podium is really within reach if then Tiberi manages to amaze everyone, so be it."
"I have always told him one thing: I have never won a Grand Tour with a captain, so if he can give me this gift before he quits, I have promised him a statue."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- lol yeah. this is a good onemij12-11-2026
- Mads is the best: I didn’t even know there were rules in cyclocross. I just thought it was a matter of: ‘Go, three, two, one, ride.’ It’s like a street fight, a kind of underground brawl. It’s the MMA of cycling he gives the best quotes.mij12-11-2026
- he's too young. he's 23, so not really a fair call yet.mij12-11-2026
- and don't forget Pidcock's departure. maybe he will never win a GT, but he knows how to light up a race.mij12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was going to say a 12 year obsessed Pogi fan girlie ! Like she's chasing a teen boy band! All glossy eyed about tadej!frieders312-11-2026
- That stint in the Pink was so good. If memory serves he struggled with the champagne cuz he'd never been on the podium before. I feel like it gave him some self-belief, and yeah - then the move to Visma to be one of their lieutenants has really brought him to the best version of himself.wrsty12-11-2026
- So, you never really compared Paul Seixas with his main rival Isaac Del Toro why jump to Pogačar? They've (Paul & Isaac) raced together here and there, and they've both shared in wins and losses, I think they should be compared to each other, even with Vingegaard and Remco first before even touching Pogačar. From your writing it's like he's better than Vingegaard, Remco and Del Toro already that his main target is now Pogačar 🤔Sadick11-11-2026
- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.Davide11-11-2026
- Yeah his ride at World's was unreal. Over 6 W/kg for over an hour and a half...he single handedly destroyed the break.DAS11-11-2026
Loading
1 Comments