"Tthe human dimension is being somewhat neglected" - Damiano Caruso hopes cycling can learn to slow down a bit at times
Cycling
Damiano Caruso put an end to his seventeen-year-long career at the end of this season. But that does not mean that Caruso disappears from the cycling world; quite the contrary. The 39-year-old Italian will merely switch from saddle to behind a steering wheel as he becomes a new sports director at Bahrain - Victorious.
And even though the season has just ended for Caruso three weeks ago with a farewell at Gran Piemonte, the Italian already has to get himself busy with a trip to UCI's cycling centre in Switzerland to complete his sports director course and acquire a new license.
That will be a point of no return in Caruso's life. But it's a change he's more than ready for.
"I just got the call-up," Caruso smiles in an interview with bici.pro. "Next week I'll be at the performance meeting. In the sports directors column, it says Caruso, and that seems really strange..."
Over nearly two decades, Caruso had a perfect spot to observe as the sport of cycling evolved. Especially in the most recent years the pace had become almost impossible to keep up with. Caruso elaborates on both pros and cons of the changes.
"I'm leaving behind a different cycling style," Caruso reasons, "one that's much more high-performance, more scientific, and even more obsessive about attention to detail. And I'd put this among the positives. The only flaw, in my opinion, is that the human dimension is being somewhat neglected."
Mental strain is almost greater than physical
Caruso refers to the many instances from recent times of riders who have chosen to stop pursuing cycling career. Not because of lack of talent or health problems - but rather due to a severe mental strain caused by the extremely performance-driven sport.
"The athlete is increasingly turning into a machine, and sometimes the human aspect is lacking. Nutrition and performance are taken care of, but less attention is paid to their happiness. What's emerging with Picnic doesn't surprise me."
"So I asked myself a question: 'Damiano, aren't you seeing this because you're old and tired?' But that's not actually the case. I also read about many young people who quit and complain about this. Burnout used to be linked to overload or overtraining, but today it seems more mental than physical."
Pogacar changed the game
The root cause for this are teams being extremely cautious - if not anxious - about possibly missing out on the 'next Tadej Pogacar'. No wonder why, the Slovenian changed the way cycling races are being ridden. In Grand Tours, he never passes on a chance to win a stage. In Classics and Monuments, he blows the race to pieces sometimes with two hours left to race.
Tadej Pogacar was leading the Vuelta a España at the time of his withdrawal
To his opponents - even more than to the "average" riders - this is greatly demotivating. Without the Slovenian, the autumn part of the season produced some new, at times unexpected winners as races became much more open, Caruso noticed.
"I believe Pogacar is the history of cycling and we shouldn't beat around the bush: in my opinion, he's the strongest cyclist of all time and he's right to do what he does. We're paid and we have the mentality of racing to win. So Tadej is right to win whenever he can. That said, when he's not there, 99 percent of the peloton rekindles their hope of winning."
Italian fans should learn to appreciate what they already have
Finally, Caruso expresses a hope that Italian public and press can create a slightly less toxic environment for the upcoming talents. In order to achieve that, Caruso proposes to focus more on the currently successful riders, such as Giulio Ciccone, Giulio Pellizzari or Davide Piganzoli, before looking beyond for "who's next" at Lorenzo Finn and others who are yet to even turn professional.
"I think a good part of it depends on Italian journalism and the average Italian fan. We always look at what we would like," says Caruso, "and we don’t look at what we have. I’m following the way Mercedes is protecting Kimi Antonelli from the Italian press, filtering a lot, because they’re afraid the boy will be harassed."
"I remember when I finished ninth in the 2014 Vuelta, where Aru finished fifth. I didn't do much worse than him, but no one talked about me. Then I went to BMC, I won team time trials and helped my teammates win, I finished second in the Tirreno-Adriatico, but just a few headlines. It was the Nibali era, which clearly deserved the maximum attention. Yet the big headlines were already pumping Aru up."
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.
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- Wins from 20 different riders for 3 seasons running!Lozza28-10-2026
- “No one alive climbs like Jonas and Pog knows it“ ????? BSLozza28-10-2026
- His heart has not been in it, he has said he almost retired in the past, which is crazy because he's such a great cyclist.awp28-10-2026
- Why on earth should Jonas retire? Dont buy all the media gossip, false news are a money maker too. Jonas had an eminent season 2026, until he crashed when his teammates made a silly decision in a roundabout. at the time of the crash he was number 2 in the TDF.Jakob28-10-2026
- Remember in the 2024 Tour, Tadej, Jonas and Remco reset many of the big mountain climbing records. On mountains that Armstrong once dominated he isn't even in the top ten recorded times. And I'm not saying they are doping, although they are probably using some techniques that will be considered doping in the future. But this is to say that Remco can climb. That said, I think Paul seixas will leapfrog him this next year. Remco has had the problem of being in one of the deepest fields in the history of cycling. His numbers show he should have won at least a single grand tour a year without Tadej and Jonas being there. Now he is about to find out Paul Seixas might be as good as Tadej as he continues to develop. Remco may never win another grand tour and that is crazy.awp28-10-2026
- no one climbed like him years ago. and it is bs that he got better and better before his crash. he was not even able to hold the young guns at a distance anymore. he was in front at the beginning of the long climbs and then got reeled in. in 2027 he is another year older. this might not be the biggest issue. but the younger riders will have one year more experience and 25000 km more in the legs and be stronger than last year. so i stand with what i said, jonas will no way come in 2nd in next year's tdf.Ketterechts28-10-2026
- i admit that he might focus on giro and/or vuelta and not even ride the tour. we will find out.Ketterechts28-10-2026
- The TDF organisers choice of the route more or less settles the winner(s). For the sake of publicity and money they prefer larger nations and of course France to be favored. Now we suddenly, out of nowhere, have 2 time trials, and none of these is a mountain time trial. Obviously it favour Seixas and Remco massively. TDF is becoming increasingly political and money focused. Shame on the organisers.Jakob28-10-2026
- Yeah, this is ridiculous. No one alive climbs like Jonas and Pog knows it. TT will come back this year. Remco will not be in the top 4Guavaking28-10-2026
- Dont even need to be a fan of him or them to understand they developed pogacar into the greatest cyclist ever, easily too. If anyone say what you say, its just fanboys w/to much emotions and free time dont worrie. Del toro overall development and status overall now is mighty impressive too. Just a ridiclous teammiguel28-10-2026
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