Il Piccolo Principe

[CheckMyPecs]

The greatest exploit of his career is a distant memory, but however hard to believe it may be, there was a time when the Giro d'Italia was the Petacchi-Cunego show. Welcome to the thread of Il Piccolo Principe, who just a few days ago announced he'll be racing this season and two more.

 

[Scarponi]

What I do not understand is we all know he wont repeat the early 2000s Giro climbing exploits but should he not be destroying Continental climbing races. Even in 2011 TDF he was in the last 6-8 every MTF

 

[staubsauger]

He was fine at the begining of last years Giro. Nearly back on 2012 level.

I only can state, what I stated last year already. He ain't no general classification rider anymore. But if he's got peak shape he's a honorable potential winner of the blue mountains jersey at the Giro. That's what he should hunt for in the fashion of the late Garzelli!

 

[Valv.Piti]

Remember when he would win every god damn Giro in PCM 06?

 

[May0maniac]

Last year he was decent, 2nd on the queenstage of Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali behind Meintjes (he beat Rebellin and Swift in the sprint) 5th in the Giro del Trentino (3rd on the hardest stage behind Porte and Landa and he would have finished on the podium if it wasn't for the TTT), he was strong in the first half of the Giro and probably the strongest rider in Emilia (he attacked too late to catch the 3 attacker, but he was still the strongest guy in the main group and dropped everybody else).

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Re:

Remember when he would win every god damn Giro in PCM 06?

Classic PCM editions always make me chuckle.

 

[hrotha]

Re:

in the fashion of the late Garzelli!

Garzelli is alive.

 

[staubsauger]

Re:

Remember when he would win every god damn Giro in PCM 06?

I still remember when Cunego was hailed the next big thing in cycling by Lance Armstrong in 2004. Even before Basso was supposed to be his successor.

Scary how far away all that sounds. But 12 years are 12 years are 12 years!

 

[staubsauger]

Re: Re:

in the fashion of the late Garzelli!

Garzelli is alive.

Not as a pro, though.

Ain't gonna make that mistake again, pal. Mea culpa!

 

[May0maniac]

Re: Re:

Remember when he would win every god damn Giro in PCM 06?

I still remember when Cunego was hailed the next big thing in cycling by Lance Armstrong in 2004. Even before Basso was supposed to be his successor.

Scary how far away all that sounds. But 12 years are 12 years are 12 years!

At that time I really disliked him, I used to be a Gibo fan.
After 2006 I started to appreciate him as a rider.
When all is said an done he'll still have an impressive palmares.

 

[ferryman]

Re: Re:

Remember when he would win every god damn Giro in PCM 06?

I still remember when Cunego was hailed the next big thing in cycling by Lance Armstrong in 2004. Even before Basso was supposed to be his successor.

Scary how far away all that sounds. But 12 years are 12 years are 12 years!

Wasn't that Valverde in 2005 after he out sprinted LA in the TDF for a stage win? I seem to remember LA didn't usually have nice things to say about Cunego. But as you say 12 years is 12 years and my memory is not so good these days!!

 

[IlGrillo]

I remember his last stage win at the Giro against Gibo. I remeber Gibo yelling at him at the podium of that stage... At the time i would have never thought that could be his last win at the Giro.

 

[Angliru]

Re: Re:

Remember when he would win every god damn Giro in PCM 06?

I still remember when Cunego was hailed the next big thing in cycling by Lance Armstrong in 2004. Even before Basso was supposed to be his successor.

Scary how far away all that sounds. But 12 years are 12 years are 12 years!

At that time I really disliked him, I used to be a Gibo fan.
After 2006 I started to appreciate him as a rider.
When all is said an done he'll still have an impressive palmares.

Me too! For me, Cunego was public enemy number one after the 2004 Giro. It took me years to forgive him for "stealing" that Giro win from Simoni. After his bout of mono he was never the same in the Giro and his potency in one day races diminished too. I must say that I was rooting for him that year he lost the Tour de Swiss to Levi.

 

[Angliru]

Re: Re:

Remember when he would win every god damn Giro in PCM 06?

I still remember when Cunego was hailed the next big thing in cycling by Lance Armstrong in 2004. Even before Basso was supposed to be his successor.

Scary how far away all that sounds. But 12 years are 12 years are 12 years!

Wasn't that Valverde in 2005 after he out sprinted LA in the TDF for a stage win? I seem to remember LA didn't usually have nice things to say about Cunego. But as you say 12 years is 12 years and my memory is not so good these days!!

After Valverde beat Armstrong on Courcheval he called him "the future of cycling". Valverde proceeded to not finish that Tour and the next due to injuries (broken clavicle and knee). Armstrong may have said something similar about Cunego but can't recall.

 

[Angliru]

Re:

I remember his last stage win at the Giro against Gibo. I remeber Gibo yelling at him at the podium of that stage... At the time i would have never thought that could be his last win at the Giro.

I knew if it was up to Gibo it would be, as long as he was riding.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re: Re:

After Valverde beat Armstrong on Courcheval he called him "the future of cycling". Valverde proceeded to not finish that Tour and the next due to injuries (broken clavicle and knee). Armstrong may have said something similar about Cunego but can't recall.

He indeed did.
But, as Saronni once said in reference to Cunego's tattoo
'The Cunego of 2004 no longer exists'. So he was wrong.

A lot funnier though is what he once said during a race. 'I'll crush you little prince'. Which sounds like something out of a saturday morning cartoon

 

[Billie]

Have had a soft spot for Cunego ever since he won that stage in il Giro in the black and white Legalize my Cannondale stripes.

i'm really happy that he got back to an acceptable level at Nippo cause those last 2 years at Lampre were a disaster. HIs low point was in the Tour in '14 I think when Jonny Hoogerland and him went on a chasse patate and Hoogerland dropped him on some hill not harder than a bridge. Really hoped that wouldn't be the end of his career but good bounce back with Nippo.

Good that he's back to racing already after his crash in Strade Bianche. 3 more Giri's for him to take a stage. I would be so excited if he ever won one again

 

[ferryman]

Re: Re:

After Valverde beat Armstrong on Courcheval he called him "the future of cycling". Valverde proceeded to not finish that Tour and the next due to injuries (broken clavicle and knee). Armstrong may have said something similar about Cunego but can't recall.

He indeed did.
But, as Saronni once said in reference to Cunego's tattoo
'The Cunego of 2004 no longer exists'. So he was wrong.

A lot funnier though is what he once said during a race. 'I'll crush you little prince'. Which sounds like something out of a saturday morning cartoon

I know that story and I'm sure it would have sounded far more threatening in Italian

I also seem to remember him saying Cunego was way too small to ever win the TDF...but the spat was on by that time...another case of bullying by LA..

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Cunego, Valverde, Basso, Danielson, Devolder (!)... Armstrong jinxed each and every one of the guys he said would one day succeed him. Not a single one of them went on to win Le Tour. But well, neither did Lance!

 

[burning]

Re:

Cunego, Valverde, Basso, Danielson, Devolder (!)... Armstrong jinxed each and every one of the guys he said would one day succeed him. Not a single one of them went on to win Le Tour. But well, neither did Lance!

To be fair, he was actively supporting Contador and was in the car in the final TT during 2007 Tour.

 

[Alexandre B.]

He supported Landis the day they went in La Toussuire.

 

[ferryman]

Re: Re:

Cunego, Valverde, Basso, Danielson, Devolder (!)... Armstrong jinxed each and every one of the guys he said would one day succeed him. Not a single one of them went on to win Le Tour. But well, neither did Lance!

To be fair, he was actively supporting Contador and was in the car in the final TT during 2007 Tour.

Who was in the car? And in a non aggressive question, do you have a link?

 

[burning]

Re: Re:

Cunego, Valverde, Basso, Danielson, Devolder (!)... Armstrong jinxed each and every one of the guys he said would one day succeed him. Not a single one of them went on to win Le Tour. But well, neither did Lance!

To be fair, he was actively supporting Contador and was in the car in the final TT during 2007 Tour.

Who was in the car? And in a non aggressive question, do you have a link?

Lance was in the car, I remember that P&P were mentioning that during that TT.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re:

He supported Landis the day they went in La Toussuire.

As amazing as that stage was to watch, the first thing that comes to mind whenever someone mentions it is the dumbest thing ever said by Stuart O'Grady...and he made saying dumb things a full time job!

He was in the break. He's, as you know, a sprinter. Landis catches the break and sets a pace that drops the sprinters from it. When Landis' positive was announced, O'Grady explained to the press that he already knew Landis was doping because 'he dropped me! and I'm not a bad bike rider!'

Thanks Stuey. Genius logic there.

 

[Scarponi]

Stuey mate in a break on a mountain stage is funny enough