Il Piccolo Principe

[CheckMyPecs]

Re:

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

I remember one time Stuey got into a breakaway in this decidedly non-sprinter friendly stage:

Zabel, who saw him as a rival for the points jersey, immediately jumped on his wheel and refused to drop back to the peloton despite Stuey swearing he wasn't going to finish the Vuelta anyway. Freire joined the party and a medium-mountain stage quickly became the sprinters' playground.

Cunego put in a decent performance himself that day, finishing third among the favourites.

 

[Arredondo]

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.

Valverde is still the future of cycling.

 

[burning]

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.

Valverde is still the future of cycling.

With Rebellin

 

[Alexandre B.]

What happened to Markus Fothen, his opponent for the white jersey in the 2006 Tour ?

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Re:

What happened to Markus Fothen, his opponent for the white jersey in the 2006 Tour ?

Retired in 2013.

 

[staubsauger]

Re: Re:

What happened to Markus Fothen, his opponent for the white jersey in the 2006 Tour ?

Retired in 2013.

Fothen never been the same again since the Tour de Suisse 2008. Just when Cera became detectable.

There ain't more information about him.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

70th in the Volta Limburg Classic.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/volta-limburg-classic-2016/results/

 

[cellardoor]

Re:

70th in the Volta Limburg Classic.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/volta-limburg-classic-2016/results/

On track for Lombardia.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Cunego apparently DNF in yesterday's Klasika Primavera, where no fewer than 3 Movistar riders (out of 4 riders in the breakaway) ganged up on Caja Rural's Sergio Pardilla to take the win.

http://www.scamorebieta.com/klasika/nagusi.html

 

[Ricco']

Re:

Cunego apparently DNF in yesterday's Klasika Primavera, where no fewer than 3 Movistar riders (out of 4 riders in the breakaway) ganged up on Caja Rural's Sergio Pardilla to take the win.

http://www.scamorebieta.com/klasika/nagusi.html

DNFed?

I don't think that neither Nippo or the Italian team participated on that race.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Re: Re:

DNFed?

I don't think that neither Nippo or the Italian team participated on that race.

My apologies, I received an incorrect start list.

He did win the race in 2008 though.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Cunego to race in the Giro del Trentino. Surely one of the minor favourites, on the level of Firsanov at least!

 

[chiocciolis_calves]

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..

Yep, Armstrong did indeed say that. However, he was also laudatory of Cunego in 2004. Here's a quote from CN from back then: "Five-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong, who took advantage of some time in Italy to train on the Mortirolo and kept a close eye on the racing, told the Italian press that Cunego could well be his successor for the Tour."

I also recall Armstrong and Cunego doing a little shoving for position in the 2010 Tour.

 

[chiocciolis_calves]

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.

That really was a stupid, unnecessary move by Cunego. He had the race all wrapped up by that point. He could have easily allowed his teammate a little more glory. It's not as if Simoni had not been willing to do the same for Cunego all that Spring when Cunego was winning just about every race he entered.

 

[chiocciolis_calves]

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!

Any chance he gave Roy Knickman the kiss of death back when he was a 15 year-old triathlete?

 

[staubsauger]

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!

Any chance he gave Roy Knickman the kiss of death back when he was a 15 year-old triathlete?

You forgot Popovych who was considered a future gt champ as well.

Cunego was the first successor to Armstrong though, after his famous Giro win.

Eventually it ain't became Basso even, but Alberto Contador. Although Robo Basso's Giro win was such a pure dominance that he arguably was finally the new Armstrong for that one spring.

Cunego looks worse than Sergey Firsanov prior to this Giro and Trentino. Nearly tragically since he looked decent again last year. There's still hope left. Just a final stage win Damiano!

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Re: Re:

Cunego was the first successor to Armstrong though, after his famous Giro win!

Damiano Cunego's team directors decided long before this Giro began that he would not race the Tour de France this year, but his success in the Giro leaves little doubt of his promise for the future. Five-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong, who took advantage of some time in Italy to train on the Mortirolo and kept a close eye on the racing, told the Italian press that Cunego could well be his successor for the Tour.

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2004/giro04/?id=results/stage20

The good old times.

 

[May0maniac]

Re: Re:

Cunego was the first successor to Armstrong though, after his famous Giro win!

Damiano Cunego's team directors decided long before this Giro began that he would not race the Tour de France this year, but his success in the Giro leaves little doubt of his promise for the future. Five-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong, who took advantage of some time in Italy to train on the Mortirolo and kept a close eye on the racing, told the Italian press that Cunego could well be his successor for the Tour.

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2004/giro04/?id=results/stage20

The good old times.

Yes, but even back then he probably lacked the TT-skills to win a TT-heavy Tour.
I fear that the Strade Bianche crash really hindered his preparation.
I still hope that he'll get into shape durning the Giro, he should go stagehunting durning the 2nd half of the Giro.

 

[Billie]

He's ready!!

 

[Forever The Best]

Great ride today

 

[May0maniac]

Great ride, now I just want him to go stagehunting in the Giro, he shouldn't try to get another top 10 on the gc, a stage win or 2 would be way better.

 

[Forever The Best]

Re:

Great ride, now I just want him to go stagehunting in the Giro, he shouldn't try to get another top 10 on the gc, a stage win or 2 would be way better.

He will win the Giro 2004 Falzes style
Now seriosuly,I agree,he should go for stagehunting.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

And today he follows it up by losing 16 minutes to the winner... Yes, he clearly should go stagehunting at the Giro. He has nowhere near the necessary consistency to finish in the top 5, and just another top 10 isn't worth that much for someone with his palmares.

 

[TMP402]

Cunego lost more than six minutes on Stage 3 yesterday. Mountains jersey?

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Re:

Cunego lost more than six minutes on Stage 3 yesterday. Mountains jersey?

Apart from stage hunting, what else is there left?