Why is Cunego not on Form?

[Escarabajo]

Is it me or Cunego was really fitted during the Pre-Giro races riding against the same riders and now is just fading away, am I missing something?

Is this a repeat of last year Tour de france?

Is this the Max that he is going to give?

Discuss,

 

[ingsve]

He's just not as good a big tour GC rider as people think. When it gets too far and to high mountains he can't cope against the best out there.

 

[franciep10]

I have no idea he looked good in the classics he looked liked a real contender, but he could just not be a grand tour rider, I think he should stick to the classics, but maybe there is the 900 pound elephant in the room that we're not addressing.

 

[the delgados]

He's just not as good a big tour GC rider as people think. When it gets too far and to high mountains he can't cope against the best out there.

Then why did he win in the past?

Were the mountains not high enough for superior riders to compete?

Who knows--maybe the anti-doping tattoos on his arms are weighing him down in the high mountains.

P.S.
Sorry to interrupt; I'm new in these here parts.

 

[ingsve]

Then why did he win in the past?

Were the mountains not high enough for superior riders to compete?

Who knows--maybe the anti-doping tattoos on his arms are weighing him down in the high mountains.

P.S.
Sorry to interrupt; I'm new in these here parts.

Because the 2004 Giro was a joke. Just look at the people that was competing and look at the course that year. It's nothing compared to a regular GT.

 

[the delgados]

Because the 2004 Giro was a joke. Just look at the people that was competing and look at the course that year. It's nothing compared to a regular GT.

Perhaps you're right, ingsve. I'm far from an expert on these things.
By "joke" do you mean the course was designed to favour second-rate riders over superior ones? How does that work?

Perhaps Simoni should have directed his rage toward the organizers, rather than call his teammate Cunego a "stupid person" after being dropped like a hot rock.

Also, curious to know why Cunego was so relieved to have the weight lifted off his shoulders after losing six minutes in the Dolomites in 2005.

 

[ingsve]

Perhaps you're right, ingsve. I'm far from an expert on these things.
By "joke" do you mean the course was designed to favour second-rate riders over superior ones? How does that work?

It means it was just not hard enough.

 

[BroDeal]

Because the 2004 Giro was a joke. Just look at the people that was competing and look at the course that year. It's nothing compared to a regular GT.

That is part of it. Cunego's only competition in that Giro was his own teammate, Simoni. If Simoni would not have had to deal with issues about attacking his teammate, he probably would have won. That was the Giro where no one showed up or they were not in form. Petacchi won nine stages. That says a lot right there.

On top of that I think it is likely that Cunego was--to use Big Boat's terminology--super jacked. There are several riders from around that time who had amazing performances. As the anti-doping efforts hotted up, these riders lost some of what made them special. Maybe they feared what getting caught would do to their lives. Maybe they just did not like some of the more far out doping stuff like transfusions. Who knows. But riders like Cunego, Zabriskie, and others are not the same riders they used to be.

Cunego is now mainly a one day racer. Anything beyond a week or involving really serious high mountain climbing is beyond him. I think it also indicates that although the peloton may be cleaner, the top GT guys are still heavily doped.

 

[Greg Johnson]

He's just not as good a big tour GC rider as people think. When it gets too far and to high mountains he can't cope against the best out there.

Bingo!

Cheers
Greg Johnson

 

[lookkg386]

I have no idea of Cunego's aims this season, but going by the talk here he was obviously looking for a big result at the Giro - or is he still building towards France?

 

[craig1985]

That is part of it. Cunego's only competition in that Giro was his own teammate, Simoni. If Simoni would not have had to deal with issues about attacking his teammate, he probably would have won. That was the Giro where no one showed up or they were not in form. Petacchi won nine stages. That says a lot right there.

On top of that I think it is likely that Cunego was--to use Big Boat's terminology--super jacked. There are several riders from around that time who had amazing performances. As the anti-doping efforts hotted up, these riders lost some of what made them special. Maybe they feared what getting caught would do to their lives. Maybe they just did not like some of the more far out doping stuff like transfusions. Who knows. But riders like Cunego, Zabriskie, and others are not the same riders they used to be.

Cunego is now mainly a one day racer. Anything beyond a week or involving really serious high mountain climbing is beyond him. I think it also indicates that although the peloton may be cleaner, the top GT guys are still heavily doped.

Perhaps he has had a lot of misfortune in the last few years?

 

[Greg Johnson]

I have no idea of Cunego's aims this season, but going by the talk here he was obviously looking for a big result at the Giro - or is he still building towards France?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/200...iders/2009/interviews/damiano_cunego_amstel09

He's missed all of the goals he's set so far.

Cheers
Greg Johnson

 

[BroDeal]

Perhaps he has had a lot of misfortune in the last few years?

Yeah, like Tommy D.

 

[Zoncolan]

IMHO Cunego stopped doping. He can be competitive in the classics' shorter climbs, but when it comes to big climbs in GT's, where you need more O2, he's way behind. Seem pretty obvious to me.

 

[rolfrae]

IMHO Cunego stopped doping. He can be competitive in the classics' shorter climbs, but when it comes to big climbs in GT's, where you need more O2, he's way behind. Seem pretty obvious to me.

And he's already pretty much admitted the fact.

 

[lookkg386]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/200...iders/2009/interviews/damiano_cunego_amstel09

He's missed all of the goals he's set so far.

Cheers
Greg Johnson

Umm yep, he's just riding bad...

 

[lookkg386]

IMHO Cunego stopped doping. He can be competitive in the classics' shorter climbs, but when it comes to big climbs in GT's, where you need more O2, he's way behind. Seem pretty obvious to me.

Was waiting for that, if true then at least he saw the light and stopped.

 

[Delicato]

Cunego is just riding clean, it is obvious. Compare his perfomance with the ones of Basso, Pelli and company.

IMO he will just focus on some stage wins and classics-he is superior to nearly everyone (except maybe Di Luca, Valverde).

 

[rhubroma]

He doesn't have a super big engine and, on top of it, he's clean.

 

[Diablo]

...And nothing lasts 4 ever...Why are we fretting over the form of guys from yesteryear. Things have changed, thankfully. The best thing about this Giro has been the emergence of the new guys. The worst......the dragging effect of ol' Armstrong's prescence.

 

[Escarabajo]

IMHO Cunego stopped doping. He can be competitive in the classics' shorter climbs, but when it comes to big climbs in GT's, where you need more O2, he's way behind. Seem pretty obvious to me.

I find it hard to believe that a rider once doped quit doping and watch the rest of the peloton drop him like a sack of potatoes. We have been giving a lot of credit to doping, especially after Greg Lemond could not keep winning the Tours. I am not even sure if it is more related to health issues than it is to doping. One day we say we have a cleaner peloton and then we see Damiano Cunego dropping and then we jump and say everybody else is doping. Certainly we need to draw the line somewhere, but where?
Thanks.

 

[quadsRme]

I agree with most of the above posters. He is a one day classics rider. He can ride in the GT's but he is not going to be a GC man for any team.
I wonder sometimes if a guy like Cunego's size matters, he seems a bit shorter than most of the succesful GT contenders. The length of the thigh muscles are shorter for him and possibly his strength is not comparable. I don't know, just a thought.

 

[LugHugger]

I agree with most of the above posters. He is a one day classics rider. He can ride in the GT's but he is not going to be a GC man for any team.
I wonder sometimes if a guy like Cunego's size matters, he seems a bit shorter than most of the succesful GT contenders. The length of the thigh muscles are shorter for him and possibly his strength is not comparable. I don't know, just a thought.

that's just quadist.....

 

[quadsRme]

that's just quadist.....

but of course

 

[Big_Blue_Dave]

Not to forget that he also had Mononucleosis (sp) sometimes that completely destroy your physiological capabilities, or alter them in a way that subtlely changes your ability in a sporting sense. Cunego used to be able to sprint in a bunch as well as climb, but once he came back from his illness had lost that spark from the burst of power he had. I also think it may have altered his capacity to breathe and convert O2 into energy at much higher altitudes were the oxygen levels are less.

I know Rogers has had this and his overall abilities, with the same illness, have not been too badly affected, though he has also lost a bit of ability on the climbs considering he was once thought of as a potential GT winner.