Damiano Cunego finished second in the UCI Road World Championships in 2008 and in the 2008 UCI ProTour.
11 Facts About Damiano Cunego
2.
Damiano Cunego was discovered by Giuseppe Martinelli who worked closely with Marco Pantani.
3.
Damiano Cunego came to prominence in May 2004, winning the Giro d'Italia at the age of 22 with Saeco Macchine per Caffe.
4.
Damiano Cunego's strength came as a blow to his captain Gilberto Simoni; relations between the two during the race were strained when Damiano Cunego sprinted away from Simoni to win the 18th stage after Simoni's solo breakaway.
5.
Damiano Cunego finished the season number one in the UCI Road World Cup, the youngest rider to achieve it, aged 23.
6.
Damiano Cunego was the last rider ranked first on the world ranking, because from 2005 the ranking was replaced by the UCI ProTour.
7.
Damiano Cunego finished 3rd on stage 17, on the road to Morzine.
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Marco Pantani 8.
In 2007 Damiano Cunego again won the Giro del Trentino and his second Giro di Lombardia.
9.
Damiano Cunego was widely tipped to be victorious in the Tour de France, but he struggled and eventually dropped out before the finish.
10.
In early 2014 however, details emerged that indicated that Damiano Cunego might have been one of few Lampre riders to refuse treatment by Spanish doctor Jose Ibarguren Taus, who was linked to doping practices.
11.
In June 2020, Damiano Cunego was hospitalised due to ventriculitis, an infection of the cerebral ventricle.