Damiano Caruso, end of fast after three years: Ragusa climber doesn't hide emotion

Three years after the last time he managed to raise his arms to the finish line, Damiano Caruso savors the taste of success again and does so in the fourth stage of the Vuelta a Burgos, which arrived in Regumiel de la Sierra after a 162.7-kilometer route that started from Doña Santos. The 37-year-old climber from Ragusa, Bahrain-Victorious, had not won a race since the Tour of Sicily 2022.

At the end of the stage, on the finish line in the Castile and Leon resort that Caruso reached a full minute and a half ahead of the second and third (Portuguese Rui Costa and Rui Oliveira) at the end of an’old-time action that started with 16 kilometers to go on the Alto del Cargadero, the veteran of the peloton did not hide his excitement: “The breakaway? It was an unexpected move, dictated more by pride and motivation than by my legs, because I was coming from a difficult day yesterday, in which I was not able to perform as I wanted. Today I wanted to make sense of all the sacrifices and hard work I had made, and continue to build ahead of the Vuelta”.

“I fought from the beginning of the breakaway, nobody gave me anything – added Caruso -. In the group there were strong riders, interested in the stage. Being able to make a difference like that in the finale made me realize that I am still here, for myself and for the team. After finishing fifth at this year’s Giro d’Italia, this is another great satisfaction”.

A 1987 class, Damiano Caruso has been at Bahrain-Victorious since 2019. He previously raced for LPR Brakes, De Rosa, Liquigas, Cannondale and BMC. As a pro, the Ragusa native won eight races, including a stage at the Giro d’Italia (the 20th, finishing at Alpe Motta) and one at the Vuelta a España (the ninth, finishing at the Alto de Velefique). His best result in a major stage race is second place in the 2021 edition, 1’29” from winner Egan Bernal.