Damiano Caruso warms up engines and makes a promise ahead of Giro d'Italia
Among the protagonists of the third stage of the Tour of Romandie 2026, a 176.6-kilometer stage starting and finishing in Orbe) was Damiano Caruso, who was in a breakaway for almost the entire stage first with other elements of the peloton and then alone, although he was caught in the finale by the peloton then regulated at the finish by Dorian Godon of Ineos Grenadiers. Fourth was Tadej Pogacar, firmly in the yellow jersey.
On the sidelines of today’s race, the Bahrain-Victorious climber was nonetheless satisfied with the sensations he felt in the saddle on the climbs of French-speaking Switzerland. “The day was good,” he told Cycling Pro, “it’s a pity that I was caught with still a few kilometers to complete but I’m still satisfied. I’m working ahead of the Giro d’Italia and the impressions are good.”
“I’m coming from a series of very demanding training rides in the Canary Islands,” the Ragusa-born rider added. “My goal is not the overall classification at the Giro d’Italia, but I can assure everyone that I’ll aim to win a few stages, finding the right breakaway. Caruso, prior to the high altitude training in Tenerife, had participated in the Tour of the Valencian Community, the UAE Tour and Paris-Nice, without forcing and aiming solely at finding the right rhythm ahead of the Corsa Rosa that will start in Bulgaria on May 8.
Born in 1987, a veteran of the peloton and since the 2019 season at Bahrain (first Bahrain-Merida, then Bahrain-McLaren and finally Bahrain-Victorious), Damiano Caruso boasts on his palmarès a victory at the 2022 Giro di Sicilia, as well as a stage win at the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta. His best overall result in the Corsa Rosa is second place in 2021, behind winner Egan Bernal.
