Whether he likes it or not, Cunego looks much more like a one day rider than a grand tour threat In what has been one of the closest and most difficult decisions, Italy's Damiano Cunego is Euro Peloton's choice for one day rider of the year. Cunego won two classics in 2008 (Amstel, Romandy), and was 3rd at La Fleche Wallone, and second to teammate Alessandro Ballan at the world road championships in Varese. Cunego shined from early in the season until the very end, as evidenced by his final victory of 2008, at the Japan Cup.
Cunego bristles when it is suggested that he forsake the grand tours for one day races. He has been likened to the recently retired Paolo Bettini, and time and again throughout the 2008 season, he showed superior class at one day races. On the other hand, his performances at the grand tours in 2008 weren't as impressive. He was unable to keep pace with the favorites almost immediately when the Tour de France headed into the mountains, and his performance at the Vuelta was lackluster as well. If he were to focus exclusively on one day races and stage victories in the grand tours, the diminutive climber could reasonably expect to win 20+ races per year. Whether he'll change his approach in 2009 remains to be seen, but Cunego has recently asserted that he'll continue to target the general classifications in the grand tours while also focusing on select one day races throughout the season.
Honorable mention goes to two riders who could well have won the best one day rider designation: Fabian Cancellara and Alejandro Valverde. Cancellara impressed at the Monte Paschi l'Eroica, and then again at Milan-San Remo, where he attacked out of a small group and soloed home for the win. With a third place on the road in Beijing, Cancellara proved that he is much more than just a time trialist.
Valverde meanwhile also had an amazing year, and the Spaniard took to the top step at both Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Clasica San Sebastian. He also rode strong at the Amstel Gold race, and even managed top tens at both the Tour de France and the Vuelta. With a bit of luck, Valverde could end up winning rider of the year, grand tour rider of the year, climber of the year, and one day rider of the year in 2009.
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1 comments:
Good choice. I like what you said about Valverde. He is an exceptionally gifted rider, with a great team, great domestique support. It's crazy that he is not on the podium more often, but time and again he has these mental lapses that cost him big time.
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