Damiano Caruso

Damiano Caruso is one of Bahrain Victorious’ older riders and pairs strong climbing with that experience.

For most of his career, Caruso was used as a strong domestique in the mountains of the Grand Tours. In a career that dates back to 2011, Caruso only has seven individual wins on his palmarès. Yet, those wins obscure the real impact of Caruso as a teammate. From his time on Liquigas to his long stint at BMC, and finally, with Bahrain Victorious, Caruso has been ultimately dependable.

In recent years, however, he has also found success for himself in ways that he didn’t as a younger man.

It began in the pandemic-shortened season of 2020 where Caruso finished tenth in both the Tour de France and the road race at the World Championships. In 2021, the year that has defined his career thus far, Caruso did even better: claiming a stage win and second overall at the Giro d’Italia behind Egan Bernal and a stage at the Vuelta a España. While 2022 saw a dip in his Grand Tour performance, Caruso still won his first and only GC overall title at the Giro di Sicilia, his home race.

In 2023, Caruso chose to return to the Giro and finished fourth, before coming close to another Vuelta stage victory from the breakaway on La Cruz de Linares. His contract with Bahrain Victorious runs until the end of 2025.