Damiano Caruso's career has reached its final chapter. It's still unclear how long this chapter will be, but the Sicilian from Bahrain Victorious has decided that the time to close it is near, perhaps with a happy ending called Giro d'Italia 2025. He will be the loyal support for Antonio Tiberi - to whom the entire team will entrust themselves despite his physical ailments these days at the Tour of the Alps - but Damiano still wants to carve out some space as the lead actor.

Damiano, at the Tour of the Alps you're always up front.

"I'm where I wanted to be, I had already had the right sensations in training, but until you're in the race, until you test yourself against others, you never have certainty. In these three stages, I felt my body react well to the attacks and fatigue, so that's good."

You're preparing for your 21st Grand Tour. Is it now a routine or is there still some emotion?

"The emotion, I must admit, is always there. Probably because the Giro remains a special race for me, a race that has given me so much in my career. And then there's a possibility that this could be the last one of my cycling life, so I'd say yes, the emotion is still there, perhaps even more than other times."

What will make you decide if it's the last one or not?

"As long as I have the certainty of being useful to myself and the team, then I can continue, otherwise I'll step aside. Anyway, if this isn't the last year, next year will be."

37 years old. Is the fatigue more physical or mental?

"This sport has always required a lot of time, sacrifices, attention to nutrition, etc., but in today's cycling, everything has multiplied. In the last two months, I've been home for a week... you understand well that for a 37-year-old like me with a family and children, it becomes really complicated and expensive. I've reached a point in my life where I say 'okay, the bike has represented a fantastic chapter of my existence', but outside there's something more important, my family. Whatever decision I make will depend mainly on them."

Until two years ago you prepared the Giro to face it as a leader, now not anymore. What changes?

"In my career, I've been fortunate to see both sides of the coin: I've prepared the Giro to face it as a captain, but also to live it as a domestique, alongside a great captain. When you prepare it as a leader, it's completely different, you have enormous pressure on your shoulders, because the team depends on you and you feel you must repay them, you know you must remain focused 24 hours a day for practically two months, counting the preparation. If as a domestique the weight is mostly physical, as a captain you must be mentally strong."

Your captain Tiberi has had a setback in his approach to the Giro.

"I've talked to him these days. To lighten the mood, I told him 'better now than in 2-3 weeks'. And indeed, that's how it is, he must stay calm, this is cycling, it happens to everyone every day, there are no substitutions and we accept it. Now he just needs to get over this illness and then restart from where he left off, as if nothing happened."

So no alarm?

"If it's nothing serious as it seems, we shouldn't worry. I repeat, it constantly happens to wake up with a headache or stomachache. We don't work in an office, so these small hitches shouldn't be underestimated. It was right to stop rather than drag on. He just needs to recover."

You've ridden with many great cyclists. Where do you place Tiberi?

"He has the credentials to become more than a good rider. We don't know his margins for improvement, and neither does he. I'm sincerely curious to see where he'll get to in the next 3 years. The only thing I can say is that he's an above-average rider."

What Giro do you imagine?

"With Tadej Pogačar not being there, I expect a very open race. As a team, I'm more than calm, we'll also have Pello Bilbao, whom I consider one of the best teammates I've ever had. And then there will be Edoardo Zambanini, Andrea Pasqualon and others. It's trivial to say, but you'll need legs, if in the third week you have 1% more than your opponents, you can make the difference."

Roglič and Ayuso are the big favorites. Can you insert yourselves in this fight?

"Roglič has experience, at 35 he's still going very strong, and Ayuso is a great talent. However, pardon the term, they're riders you can 'reason with'. If they make mistakes, if they have a bad day, we'll need to take advantage. It'll be a beautiful Giro."

And for you, it would be nice if...

"Look, if Tiberi finishes on the podium and I win a stage, I can retire with great serenity."

Ah, so you haven't set aside your personal ambitions.

"Absolutely not, my personal goal is to win a stage. I know it'll be extremely difficult, especially because I'll be working for Antonio and the energy I'll spend for him won't be available for a potential breakaway, but in this regard, I'm happy Bilbao is there too, because one of us will always be with Antonio. However, I've talked to the team and they've given me the green light to attempt, perhaps, the last coup of my career."