In hindsight, 2004 was a crucial year for Lampre Fondital. ‘Gibo’ speerheaded this team in the Giro, the most important Italian race. But that Giro saw the rise of a new star, namely Damiano Cunego. Not Simoni, but “helper” Cunego won the Giro! An angry Simoni tried to take revenge in 2005, but failed to do so. Although Cunego couldn’t win too, it was clear this Italian team wouldn’t have more internal duels between riders. Cunego, by far the junior of the two, remained with Lampre to be their clear contender for the Giro, and possibly, the other grand tours. Saunier Duval acted quickly and sn...