{"id":255293,"date":"2025-11-01T11:01:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T11:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/255293\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T11:01:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T11:01:07","slug":"whether-his-opponents-were-nibali-gilbert-or-louis-vervaeke-rui-costa-always-dared-to-go-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/255293\/","title":{"rendered":"Whether his opponents were Nibali, Gilbert or Louis Vervaeke, Rui Costa always dared to go far"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rui Costa<\/a> has decided to end his impressive cycling career. The 39\u2011year\u2011old Portuguese was a phenomenon on the bike and a major star at home. After two seasons with EF Education\u2013EasyPost, the canny all\u2011rounder says enough is enough, announcing his decision on Friday via his official channels<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cCycling has made me so happy, but it\u2019s time to retire. To enjoy the company of my loved ones, to be present in the small and big moments, and to experience in peace what was so often postponed,\u201d Costa wrote in a long farewell message, with special thanks to his teams. Costa rose through the Portuguese ranks and made his WorldTour debut at Caisse d\u2019\u00c9pargne.<\/p>\n

What followed was a distinguished career taking in Movistar, Lampre\u2011Merida, UAE Team Emirates, Intermarch\u00e9\u2013Wanty<\/a> and finally EF Education\u2013EasyPost. “I was blessed to live my dream, to win, to fall and get up again, and to always have my guardian angel with me at every turn of the road.”<\/p>\n

Continue reading below the photo<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Rui Costa racked up 33 victories on his record, including one world title<\/p>\n

Costa’s career can rightly be called a successful one. He won 33 professional races, including three Tour de France stages, one at the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a, and\u2014most memorably\u2014his 2013 road world title in Florence, where he outfoxed Joaquim Rodr\u00edguez in a classic Costa finish: reading the race, waiting, then striking.<\/p>\n

Throughout his career Costa knew exactly what he could\u2014and couldn\u2019t\u2014do. He only spent his energy when there was something tangible to be gained and wasn\u2019t afraid to gamble if it increased his chance of a result. Think back to how he sat on Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s wheel at the 2013 Worlds<\/a> with a charging group behind: the tactic told you everything about his racing brain.<\/p>\n

Continue reading below the video<\/p>\n

Rui Costa did not always make friends in the peloton<\/p>\n

Whether his opponents were Vincenzo Nibali, Philippe Gilbert or Louis Vervaeke, Costa always dared to go far. That street\u2011smart approach didn\u2019t always make him popular in the bunch. On days when he refused to take turns in a break, rivals sometimes downed tools too. But just as often Costa won precisely because he still had a little bit more left than the rest.<\/p>\n

In recent seasons Costa remained a dangerous stage\u2011hunter well into his late thirties, but his palmar\u00e8s is more than just raids. He also claimed overall victories at the Tour de Suisse in 2012, 2013 and 2014, a record that earned him perennial dark\u2011horse status for the Tour de France GC. The three\u2011week grind proved a bridge too far; one\u2011week stage races were his limit, and there he was elite.<\/p>\n

Continue reading below the video<\/p>\n

Within his teams, Rui Costa was always well-liked<\/p>\n

When Costa clipped into his pedals he could be a shark, but inside his teams he was widely loved. The reaction to his farewell post on Friday said as much, with fans, former team\u2011mates and teams lining up to thank him on social media.<\/p>\n

‘Congratulations for your magnificent career, the champion: class, humility and hard work’ Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty wrote<\/a>. EF Education\u2013EasyPost added<\/a>: \u201cRui has made a lasting impact on cycling and on everyone lucky enough to share the road with him. Thank you for everything you have brought to the sport and our team, Rui.\u201dFormer team\u2011mate Rui Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates) summed it up beautifully<\/a>: \u201cA lifelong idol, a team\u2011mate and above all a friend\u2026 He\u2019s probably one of the people who had the biggest impact on me. A world champion, both on and off the bike.\u201d<\/p>\n