Rui Costa (cyclist)
Rui Alberto Faria da Costa, ComIH[5] (born 5 October 1986) is a Portuguese professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam UAE Team Emirates.[6] He is best known for winning the 2013 UCI Road World Championships in Tuscany, Italy – the first Portuguese rider to do so –, three stages of the Tour de France in 2011 and 2013, and the 2012, 2013 and 2014 editions of the Tour de Suisse, becoming the first cyclist to win the event for three consecutive years.[7]
Costa at the 2013 Tour de Romandie. | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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Full name | Rui Alberto Faria da Costa | |||||||||||||
Born | Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal | 5 October 1986|||||||||||||
Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | |||||||||||||
Weight | 69 kg (152 lb; 10 st 12 lb)[1] | |||||||||||||
Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | UAE Team Emirates | |||||||||||||
Discipline | Road | |||||||||||||
Role | Rider | |||||||||||||
Rider type | All-rounder | |||||||||||||
Professional teams | ||||||||||||||
2007–2008 | S.L. Benfica | |||||||||||||
2009–2013 | Caisse d'Epargne[2] | |||||||||||||
2014–2016 | Lampre–Merida[3][4] | |||||||||||||
2017– | UAE Team Emirates | |||||||||||||
Major wins | ||||||||||||||
Grand Tours
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Medal record
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Early life and amateur career
Born in Aguçadoura, Póvoa de Varzim, Costa started his career at Guilhabreu, a civil parish of Vila do Conde, then went to Santa Maria da Feira.
Professional career
2007–2011: Early years
Costa became a professional cyclist at Benfica in 2007, and switched to Caisse d'Epargne in 2009. In 2009, Costa won the Four Days of Dunkirk followed by a win on stage 8 of the 2010 Tour de Suisse.
In 2010, Costa was involved with an altercation with Carlos Barredo at the end of Stage 6 of the Tour de France, with Barredo removing his front wheel and attempting to club Costa with it before both riders lobbed blows at each other. Both were fined 300 francs for the incident.[8]
At the Portuguese national championships in June 2010 Costa and his brother Mário tested positive for the banned substance methylhexanamine,[9] which they claimed to have ingested inadvertently due to a tainted food supplement. Further testing proved that to be the case,[10] and he re-signed with his former team, then known as Movistar Team, in April 2011 after five months of suspension.[2]
2011
In 2011, Costa performed well in the Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid: after second places in the first and third stages, he won the overall classification.[11] Later that season, Costa rode away solo to win stage 8 of the Tour de France.[12][13] Following his previous successes, Costa won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, sprinting away from a late breakaway, beating breakaway companion Pierrick Fédrigo. Both were chased by Philippe Gilbert, who made a late counter-attack, but came two seconds short.[14]
2012
In 2012, Costa finished third in the General classification of the Tour de Romandie.[15] He won stage 2 in the Tour de Suisse, took the race's lead and successfully defended the yellow jersey through the Tour.[16] He hung on to his 14 seconds overall lead over second-placed Fränk Schleck in the last stage, where Schleck attacked on the slopes of the Glaubenberg Pass. Schleck crested the climb with an advantage of a minute over Costa, but was reeled back in along the descent by the small group containing Costa. The pair finished the stage with the same time.[17] He said after the important win: "I want to dedicate this to the team, because my teammates worked magnificently all week. I have no words to describe it."[18] Costa headed to the Tour de France, slated to ride in support of his leader Alejandro Valverde, but crashes and incidents plagued Valverde,[19] who still managed to grab a stage win and finished 20th overall. Costa placed higher than his captain in the general classification at 18th.[20] He then participated in the GP Ouest-France, where he settled for second place of the French classic. He escaped on the last climb of the day with 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to go, but Team Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen passed him in the final kilometer, and Costa protected his second place as the surging peloton crossed the finish line on his heels.[21] In September, he headed to the Canadian province of Quebec to take part in the two World Tour races held there. He took the third step of the podium in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, winning the sprint of a group of 16 riders in hot pursuit of the two escapees, Simon Gerrans and Greg Van Avermaet, who finished four seconds ahead of Costa.[22] Two days later, he aimed at defending his title in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, but finished eighth, once again with a 4-second deficit over the winner, Lars Petter Nordhaug.[23] He concluded his season in China at the Tour of Beijing, scoring another top ten overall placing with ninth.
2013
In 2013,[24] Costa started the year by winning the Klasika Primavera and finishing third in the Tour de Romandie and also aimed to defend his Tour de Suisse title.[25] He later successfully defended his title after winning stage seven, and then taking the yellow jersey from Mathias Frank after winning the final stage, a hill climb time trial.[26] In the Tour de France, Costa left the Pyrenees inside the top ten. On stage 13, Costa lost close to ten minutes after going back to try to help his team leader, Valverde, who suffered a puncture. On stage 16, Costa ended up on a breakaway where he attacked on the last climb of the day, the Col de Manse before the final downhill to a solo finish in Gap.[27] He was also awarded the combativity prize of that stage. A few days later, Costa won stage 19 after escaping from the lead group on the Col de la Croix Fry, he ended up with another solo finish in Le Grand-Bornand.
Costa won the elite men's race at the UCI Road World Championships in Tuscany, Italy, becoming the first Portuguese rider to wear the rainbow jersey. After the race Costa said: "After the Tour, the goal was to reach the World Cup in the best possible conditions and make a good race. But I never thought I could win a race as important as this. It means everything to me. It is the reward for a lifetime of effort and hard work."[28][29]
Costa left the Movistar Team at the end of the 2013 season, and joined Lampre–Merida for the 2014 season.[3]
2014
Costa started the 2014 season by taking third place and the points classification jersey in the Volta ao Algarve. He then finished second overall in Paris-Nice and, for the third consecutive year, claimed the third place in the Tour de Romandie. Costa's first win of the season in the world champion's rainbow jersey occurred in the last stage of the Tour de Suisse. With this victory Costa took the yellow jersey from Tony Martin and successfully defended his title, thus becoming the first cyclist to win Tour de Suisse three consecutive times.
Costa entered the Tour de France with high hopes, aiming for a podium finish, but started to lose touch with the front riders due to bronchitis.[30] During the second rest day, his health condition worsened and he was diagnosed with bronchopneumonia. Ranked 13th in the general classification, Costa was forced to withdraw from the Tour.[31] He returned to UCI World Tour competition at the GP Ouest-France, crossing the finish line in 92nd place, 11 seconds behind winner Sylvain Chavanel.[32] Costa then competed in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, securing a runner-up place in the latter race, behind Simon Gerrans.
Costa went to the UCI Road World Championships in Ponferrada, Spain, with the aim of defending his road race title; he finished in 23rd place, seven seconds behind the winner and his successor, Michał Kwiatkowski of Poland.[33][34]
2015
Costa took the fourth place in the general classification of Paris–Nice as a first notable result, thanks in part to a third place on the time trial up Col d'Èze.[35] He finished seventh in the mountainous World Tour race, the Tour of the Basque Country. He also grabbed the fourth place in the Amstel Gold Race, where Michał Kwiatkowski imposed himself;[36] a week later he would come again in fourth place at Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He decided not to go defend his title at the Tour de Suisse, which he had won three times in a row, and participated in the concurrent Critérium du Dauphiné instead.[37] Costa won the sixth stage of the race after being in the breakaway for most of the day, passing Vincenzo Nibali near the finish line.[38] A week before the Tour de France, Costa won the Portuguese National Road Race Championships. At the Tour de France he retired due to injuries picked up in a crash, leading him to announce he would ride for stage wins in the future.[39]
2017
He was named in the start list for the 2017 Giro d'Italia.[40]
Career achievements
Major results
- 2007
- 1st
Overall Giro delle Regioni - 2008
- 2nd Overall Giro delle Regioni
- 1st Stage 4
- 2nd Overall Coupe des nations Ville Saguenay
- 1st Stage 4 (ITT)
- 2nd Overall Tour de l'Avenir
- UCI Under-23 Road World Championships
- 5th Road race
- 8th Time trial
- 5th Overall Clásica Internacional de Alcobendas
- 2009
- 1st
Overall Four Days of Dunkirk - 1st
Young rider classification
- 1st
- 2nd Road race, National Road Championships
- 3rd Overall Vuelta a Chihuahua
- 1st
Mountains classification - 1st Stage 3
- 1st
- 2010
- 1st
Time trial, National Road Championships - 1st Trofeo Deià
- 1st Stage 8 Tour de Suisse
- 2nd Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
- 1st
Young rider classification
- 1st
- 6th Overall Volta ao Algarve
- 2011
- 1st
Overall Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid - 1st
Points classification
- 1st
- 1st Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- 1st Stage 8 Tour de France
- 4th Overall Circuit de Lorraine
- 2012
- 1st
Overall Tour de Suisse - 1st Stage 2
- 2nd GP Ouest–France
- 2nd Trofeo Deià
- 3rd Overall Tour de Romandie
- 3rd Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
- 4th GP Miguel Induráin
- 5th Overall Volta ao Algarve
- 7th Overall Tour du Poitou-Charentes
- 8th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- 9th Overall Tour of Beijing
- 10th UCI World Tour
- 2013
- 1st
Road race, UCI Road World Championships - 1st
Time trial, National Road Championships - 1st
Overall Tour de Suisse - 1st Stages 7 & 9 (ITT)
- 1st Klasika Primavera
- Tour de France
- 1st Stages 16 & 19
Combativity award Stage 16
- 3rd Overall Tour de Romandie
- 4th Overall Tour of Beijing
- 4th Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana
- 5th Overall Volta ao Algarve
- 5th Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
- 6th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- 9th UCI World Tour
- 9th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 2014
- 1st
Overall Tour de Suisse - 1st Stage 9
- 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
- 2nd Overall Paris–Nice
- 2nd Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- 3rd Overall Volta ao Algarve
- 1st
Points classification
- 1st
- 3rd Overall Tour de Romandie
- 3rd Giro di Lombardia
- 4th UCI World Tour
- 4th Overall Tour of Beijing
- 2015
- 1st
Road race, National Road Championships - 3rd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné
- 1st Stage 6
- 3rd Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- 4th Overall Paris–Nice
- 4th Amstel Gold Race
- 4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 7th Overall Tour of the Basque Country
- 9th UCI World Tour
- 9th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
- 2016
- 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 5th Overall Tour of Oman
- 6th Road race, UEC European Road Championships
- 6th Overall Tour de Romandie
- 7th Overall Tour of the Basque Country
- 7th Overall Tour de Suisse
- 10th Road race, Olympic Games
- 10th Overall Paris–Nice
- 10th La Flèche Wallonne
Combativity award Stage 19 Tour de France - 2017
- 1st
Overall Abu Dhabi Tour - 1st Stage 3
- 2nd Overall Tour of Oman
- 5th Overall Vuelta a San Juan
- 1st Stage 5
- 5th Overall Tour de Suisse
- 10th Overall Tour de Pologne
- 2018
- 5th Overall Tour de Romandie
- 6th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- 8th Overall Abu Dhabi Tour
- 10th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
- 10th Overall Tour of Oman
- 2019
- 2nd Overall Tour de Romandie
- 4th Overall Tour of Oman
- 7th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- 10th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
- 10th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
- 10th Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- 10th Overall Vuelta a Burgos
- 2020
- 1st
Road race, National Road Championships - 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
- 3rd Overall Tour of Saudi Arabia
- 1st Stage 1
- 4th Overall Volta ao Algarve
- 10th Overall Tour de Pologne
General classification results timeline
Grand Tour general classification results timeline | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Tour | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 27 | — | — | |||
DNF | 73 | 90 | 18 | 27 | DNF | DNF | 49 | — | — | 53 | |||
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | — | — | |||
Major stage race general classification results timeline | |||||||||||||
Race | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
— | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | 10 | — | DNF | — | — | ||
145 | 60 | — | 29 | — | — | — | — | 18 | — | 10 | |||
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NH | ||
— | — | — | 15 | 13 | 51 | 7 | 7 | — | 12 | — | NH | ||
— | — | 18 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 6 | — | 5 | 2 | NH | ||
— | — | 43 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
13 | 34 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 7 | 5 | — | 56 | NH |
Classics results timeline
Monument | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Milan–San Remo | 79 | 49 | — | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Tour of Flanders | 113 | DNF | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Paris–Roubaix | 58 | DNF | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Liège–Bastogne–Liège | DNF | — | DNF | 17 | 9 | DNF | 4 | 3 | 14 | 22 | DNF | |
Giro di Lombardia | 26 | — | 25 | 38 | 38 | 3 | 46 | 15 | 54 | 38 | DNF | — |
Classic | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
Amstel Gold Race | 120 | — | DNF | 19 | DNF | 17 | 4 | 17 | 38 | 27 | 13 | |
La Flèche Wallonne | — | — | DNF | 18 | 32 | 53 | 28 | 10 | 31 | 19 | 26 | |
Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec | NH | — | 11 | 3 | 5 | 33 | 24 | 13 | — | 16 | 41 | NH |
Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal | NH | — | 1 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 49 | — | 6 | 7 | NH |
Major championships timeline
Event | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Road race | Not Held | 13 | Not Held | 10 | Not Held | ||||||||
Time trial | — | — | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | — | — | ||
Road race | 69 | — | 15 | 11 | 1 | 23 | 9 | — | 19 | 10 | 10 | ||
Time trial | — | DSQ | — | — | 1 | 2 | 8 | — | — | — | — | 2 | |
Road race | 2 | DSQ | — | — | 11 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
— | Did not compete |
---|---|
DNF | Did not finish |
Awards
- Portuguese Sportsman of the Year (Portuguese: Prémio Desportista Masculino do Ano): 2012, 2013, 2014
References
- "Rui Costa - UAE team Emirates". Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- "Costa signs three year contract with Team Movistar". Velonation.com. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- "Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa al Team Lampre-Merida" [Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa to Team Lampre-Merida]. Lampre–Merida (in Italian). CGS Cycling Team AG. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- "UAE Team Emirates". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
- "De momento não existe a informação que procura. - MENSAGEM - PRESIDENCIA.PT". www.presidencia.pt.
- "UAE Team Emirates complete 2020 roster with re-signing of former world champion Rui Costa". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- "Rui Costa faz história na Volta à Suíça com o terceiro triunfo consecutivo".
- "Fight breaks out after Tour stage 6 - Cyclingnews.com".
- Peter Cossins (18 October 2010). "Rui Costa and his brother test positive". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
- 2010-12-28. "Ghent laboratory supports Costa brothers' claims". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
- "Costa wins Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid overall; Colombian Giovanni Báez takes final stage". Velonation.com. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- "Costa Wins Stage 8 of Tour de France 2011 – Cycling News". RoadCycling.com. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- "Rui Da Costa wins stage 8 as Thor Hushovd holds lead in 2011 Tour de France". Velonews.competitor.com. 9 July 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- "Rui Costa Wins in Montreal". Cyclingtime.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- "Wiggins wins Tour de Romandie". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 29 April 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
- "Costa wins Tour de Suisse overall". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- "Fränk Schleck attacks, Rui Costa defends to win 2012 Tour de Suisse". Velo News. 2012 Competitor Group, Inc. 17 June 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- "A glorious Sunday for Movistar". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 17 June 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- "More bad luck for Valverde in Tour de France". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 7 July 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- "Standings after stage 20". Le Tour de France. Amaury Sport Organisation. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- "GP Ouest France-Plouay review". Velo Voices. Word Press. 26 August 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- "Gerrans wins GP de Quebec". Eurosport. YAHOO! EUROSPORT. 8 September 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- "Results 2012". Grand Prix Cyclistes. Grand Prix Cycliste Québec-Montréal, 2010–2011. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- "Movistar Team (MOV) – ESP". UCI World Tour. Union Cycliste Internationale. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- "Cycling – Rui Costa wins Klasika Primavera, Contador third". Eurosport. 7 April 2013.
- "Costa celebrates back-to-back Tour de Suisse victories". Cyclingnews.com. 16 June 2013.
- Ryan, Barry (16 July 2013). "Rui Costa repaid with Tour de France stage victory in Gap". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- Ryan, Barry (29 September 2013). "Rui Costa wins men's road race world championship". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ""Este é o maior êxito da minha carreira" – Rui Costa". A Bola. 29 September 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
- "Rui Costa out of Tour de France overall battle with bronchitis". Cycling Weekly. 17 July 2014.
- "- The Washington Post" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "UCI World Road Championships: Kwiatkowski wins the rainbow jersey". Union Cycliste Internationale. 28 September 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- "UCI World Championships (ESP/CM) – Men's Elite Road Race". Union Cycliste Internationale. 28 September 2014. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- "Results: 2015 Paris-Nice, stage 7". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. 15 March 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- "Kwiatkowski sprints to first victory in rainbow jersey in Amstel Gold Race". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- Emil Axelgaard (22 April 2015). "No title defence for Costa at the Tour de Suisse". Cycling Quotes. CyclingQuotes.com 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- Richard Windsor (12 June 2015). "Nibali recovers to take overall lead in Critérium du Dauphiné as Costa wins stage". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media Sports & Leisure network. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- "Costa to re-prioritise stage wins at the Tour de France". Cyclingnews. Cyclingnews.com. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- "2017: 100th Giro d'Italia: Start List". Pro Cycling Stats. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
External links
- Official website
- Rui Costa at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- Rui Alberto FARIA DA COSTA at the International Olympic Committee
- Rui Alberto Faria da Costa at Cycling Archives
- COSTA Rui Alberto Faria at CQ Ranking
- Rui Costa at ProCyclingStats
Awards | ||
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Preceded by Hélder Rodrigues |
Portuguese Sportsman of the Year 2012–2014 |
Succeeded by Miguel Oliveira |
{{UCI Road World Champions – Men's road race}}