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Rui Costa (cyclist)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the cyclist. For the footballer, see Rui Costa.

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Faria and the second or paternal family name is Costa.
Rui Costa
Costa at the 2022 Giro d'Italia.
Personal information
Full nameRui Alberto Faria da Costa
Born (1986-10-05) 5 October 1986 (age 38)
Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Weight69 kg (152 lb; 10 st 12 lb)[1]
Team information
Current teamEF Education–EasyPost
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeAll-rounder
Amateur team
2005–2006Santa Maria da Feira–E-Leclerc
Professional teams
2007–2008S.L. Benfica
2009–2013Caisse d'Epargne[2]
2014–2022Lampre–Merida[3][4][5][6]
2023Intermarché–Circus–Wanty
2024–EF Education–EasyPost
Major wins
Grand Tours
Tour de France
3 individual stages (2011, 2013)
Vuelta a España
1 individual stage (2023)

Stage races

Tour de Suisse (2012, 2013, 2014)
Abu Dhabi Tour (2017)
Four Days of Dunkirk (2009)
Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid (2011)
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana (2023)

One-day races and Classics

World Road Race Championships (2013)
National Road Race Championships (2015, 2020, 2024)
National Time Trial Championships (2010, 2013)
GP de Montréal (2011)
Japan Cup (2023)
Medal record
Men's road bicycle racing
Representing  Portugal
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Florence Road race

Rui Alberto Faria da Costa ComIH (born 5 October 1986) is a Portuguese professional road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI WorldTeam EF Education–EasyPost.[7] 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, one stage in the Vuelta a España in 2023, and the 2012, 2013 and 2014 editions of the Tour de Suisse, becoming the first cyclist to win the event for three consecutive years.[8]

Early life and amateur career

[edit]

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

[edit]

2007–10: Early years

[edit]

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.

Costa at the 2010 Tour de France

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.[9]

At the Portuguese national championships in June 2010 Costa and his brother Mário tested positive for the banned substance methylhexanamine,[10] which they claimed to have ingested inadvertently due to a tainted food supplement. Further testing proved that to be the case,[11] and he re-signed with his former team, then known as Movistar Team, in April 2011 after five months of suspension.[2]

2011

[edit]
Costa on the podium after winning the 2011 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal

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.[12] Later that season, Costa rode away solo to win stage 8 of the Tour de France.[13][14] 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.[15]

2012

[edit]
Costa at the 2012 Tour de France

In 2012, Costa finished third in the General classification of the Tour de Romandie.[16] He won stage 2 in the Tour de Suisse, took the race's lead and successfully defended the yellow jersey through the Tour.[17] 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.[18] 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."[19] Costa headed to the Tour de France, slated to ride in support of his leader Alejandro Valverde, but crashes and incidents plagued Valverde,[20] who still managed to grab a stage win and finished 20th overall. Costa placed higher than his captain in the general classification at 18th.[21] 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.[22] 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.[23] 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.[24] He concluded his season in China at the Tour of Beijing, scoring another top ten overall placing with ninth.

2013

[edit]

In 2013,[25] 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.[26] 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.[27] 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.[28] 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."[29][30]

2014–22: Lampre–Merida

[edit]

Costa left the Movistar Team at the end of the 2013 season, and joined Lampre–Merida for the 2014 season.[3]

2014

[edit]
Costa, wearing the rainbow jersey as the incumbent world champion, at the 2014 Tour de Suisse

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.[31] 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.[32] 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.[33] 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.[34][35]

2015

[edit]

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.[36] 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;[37] 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.[38] 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.[39] 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.[40]

2017

[edit]

He was named in the start list for the 2017 Giro d'Italia.[41]

Career achievements

[edit]

Major results

[edit]

Source:[42]

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 (2 pro wins)
1st Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
1st Young rider classification
2nd Road race, National Road Championships
3rd Overall Vuelta a Chihuahua
1st Mountains classification
1st Stage 3
2010 (3)
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
6th Overall Volta ao Algarve
2011 (3)
1st Overall Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid
1st Points classification
1st Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
1st Stage 8 Tour de France
4th Overall Circuit de Lorraine
2012 (2)
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 (8)
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 (2)
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
3rd Overall Tour de Romandie
3rd Giro di Lombardia
4th UCI World Tour
4th Overall Tour of Beijing
2015 (2)
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 (3)
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 (2)
National Road Championships
1st Road race
2nd Time trial
3rd Overall Saudi Tour
1st Stage 1
3rd Overall Tour du Limousin
4th Overall Volta ao Algarve
10th Overall Tour de Pologne
2021
2nd Grand Prix of Aargau Canton
7th Overall Tour de Suisse
2022
3rd Overall Tour of Oman
3rd Overall Saudi Tour
10th Overall Tour du Limousin
2023 (5)
1st Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
1st Stage 5
1st Japan Cup
1st Trofeo Calvià
1st Stage 15 Vuelta a España
2nd La Drôme Classic
4th Strade Bianche
4th Figueira Champions Classic
5th Gran Piemonte
8th Clásica de San Sebastián
9th Classic Sud-Ardèche
10th Overall Volta ao Algarve
2024 (1)
National Road Championships
1st Road race
3rd Time trial
6th Trofeo Calvià
10th Grand Prix of Aargau Canton

General classification results timeline

[edit]
Grand Tour general classification results
Grand Tour 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Pink jersey Giro d'Italia — — — — — — — — 27 — — — — 44 — —
Yellow jersey Tour de France DNF 73 90 18 27 DNF DNF 49 — — 53 — 77 — 67 68
gold jersey/red jersey Vuelta a España — — — — — — — — 43 — — 44 — — 41 DNF
Major stage race general classification results
Race 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Paris–Nice — — — — DNF 2 4 10 — DNF — — 55 — — —
Tirreno–Adriatico 145 60 — 29 — — — — 18 — 10 28 — — — —
Volta a Catalunya — — — — — — — — — — — NH DNF 69 — —
Tour of the Basque Country — — — 15 13 51 7 7 — 12 — — — DNF —
Tour de Romandie — — 18 3 3 3 25 6 — 5 2 13 — DNF —
Critérium du Dauphiné — — 43 — — — 3 — — — — — — — — —
Tour de Suisse 13 34 — 1 1 1 — 7 5 — 56 NH 7 DNF DNF 38

Classics results timeline

[edit]
Monument 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Milan–San Remo 79 49 — 51 — — DNF — — — — — — — — —
Tour of Flanders 113 DNF — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Paris–Roubaix 58 DNF — — — — — — — — — NH — — — —
Liège–Bastogne–Liège DNF — DNF 17 9 DNF 4 3 14 22 DNF 40 63 — 31 —
Giro di Lombardia 26 — 25 38 38 3 46 15 54 38 DNF — — — 13
Classic 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Strade Bianche — — — 47 — — — — — — DNF 39 — — 4 —
Amstel Gold Race 120 — DNF 19 DNF 17 4 17 38 27 13 NH 54 — 32 —
La Flèche Wallonne — — DNF 18 32 53 28 10 31 19 26 85 DNS — — —
Clásica de San Sebastián — — 99 — — — 95 — — — 49 NH — 44 8 —
Bretagne Classic — — 51 2 69 92 26 31 — 30 — DNF — — — —
Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec NH — 11 3 5 33 24 13 — 16 41 Not held 102 —
Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal — 1 8 6 2 3 49 — 6 7 DNF —

Major championships timeline

[edit]
Event 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Olympic Games Road race Not held 13 Not held 10 Not held — Not held 46
Time trial — — — 25
World Championships Road race 69 — 15 11 1 23 9 — 19 10 10 26 — — —
Time trial — — 49 — — — — — 33 — — — — — —
European Championships Road race Race did not exist 6 — DNF — 29 18 — —
Time trial — — — — 11 — — —
National Championships Road race 2 DSQ — — 11 — 1 — — — — 1 — — — 1
Time trial — DSQ — — 1 2 8 — — — — 2 — — — 3
Legend
— Did not compete
DNF Did not finish
DNS Did not start
DSQ Disqualified
IP In progress
NH Not held

Awards

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  • Portuguese Sportsman of the Year (Prémio Desportista Masculino do Ano): 2012, 2013, 2014

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Rui Costa – UAE team Emirates". Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Costa signs three year contract with Team Movistar". Velonation.com. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  3. ^ a b "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.
  4. ^ "UAE Team Emirates". Cyclingnews.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  5. ^ "UAE Team Emirates complete 2020 roster with re-signing of former world champion Rui Costa". Cyclingnews.com. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  6. ^ "UAE Team Emirates". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 2 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  7. ^ "EF Education-EasyPost". Union Cycliste Internationale. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Rui Costa faz história na Volta à Suíça com o terceiro triunfo consecutivo".
  9. ^ "Fight breaks out after Tour stage 6". Cyclingnews.com. 9 July 2010.
  10. ^ Peter Cossins (18 October 2010). "Rui Costa and his brother test positive". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  11. ^ 2010-12-28. "Ghent laboratory supports Costa brothers' claims". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
  12. ^ "Costa wins Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid overall; Colombian Giovanni Báez takes final stage". Velonation.com. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  13. ^ "Costa Wins Stage 8 of Tour de France 2011 – Cycling News". RoadCycling.com. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  14. ^ "Rui Da Costa wins stage 8 as Thor Hushovd holds lead in 2011 Tour de France". Velonews. 9 July 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  15. ^ "Rui Costa Wins in Montreal". Cyclingtime.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  16. ^ "Wiggins wins Tour de Romandie". Cycling News. 29 April 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  17. ^ "Costa wins Tour de Suisse overall". Cyclingnews.com. 17 June 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  18. ^ "Fränk Schleck attacks, Rui Costa defends to win 2012 Tour de Suisse". Velo News. 17 June 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  19. ^ "A glorious Sunday for Movistar". Cycling News. 17 June 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  20. ^ "More bad luck for Valverde in Tour de France". Cycling News. 7 July 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  21. ^ "Standings after stage 20". Le Tour de France. Amaury Sport Organisation. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  22. ^ "GP Ouest France-Plouay review". Velo Voices. Word Press. 26 August 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  23. ^ "Gerrans wins GP de Quebec". Eurosport. YAHOO! EUROSPORT. 8 September 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  24. ^ "Results 2012". Grand Prix Cyclistes. Grand Prix Cycliste Québec-Montréal, 2010–2011. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  25. ^ "Movistar Team (MOV) – ESP". UCI World Tour. Union Cycliste Internationale. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  26. ^ "Cycling – Rui Costa wins Klasika Primavera, Contador third". Eurosport. 7 April 2013.
  27. ^ "Costa celebrates back-to-back Tour de Suisse victories". Cyclingnews.com. 16 June 2013.
  28. ^ Ryan, Barry (16 July 2013). "Rui Costa repaid with Tour de France stage victory in Gap". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  29. ^ Ryan, Barry (29 September 2013). "Rui Costa wins men's road race world championship". Cycling News. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  30. ^ ""Este é o maior êxito da minha carreira" – Rui Costa". A Bola. 29 September 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  31. ^ "Rui Costa out of Tour de France overall battle with bronchitis". Cycling Weekly. 17 July 2014.
  32. ^ "- The Washington Post". Archived from the original on 22 July 2014 – via washingtonpost.com.
  33. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  34. ^ "UCI World Road Championships: Kwiatkowski wins the rainbow jersey". Union Cycliste Internationale. 28 September 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  35. ^ "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.
  36. ^ "Results: 2015 Paris-Nice, stage 7". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. 15 March 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  37. ^ "Kwiatkowski sprints to first victory in rainbow jersey in Amstel Gold Race". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. 19 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  38. ^ Emil Axelgaard (22 April 2015). "No title defence for Costa at the Tour de Suisse". Cycling Quotes. CyclingQuotes.com 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ "Costa to re-prioritise stage wins at the Tour de France". Cyclingnews. Cyclingnews.com. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  41. ^ "2017: 100th Giro d'Italia: Start List". Pro Cycling Stats. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  42. ^ "Rui Costa". FirstCycling.com. FirstCycling AS. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rui Costa (cyclist).
Awards
Preceded by Portuguese Sportsman of the Year
2012–2014 		Succeeded by
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