Former world champion Rui Costa has announced his retirement from the peloton, drawing a 17-year road racing career to a close.
The Portuguese rider was out of contract at EF Education-EasyPost following a two-year stint at the US team. He turned 38 years old last month and decided to call it a career rather than possibly drop down the levels to continue racing.
“I thank all the teams that were part of this journey and the Portuguese National Team – it was an immense pride to carry our flag to the four corners of the world,” he continued before thanking each of the clubs and teams he had represented during his career, including WorldTour teams Movistar, Lampre, UAE Team Emirates, Intermarché, and EF.
“To everyone who believed, cheered, helped, and was with me – from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Costa can look back on a career which saw him elevate himself into rare company as a road world champion. He scored victory for Portugal in 2013, outfoxing Spanish duo Joaquim Rodríguez and Alejandro Valverde on a hilly 272km course in Tuscany.
Other big wins during his career include three stages of the Tour de France across the 2011 and 2013 editions, the 2011 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal and several smaller stage races, including the Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid, 4 Jours de Dunkerque, and Volta a la Comunitat Valencia.
Costa’s teams, past and…
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