Rui Costa cashes in big in world championship lottery
First Portuguese champion in history
Every rider dreams of winning the world championships, and Portugal's 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Rui Costa was no different, but few have the kind of tactical sense, self-confidence and power necessary to pull off a rainbow jersey performance. Costa showed that he has all these qualities as he dashed the hopes of Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez to claim the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:2013 world title.
"I feel like I won the lottery in a sense," Rui Costa said. "It means a great deal to me. I've wanted this more than anything in my career. I can't believe I'm the꧙ world champion, and I will do everyt𒆙hing I can to honour this jersey."
Costa made the final selection of the 16km last lap with a pair of Spaniards, Joaquim Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde, and Vincenzo Nib𝓡ali - all of whom have palmares stacked deep with victories. Yet he timed his bridge across to the solo attack of Rodriguez perfectly.
"In the last two kilometres, as I was closing the gap, all I cou🌜ld think of was to close it as efficiently as possible. When I got to him, he told me to pass him and I didn't want to. I looked back and saw we had a gap, and then it was just pl💦aying tactics, hoping my legs didn't fail me, and then I was able to realize my dream."
To have good legs at the end of a 272km race that began in pounding rain, with 10 ꦉdemanding closing circuits, with only two teammates, and on a🌜 day marked with numerous crashes was remarkable.
"It was a very complicated race with the꧙ rain in the first three hours, it made it very hard. We were thinking mainly about how to get to the end of the race in one piece. I had good and bad moments as you do in any race, but luckily I was able to overcome them.
"When there were five of us in the 🔯last lap, I started to belie♉ve. Luckily I was feeling very good."
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In Florence, Costa showed that his pair of Tour de France stages this season and Tour de Suisse victories were no fluke, and he will carry the jersey to the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lampre-Merida team next season. It will be a small consolation for the Italian fans who were left winless over the week of racing.
Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews๊ since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data a♕nalysis.