Rui Costa made history this Sunday by winning the Tour of Switzerland, a success that makes Poveiro the first Portuguese cyclist to win a stage race in the WorldTour category, the Champions League of international cycling.
The Portuguese runner wore yellow in the second stage of the Swiss competition, after winning this run, having resisted in the lead for a week, during which he had to face strong competition from opponents and three very tough stages, a long time trial and two altitude arrivals.
Rui Costa confirmed in the Tour to Switzerland the good indications he had already given in recent seasons, in an evolution that began to take its first steps in the service of national cycling teams.
“He was a runner who, from the young age, gave indications that he could be one of the best in the world. In under-23 he had a season of great level with victories and second places, being decisive for Portugal to win the Under-23 Cup of Nations in 2008,” recalls national coach José Poeira.
“From then on, he has assumed himself as a runner capable of leading a top team in one-week races. I think it has conditions to evolve further, so that, in the future, it will have the same level in three-week competitions”, advances José Poeira.
The national coach is “extremely happy” with the feat achieved by Rui Costa, noting that the result shows the success of the federative policy of “investing in younger teams, providing conditions for runners to evolve with the best and then be recruited by top-tier teams”.
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