Dubai: United Arab Emirates driver Rui Costa needs to take advantage of the team’s good fortunes after being crowned national road champion at the National Road Racing Championship in Portugal for the time of his career.
Holy national champion for the first time in 2015, a week before the Tour de France, Costa beat FC driver Porto Daniel Mestre in a long and fast race to the final line on Monday night.
It’s time for Costa’s season win after the Portuguese star won the Saudi Tour first leg in February.
Best known for winning the 2013 UCI Road World Championship in Tuscany, Italy, fitting the first Portuguese driving force to do so, Costa won 3 stages of the Tour de France in 2011 and 2013.
Costa, now 33 years old, has also won the 2012, 2013 and 2014 editions of the Tour de Suisse, which accommodates the first rider to win the occasion for 3 consecutive years until now.
On Monday, Costa was able to count on brothers and teammates Rui and Ivo Oliveira who finished 16th and 17th respectively.
“It was a very special victory. Rui and Ivo Oliveira went crazy for me today. Or they worked hard in the front when it was necessary and made the right moves. Winning here in Portugal is confusing when you have groups with a lot of opposition for us, but in the end we work perfectly in the middle,” Costa said.
“I launched a very hard attack on the final kick and was pleased to finish it in the sprint. This weekend was a great fortune for the team, with Ivo winning the time trial and me winning the road race, it couldn’t have gone any better.” He added.
Meanwhile, in France, the star of Team Emirates’ Emirates, Tadej Pogacar, encouraged the last level of the Critérium du Dauphiné in Megave-Megéve along 153.5 km with 8 climbs and an uphill finish.
The young Slovenian introduced the attack to 27 km from the finish line, in a small organization of 4 runners Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma), Pavel Sivakov (Ineos) and Daniel Martínez (EF).
The UAE Team Emirates driver crossed the baseline in 3rd place, 30 seconds the winner Kuss, rising to fourth place in the general classification, just 56 seconds Martinez.
Teammate Davide De La Cruz, the race climber, won the mountain rankings with 68 points, beating Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) by 16 points.
“The race had a top speed from the first climb to the finish line. Today I was doing well and I controlled myself to make a wonderful performance, also thanks to the help of my colleagues who helped me to the Dauphiné. In the final, it was fine, but the other runners were pushing so hard with me in the lead. I followed Martinez and got a smart result,” Pogacar said.
Portuguese National Road Racing Championship: 1. Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates) 4:04:05; 2. Daniel Mestre (W52 / FC Porto) at that time; 3. Francisco Campos (W52 / FC Porto) at 28 inches.
Criterium du Dauphiné: (Stage 5) 1. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) 3:58:39; 2. Daniel Martinez (EF) at 27″; 3. Tadej Pogaar (UAE Team Emirates) at 30″.
(Final General Classification) 1. Daniel Martinez (EF) 21:44:58; 2. Thibau Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) -29 “; 3. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) -41”; 4. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) “.
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