The Narrative
For those who have watched Rui Costa win back-to-back Tours de Suisse, three stages of the Tour de France, and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal, it was only a matter of time before the young Portuguese all-rounder took that marquee victory to make himself a cycling fan household name. Having seen him at the front of the pack in a number of big-time finishes, I named the “constant fixture in late season circuit races” a “favorite to outsprint the GC types” in my preview, and he did just that on Sunday when he hung with a very select group over the final climbs in Florence, bridged a late gap to star finisher Joaquim Rodriguez, and outran him in a drag to the line. Costa wasn’t too long of a longshot according to bookmakers, either, and a few other prominent previewers in the world of online pre-race outlooks named him as a hot rider for the championship race. However, based on fan and media response, you would think that Costa’s success came out of left field, and that Sunday’s race was a case of the Spanish duo of Valverde and Rodriguez losing, and not the Portuguese star winning. I think this sentiment is in denial of the facts, and I was thrilled to see Costa stake his claim for the world title so emphatically, beating the best in the world despite having a tiny squad of supporters compared to the full rosters of Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom. I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed for Purito, always the bridesmaid in these big events, but only one rider could come out of the race as the victor, and Costa and his combination of skill and savvy make him a more than deserving world champion.
A four-sentence recap of the race first. The grueling circuit was made all the more grueling by rotten weather, and the combined parcours and conditions led to countless crashes and abandons, which saw big name riders like Chris Froome (and the rest of the UK squad) and Dan Martin (and the rest of the Irish squad) exit the race. By the final lap, things were mostly altogether for the remaining few, which still included many favorites, but the last trip around Florence brought a succession of uphill attacks that proved too much for all but the most climbing-oriented riders left, and this small group of Grand Tour stars distanced the likes of Cancellara and Sagan. After Rigoberto Uran took a nasty fall, it was down to Joaquim Rodriguez playing keepaway from Vincenzo Nibali and Rui Costa, with Rodriguez’s teammate Alejandro Valverde hanging back with the Portuguese and Italian riders. As the finish line approached, Costa jumped across the gap and was not followed, and after he made the catch, he outsprinted Purito to the line for the rainbow jersey.
Rodriguez was, of course, despondent after the race, and his compatriot Valverde was the target of scorn and audible booing, apparently for not following Costa’s move. Nibali wasn’t happy with fourth, but the Italian team director heaped more negativity on the Spanish squad by saying he’d rather be fourth than lose the race the way the Spanish did.
Somehow, people seemed to gloss over the fact that Rui Costa, who observers should have known had a great shot at this thing, was the best rider in Florence that day. He was strong enough to hang with a group so select that every other rider in it has either won or been runner-up in a Grand Tour. He had the tank to solo across a significant gap with only a kilometer to go. And finally, he outsprinted a rider with a great finishing kick, Joaquim Rodriguez, on his way to the victory. He played his hand perfectly in the final lap, staying out the wind and letting Nibali do a good deal of chasing, making a decisive, powerful move at a bend in the road, and timing his sprint just right to pip Purito.
Many seemed to think that Valverde made some mistake by not getting on Costa’s wheel when the now-champ made his bridge, but I’m not sure there are any reasons good enough for Valverde to willfully ignore Costa’s attack other than a decision to stick with the Giro winner Vincenzo Nibali, which would have been a pragmatic choice anyway. It seems as likely to me that Valverde just couldn’t keep up with Costa, which is what the bronze medalist has said in post-race interviews. Yes, Valverde is a Grand Tour and monument winning superstar, but he’s on the wrong side of thirty and it may surprise you to know that he has yet to actually nab a WorldTour level win this year. Costa, meanwhile, has been racking up the palmares in 2013. I believe that the young and versatile Costa was just the strongest guy out there, and much fresher, having not ridden the Vuelta and being a fair bit younger than the Purito generation.
Takeaways
Purito himself has every right to be depressed, coming so close to the rainbow jersey as he has come so close to so many big wins in the past. He finally got his monument victory last year at Il Lombardia, and he will get another opportunity there this weekend, but to have such an opportunity slip through his fingers must be heartbreaking. But let’s not lose sight in all that sadness of the year Rodriguez is having at the age of 34: he won a stage at the Vuelta and was 4th overall, he was on the podium in the Tour de France, was runner up in Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Catalunya (to the same rider and in the span of less than a month, to get back to being depressing for a second), and he won a mountain stage in a Tirreno-Adriatico that featured all three of this year’s Grand Tour winners. Now, he’s runner-up in the World Championship race. Compatriot Alberto Contador seems to have lost a step in his 30th year, but Purito keeps chugging along in his 34th. If he can win again or come in 2nd in Lombardy (and if Froome isn’t hanging around the top of the leaderboard), Rodriguez can again be WorldTour champion: given the single-day explosiveness he’s shown in the past few weeks, he’s got a great shot at it.
Valverde has had a string of strong results this year, too, and Nibali has now added a World Championship top 5 to his shiny Palmares in 2013. Neither got the prize he was looking for, but there is still a lot to be said for the way they outdistanced the sprintier types and hung on ahead. Rigoberto Uran will be left wondering what might have been had he not gotten it all wrong on a wet descent; surely he could have challenged for the victory with his explosive skillset. Fortunately for Uran, he’s young and headed to a new trade team next year, just like Costa, and he will get many more chances to impress us in the future.
The unpredictable course proved just a hair too difficult for Cancellara, Sagan, and Gilbert, who finished in a group behind the winners, all three left to wonder what might have been had they been able to marshal the uphill strikes by the climbing stars. Still, it was not a bad performance from all of them (really, any rider who finished the race at all deserves praise), and despite Gilbert’s constant losing this year, keeping pace with that group is just another in a long line of results that show he’s still got plenty left in the tank. Sagan, still 23 remember, will have plenty of opportunities in the future. Cancellara might be most disappointed of the three, as this race seemed to have the right level of toughness (ultra-high) to favor his hardman attitude, and years to come may not be as selective. Finishing with or around the same time as this trio were a few surprises: Maxim Iglinskiy, Simon Clarke, and Andriy Grivko. Crossing the line with an impressive pack that also included Dani Moreno, Bauke Mollema Sergio Henao, and Michele Scarponi, they have a right to be proud of their top 10s.
What does the future hold for the winner of the race? He’s shown an incredible array of all-round ability in his young career, with results in one-day circuit races and Alpine stage races alike. VeloHuman bemoaned the tactics of his team (Movistar) in the Tour de France this year when they wasted his top 10 position in GC sending him back to Valverde on the day the latter was distanced in the crosswinds, as if a single rider was going to make a difference draging Valverde back up the front. Next year, Costa won’t need to worry about being sent back for his team leader, as he’ll be the guy for his new team Lampre-Merida. Fortunately, he’ll be able to wear the glorious rainbow jersey instead of Lampre’s garish kit. He’ll be the most prominent piece of the puzzle of Lampre’s youth movement, as that team is turning away from aging stars like Michele Scarponi and Damiano Cunego and towards some exciting new talent. Costa’s never contended for a Grand Tour GC, so it remains to be seen how well he’ll represent Portugal on the biggest stage racing stages next year, but he’s sure to continue to succeed in one-day and one-week races; he’s turning 27 tomorrow, just hitting his prime, just diving into his physical peak years. He showed the time trailing and climbing ability, he’s flashed a strong sprint when he’s needed to, he showed a sharp racing mind Sunday as he has many times before on smaller stages, and now he’ll have all the confidence in the World going forward.
-Dane Cash
Photo by Flowizm.
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