Costa climbs to podium in final ITT
30 April 2012

Tour de Romandie (st. 5)

Brilliant ride by the Portuguese rider in Crans-Montana -4th, against some of the world's best specialists and GC riders- takes him into 3rd place in the Tour de Romandie's overall, crowns insistent work for success from Movistar Team

The decisive time trial in the 66th Tour de Romandie -16 kilometers in Crans-Montana, with the demanding, Cat. 1 climb of Aminona (4km / 10%) halfway through the course- finally rewarded Movistar Team’s six days of fight and spectacle. Portuguese Rui Costa proved again his versatility for all terrains with a great performance in a route complicated by the height, the gusty mountain winds and the continuous pace changes, to approach the fastest intermediate times and clock the second best provisional time over the finish line.

Costa ended up in 4th place at the start, just 23 seconds off the pace by Bradley Wiggins (SKY), the stage winner and overall victor in front of American Andrew Talansky (GRM) and teammate Richie Porte, and jumped into the final podium contested by more than twenty riders within 30 seconds of the lead before the ITT. The squad directed by José Luis Arrieta and Yvon Ledanois will leave Swiss soil with two stage podium finishes -the ones obtained by Costa, at the second stage in Moutier, and Branislau Samoilau yesterday on stage five in Sion- and a third place overall that confirms Rui into the top of international stageracing.

I didn’t expect things going this well today,” Rui explained. “Right from the start of the time trial, I was feeling strong and the time references I was given through the team radio made me think I was going to clock a great time, and that motivated me to push even harder. If a top-ten position was already good, this final podium is excellent. This result is the prize for all hard work done at home. I’m really happy and I hope things stay like this.