Former world road race champion Rui Costa has announced his retirement from professional cycling, bringing a 17-year career to an end.
The 38-year-old Portuguese rider was out of contract with EF Education-EasyPost following two seasons with the team and chose to hang up his wheels rather than continue at a lower level. He confirmed the news in an emotional post on Instagram, saying that he was ready to focus on life beyond racing.
“Cycling made me so happy,” Costa wrote. “The time has come for me to retire, to enjoy the company of my loved ones, to be present in the small but great moments, and to calmly experience what was so often postponed. I was blessed to live my dream, to win, to fall and get back up, and to always have my guardian angel with me at every turn of the road.
“I thank all the teams that were part of this journey and the Portuguese National Team – it was an immense pride to carry our flag to the four corners of the world. To everyone who believed, cheered, helped and was with me – from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Today I close a chapter, but the passion for two wheels will never end.”
Costa’s career is one of the most successful in Portuguese cycling history. His crowning achievement came in 2013, when he claimed the World Championship road race title in Tuscany, outsprinting Joaquim Rodríguez and Alejandro Valverde after 272 demanding kilometres in the rain.
Known for his tactical intelligence and calm under pressure, Costa built a reputation as a dependable stage hunter and week-long stage race specialist. He won the Tour de Suisse three times consecutively between 2012 and 2014, an achievement that cemented his place among the sport’s elite. He also claimed three Tour de France stage victories in 2011 and 2013, alongside wins at races such as the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, the Abu Dhabi Tour, the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, and multiple Portuguese national titles.
His final professional win came in 2024, when he reclaimed the Portuguese national road race championship, while his last international victory was at the Japan Cup in 2023.
Photo Credit: GettyAcross his career, Costa rode for some of the biggest teams in the sport, including Movistar, Lampre-Merida, UAE Team Emirates, Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, and EF Education-EasyPost. His total of 35 professional victories makes him one of the most successful Portuguese riders of the modern era.
Fellow Portuguese star João Almeida was among those to pay tribute to Costa, thanking him for his influence and mentorship. “Thank you, Rui, for being an idol and for giving us so much,” Almeida wrote. “You taught me so much, both in cycling and in life. I wouldn’t be the rider I am today without you.”
As he steps away from competition, Rui Costa leaves behind a legacy built on intelligence, discipline and determination. A world champion, a multiple Tour de France stage winner, and an enduring figure of consistency, his contribution to Portuguese cycling will be remembered for generations to come.
