Rui Costa wrote his name into history when he became the first rider ever to win the Tour de Suisse thrice in a row after he was one of three riders to attack race leader Tony Martin from afar in today's queen stage. Three aspects made the day unforgettable for the world champion: the fact that it was the first win of his season, that it was taken with the rainbow jersey on his shoulders and that he had done something that no one had ever done in the long history of the event.

For some reason, Rui Costa always performs excellently in Switzerland. In 2012 and 2013 he finished third in the Tour de Romandie and won the Tour de Suisse and this year he set out with a mission to continue his string of results in the Alpine country.

The first part of the plan was accomplished when he made it three consecutive third places in Romandie and today he crowned it all with a third consecutive victory in the national tour. The Swiss laid the foundations for his win by doing an excellent time trial and today he proved to be in a class of his own in the queen stage.

Earlier this year Costa had seemed to be hit by the curse of the rainbow jersey as he finished second no less than 6 times in the early months and crashed out of Liege-Bastogne-Liege after a mechanical had derailed his plans in Fleche Wallonne. Hence, today's victory was his first in the coveted tunic and that was one of three aspects that made it an unforgettable day for the world champion.

"It's a beautiful day that ends in the best possible way," Costa said. "A stage win and the overall victory, I could not have asked for anything more. No one has ever won the Tour de Suisse three times in arow and it is a great honour to be the first to do so. This year's success is made even more beautiful by the fact that I had the rainbow jersey on my shoulders and because it is my first win of the season. All these aspects contribute to making this day unforgettable.

"I want to thank my teammates, the staff, the sponsors and the many Portuguese fans that have followed me on the Swiss roads."