Rui Alberto Faria da Costa has just finished his first season without getting a single victory.

Third in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, sixth in the European Championships and the Tour de Romandie and seventh in the Tour of Switzerland and Tour of the Basque Country, the Portuguese was also close to victory with a second place at the top of Andorra Arcalis in the Tour de France where he was beaten by Tom Dumoulin.

Costa is now 30 years old and his team UAE Abu Dhabi is convinced that it may be time for the 2013 World Champion to change his schedule which has been almost similar every year. Costa who has competed in every Tour de France since 2009 and has won three stages, has never done another Grand Tour but will now be at the start of his first Giro.

However, this does not change the fact that his first goal will be the Ardennes classics.