The rainbow jersey was the icing on an outstanding season for Lampre-Merida rider Rui Costa, but 27-year old Portuguese, just coming into the most fruitful age for a professional cyclist, has to take an advantage of his new position in the peloton and prove that he can be a competitive rider not only for major one-day races, but three weeks-long stage events. Mainly, to himself.

With a victory in the dramatic World Championship road race in Florence, Rui Costa certainly reached a turning point of his career. Considered as a highly versatile, dynamic and incredibly smart rider, during his years under the wings of Eusebio Unzue the Portuguese was rather forced to chase his own opportunities from breakaways, than given a reasonable chance to prove his potential as a leader. Despite his unquestionable ability to sense those unique occasions and transform them into successful campaigns, his position in Movistar team wasn’t about to change, and thus Costa decided to make a move to the Italian Lampre-Merida team.

Having a position of a leader guaranteed in his new squad, Portuguese cyclist is aware that the upcoming season should be decisive in terms of his further development and strongly concentrates on his preparations before 2014, despite the numerous commitments he is obligated to fulfill as a rainbow jersey owner.  

"I haven’t lost the contact with reality and I my priority is still to perform well as a professional rider. If I want to be right in the front of the peloton, I have to rest in winter and then work hard," Costa told in the interview for Marca

Apart from his World Championship title, this season the Portuguese won the Tour of Switzerland for the second consecutive year as well as two twin stages at the Tour de France. Now he aims to return to la Grande Boucle as a GC contender.

"I've always said I didn’t know what type of cyclist I was exactly. It occurs now and it happened when I was under 23 - I was able to stay with the best in one-day races , but I also won the overall classification of the Giro de las Regiones. Now, as a professional cyclist, it is clear that there are classic I’m able to win and it is clear as well that there are one-week stage races in which I can be highly competitive, what I have proved already.”

“I must remain humble and realistic: I never stayed in contention of a Grand Tour throughout all three weeks, and therefore I cannot say I'm the favorite for the Tour. Despite winning the World Championship, yet I am not," Costa explains 

"There is still a lot to improve and I have to do so taking small steps, one after another. Anyway, I have just turned 27 and I think my endurance has improved as the seasons passed by. So I hold on to the illusion of further ongoing development and maybe one day I will be in the contention for the major crowns. At present, my rivals have to be considered as main favorites."