Rui Costa: “I believed in myself, I was very happy”

The Portuguese Rui Costa (Interarché-Circus-Wanty)winner of the 15th stage of the Vuelta 23 in Lekunberri, used his experience to take his first victory in the Spanish round, after a three-way sprint in which he beat the German Kamna and the Colombian Buitrago.

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“I believed in myself. This season started well, and now achieving victory in the Vuelta is very important for me and the team. I’m so happy. I can say that I did a lot of preparation to be well for the Tour and things didn’t go well for me and the team, and it’s a bit sad to finish feeling like that,” explained the Portuguese cyclist at the finish line in Lekunberri.

Rui Costa, 36 years old, 2013 World Champion, was not planning to race in the Vuelta, but when he finished the Tour in good condition he offered the team to go to the Vuelta and try to win the stage.

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“In the end, and after so much fighting, I have achieved it. It has not been easy. It is not just a victory, it is the result of a lot of dedication, a lot of effort, a lot of work behind. People don’t see it. And it’s very satisfying for me,” he said.

Rui Costa commented on the fall of the German Lennard Kamna on the descent of the last climb, having recovered, linked and competing in the sprint with the Portuguese and the Colombian Buitrago.

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“Kämna’s fall is something that happens in the race. We passed that section for the first time and we saw the difficulty of the curve. I saw that he went down very fast, and I had to brake. In the end Kämna caught up with us and managed -compete on stage. Victory has come to me. I’m super happy,” he concluded.