EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW | Portuguese talent Fábio Costa on Sabgal / Anicolor transfer, international ambitions and Portugal Cup victory
Cycling
Fábio Costa, one of the most promising Portuguese riders in the peloton, has spoke exclusively to CiclismoAtual and CyclingUpToDate, and has given interesting insight into his ambitions but also on his 2024 season. The rider from Ermesinde, was one of the highlights of the 2024 season and this earned him a return to a home he doesn't even know, Sabgal/ Anicolor Cycling Team, where he hopes to continue his winning ways. Below is the full interview.
Note: Recently we have talked to his teammate Afonso Eulálio, whom he raced with in the 2024 season, but has signed with Bahrain - Victorious. In this interview, Eulálio talked extensively about the Volta a Portugal in which Costa was a key support rider but also had his own chances of fighting for stage glory.
Costa is 24 years of age, a classics rider by specialty, and a former under-23 national champion. In 2021 he was 20th at the under-23 World Championships, at the time giving hopes of a new top talent emerging for the one-day races. He has since won races such as the Clássica de Santo Tirso, and a stage at the GP Jornal de Notícias.
Question: How would you describe yourself as a cyclist?
Answer: "I think I'm a very versatile cyclist and quite regular during the year, but I think I excel in one-day races that are hard and with fast finishes, that's my strong point, also working for the team and controlling a stage is something I like to do."
What was your most memorable victory?
"The victory that most marked me was undoubtedly in the 6th stage of the GP Jornal de Notícias in 2023, both because it was my first as a professional and because of the emotional charge it had, it was a relief for me to win after 'hitting the goalpost' so hard and also because it gave me a boost of confidence in my abilities to be able to win again in future opportunities."
In 2024, you competed for ABTF-Feirense, a team that stood out this year, what is your assessment of this season?
"It was undoubtedly a great season for me and the team, I aimed to win right at the start of the year, and I did it in the Clássica de Santo Tirso, which is probably my favorite one-day race, and then I won the Portuguese Cup. I was also pleased with my performance in the Volta ao Alentejo, where I finished 7th overall, but even so I could have done a little better, and from that moment on the season was never going to be bad, until the end of the year I had a few more top places, but above all I tried to help and repay the work the team did for me until the middle of the season, and fortunately we had an excellent end to the season both in the Volta a Portugal and in the GP Jornal de Notícias."
In 2025 you will return to a structure you know well, Sabgal, what are your objectives?
"Yes, it's true, it's a team I know and I identify with their values and aggressive way of racing, the aim will always be to be at the team's disposal in everything that is asked of me, we have a team that can fight for all kinds of races, as for me I hope to do well in the races that suit me, such as the classics, the Volta ao Alentejo and the Volta a Portugal."
How are you preparing for the new season, tell us a bit about your daily training?
"The preparation is as planned, just as I've been doing for the last few years. For now I'm just putting in hours on the bike without too much intensity, taking off some excess weight and closer to the competitions, then the training will be more intense so that I'm ready from the first competition."
Sabgal is a team that usually competes outside of Portugal, is there a particular race you'd like to do?
"For the moment I don't have any big competitions abroad, but we do have a long calendar outside Portugal, I'd like to do the Ardennes circuit, it seems to be a race that suits me well because it's quite hilly, and it's at a time when I'm usually physically well, but we'll see as the season goes on what I can do."
What's your dream as a cyclist?
Original: Miguel Marques
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