In mid-October, João Correia, one of the founders of Corso Sports Management, announced to the newspaper ‘O Jogo’ that Rui Costa would no longer be part of the Intermarché-Circus-Wanty team.
However, in the same interview, the agent who also represents cyclists like João Almeida and António Morgado confirmed that the cyclist from Póvoa do Varzim had already signed a contract with a World Tour team, EF Education-EasyPost.
It was a change that seemingly took many fans by surprise, as most expected a renewal with the Intermarché team. However, in an interview with the British channel GCN, João Correia and Jonathan Vaughters explain the details behind this unexpected transfer.
What we have is a notebook with specific riders. On the last page of the notebook, there is a list of all the athletes we have in the agency, and on that page, it shows when they are available. But with Rui, at the beginning of the year, the plan was to keep him at Intermarché. We started discussing his renewal in April,” Correia told GCN, also explaining a bit about his working method.
“To be honest, we only started talking to teams after the Tour de France. It was in August that we began talking to teams and telling them that Rui could be on the market,” Correia adds.
Age was a significant issue.
He’s 37, and teams don’t want cyclists that old. Selling cyclists of this age is a real challenge, so the cyclists have to be exceptional to change teams at this age.
Then, on October 7, after a discussion between Correia and Vaughters about another cyclist represented by Correia, Michael Valgren, an email arrived in Correia’s inbox. It was from Jonathan Vaughters. ‘Is Rui still available?’
“EF has always been our top priority. In fact, I’ve been talking to Jonathan Vaughters about Rui for about three years, since around 2021,” says Correia. However, Vaughters still needed to work 24/7 to ensure the deal was right for him, his team, and, of course, the potential acquisition.
Neilson Powless played a crucial role in finalizing the contract.
“One of the first things I did was call Neilson Powless to get his opinion. Neilson’s response was basically, ‘I hate racing against him because he’s very experienced, but man, he knows what he’s doing. I like him, but I hate racing against him.’ In fact, it was a very positive reaction from Neilson,” reveals Jonathan Vaughters.
Rui Costa possibly in the Tour of Flanders 2024
After finalizing the deal, Vaughters called Andreas Klier, the sports director, to inquire about the possibility of Rui Costa participating in the Tour of Flanders.
“Rui said that running the Tour of Flanders was a dream for him one day. So, we have a glimmer of hope in the Classics for next year. Having a guy who could do Flanders adds some extra horsepower,” Vaughters adds.
The older cyclists usually don’t experience a steady decline. What you see is that something happens, an illness or injury, and they lose momentum. And then, the next year, it’s all over. But not with Rui. He completed two Grand Tours, won a stage in one of them, and had a very solid season in terms of health. He has the foundation for one or two more good years. So, from there, we decided to give it a try.
When we finally decided to pull the trigger, there were ten days left before the transfer would be announced. The deal was made on October 10, and the contract was signed two days later. I’ve never had a cyclist sign so quickly. It’s crazy that the deal worked out,” concludes Rui Costa’s new boss.