End of an era: José Poeira leaves the national team after almost 25 years in charge.

José Poeira will step down as national road cycling coach, ending a three-decade association with the Portuguese Cycling Federation (FPC). The announcement was made by himself, through a statement sent to the Lusa news agency , in which he underlines his “pride” in the career he has built and the generations of cyclists he has accompanied.

At 66 years old, Poeira is preparing for retirement and ending a cycle that began in 1994 at the FPC (Portuguese Cycling Federation), first as a masseur, then as head of the junior team and, since 2001, as the elite national team coach.

“I helped boys become men and men become champions,” he emphasized, recalling that he always viewed the role as “a representation of the country, placing national interests above all else.”

In his farewell speech, the coach thanked the Portuguese Football Federation (FPC) and the Portuguese Olympic Committee for their trust. He had been present at seven editions of the Olympic Games, six as a national team coach and one as a masseur, in Atlanta 1996. 

José Poeira was associated with some of the greatest achievements of the national teams on the road: Rui Costa’s world title in 2013, the only one in Portuguese cycling, Sérgio Paulinho’s silver medal in Athens 2004, the victory in the Under-23 Nations Cup in 2008, António Morgado’s world runner-up titles in 2022 and 2023, and Nelson Oliveira’s world time trial runner-up title in 2009.

“The time has come to enjoy cycling as a fan and to spend quality time with my family, who have always suffered the most from my commitment to cycling,” Poeira concluded.