As he launched his attack for the line in the final 100 metres, Rui Costa must have thought he was on his way to a first victory in the rainbow jersey of world champion.

But the Portuguese ace was forced to settle for second for the fourth time this season as the ‘curse of the rainbow jersey’ struck again. It was notable that, over at Tirreno-Adriatico, Costa’s predecessor in the jersey, Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing), narrowly missed out on a stage win of his own – a reminder of his toils last season.

Costa vowed he wouldn’t be hit by the same problems – and almost proved that immediately last year as he helped Benat Intzausti to victory at the Tour of Beijing, following an attack he had instigated in his last race as a Movistar rider.

But while Costa, who lies third overall at Paris-Nice after today’s stage, is still win-less in the rainbow jersey, it’s still early in the season and the 27-year-old will remain confident of shaking the monkey from his back. In any other situation, his second-place would have been widely applauded as team-mate Przemyslaw Niemiec worked to split the bunch with a strong ride at the front, before Costa came forward to attack for the stage. Will he get his first win as world champion soon? Don’t bet against it.