For inGamba guide Rui Vinhas, winning the Volta a Portugal was more than a victory. It was the realization of a childhood dream—and while this August marked the tenth anniversary of that crowning moment, the memories remain as vivid as ever. HERE, OUR CREATIVE DIRECTOR JAMES STARTT SHARES SOME MOMENTS FROM THAT RACE AND RUI TODAY.
“Every cyclist dreams of winning the most important race in their country,” Vinhas says. “Winning the Volta a Portugal means a great deal to me because it was my dream.”
The 2016 edition was a brutal 10-day test covering more than 1,600 kilometers. Vinhas seized his opportunity on stage four, making the decisive breakaway and taking control of the race. He then defended his advantage through the remaining stages before finishing strongly in the final time trial to secure the biggest victory of his career.
It was, by his own admission, the defining achievement of his professional career. But he admits that he was quite surprised to actually win such a big race.
“Yeah, I didn’t expect to win. I was really strong that year, but I had spent my career mostly as a domestique, a support rider, so winning was not my goal.”
You know, Rui was always really strong, but often there was someone on the team just a bit stronger, and he was only too happy to help,” remembers his longtime friend Manuel Cardoso, inGamba’s lead guide, as well as a two-time Portuguese national champion. “But that year, when he got into the break on stage four, he finished with a big advantage, nearly four minutes. And at that point, I think his teammates were only too happy to help him finally win, because he had always given so much to them.”
Victory brought Vinhas greater recognition in Portugal, but it also became an important chapter in a career that would eventually lead him somewhere he had not necessarily expected: from professional racer to guide, mentor and ambassador for cycling.
And it quickly led him to inGamba, where he has been a guide since his retirement from racing in 2022. In many ways, it was simply a natural fit, as he and Cardoso had often trained together, and Vinhas knew many of the inGamba staff.
In fact, Rui was already part of the inGamba family while he was still racing professionally.
“I have known Rui forever, and I invited him on a couple of trips that were close to his home when he was still racing,” Cardoso remembers. “Just to show him what it was like with inGamba. And he really liked it, so it was a really natural move for him. It was a great step after his career, as it gave him a chance to still ride and also share his experience.”
Joining inGamba full-time in 2023, he immediately embraced the role.
“From that moment on, I felt it was one of the best things that could have happened to me after ending my racing career,” Vinhas says. “It gave me the opportunity to continue doing something that is part of my DNA: riding a bike.”
Since then, Vinhas—who graces the cover of this year’s inGamba magazine—has led countless inGamba trips, sharing the roads of Portugal and numerous other destinations with guests from around the world. His experience as a professional racer brings an obvious depth to those rides, but his role is about much more than simply knowing the fastest way up a climb. It is about sharing the culture, roads, landscapes and stories that make cycling in Portugal so special.
His commitment to the next generation is equally strong. Alongside his work with inGamba, Vinhas serves as president of the Paredes Reconco development team, helping young riders between the ages of six and 18 discover the sport and develop their own ambitions.
There has also been recognition for the contribution he makes to the inGamba community. Last year, Vinhas was named Guide of the Year, an honor presented by inGamba founder João Correia and lead guide Manuel Cardoso.
And like with his victory in the Tour of Portugal, Vinhas was surprised.
“When they announced my name, I was completely stunned,” he says. “Receiving this award was a huge source of motivation for me to continue growing in my role and always giving my very best.”
But for Cardoso, the award only seemed fitting.
“You know, for as long as I have known Rui, he is always there to help. That’s the way he was as a professional, and that is the way he is with inGamba. He is someone who derives huge satisfaction from helping others.”
Always ready to help. Always there for anybody. Simply put, that is Rui.
And a decade after the defining victory of his racing career, Vinhas’s relationship with cycling has simply taken a different shape. The race numbers may be gone, but the bike remains central to his life.
His journey with inGamba has brought new roads, new friendships and unforgettable memories shared with guests and the wider inGamba family.
Ten years on from the Volta a Portugal victory, Rui Vinhas is still doing what he has always done: riding forward, working hard and sharing his passion for the bike with others.
