Sports
Rosecler Costa Looks Back on Her Triathlon and Cycling Roots
From swimming to treat bronchitis to medaling at the Jogos Abertos, the triathlete reflects on her training routine and roots in Santos.
Rosecler Costa looks back on the origins of her sports career in Santos, from her childhood swim sessions to competing among the cycling and triathlon elite. She shares how strict discipline forged her competitive mindset.
Rosecler Costa's journey in sports started far from any professional ambitions. At age 7, she was enrolled in swimming lessons on a doctor's recommendation to treat bronchitis. Without formal club training and admitting she disliked the pool as a child, swimming served merely as her initial introduction to physical activity before she found her true calling on the road.
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The Santos Triathlon Boom and Her Debut on the Road
During Rosecler's teenage years, triathlon experienced major growth in Brazil, with the coastal city of Santos serving as the sport's epicenter. Living in the Gonzaga neighborhood, she followed the events closely and took her first steps behind the scenes, working as event staff at the traditional Troféu Brasil. Drawn to the atmosphere of the races, she began competing in biathlons (swimming and running). Still struggling in the water and often exiting among the last, she relied on a strong running pace to make up ground.
Cycling Breakthrough and the Transition to the Elite Ranks
The turning point came when Rosecler's mother gave her a bicycle and she made her debut at the Triathlon Internacional de Santos. Cycling quickly emerged as the strongest leg of her performance, opening doors to the Santos municipal cycling team. Representing her home city, she captured a silver medal at the 2000 Jogos Abertos do Interior, held in the Baixada Santista region.
Her standout performance on two wheels earned her an invitation to join the Unimonte college triathlon team. At the time, women's professional start lines featured dense pelotons, with 20 to 30 athletes contesting each stage of the Troféu Brasil and the International race. Rosecler began lining up alongside athletes who represented Brazil in Olympic and World Championship competitions, developing a focused, competitive edge.
Time Management and Athletic Mindset
Even while balancing motherhood with a sparse national racing calendar—which often required traveling to locations such as Caiobá and Rio de Janeiro—Rosecler maintained Spartan discipline. Raising young children, her training sessions were timed down to the minute: executing workouts strictly within the available window, leaving no room for distraction before or after.
This approach led Rosecler to define herself as a dedicated athlete who leaned on her cycling power as a tactical advantage in every race. For the triathlete, swimming always served as a warm-up and an initial challenge to overcome so that, as soon as she hit the pavement and mounted her bike, she could establish her signature pace.
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