Agostinho was the greatest Portuguese cyclist of all time. Although had the physique of a sprinter, he could not sprint, but instead excelled at climbing. He turned pro quite late, aged 26.
He was Portuguese National Champion 6 consecutive times, and rode the Tour de France 13 times, finishing on 12 occasions - 8 of those in the top 10. Agostinho notched up 5 Tour de France stage victories. His best performances in the Tour were during his time at Flandria, where he finished third in 1978 and 1979, also winning the stage to Alpe d’Huez in 1979 at the age of 37.
Agostinho abandoned the 1981 Tour de France and retired from professional cycling, only to return 3 years later. While leading the 1984 Tour of the Algarve, 200m before the finish line a dog strayed on to the circuit. Agostinho could not avoid it and crashed, falling heavily. He was dazed and seemed otherwise unhurt, but later an x-ray revealed that he had fractured his skull. He was kept in hospital, where a few days later he fell into a coma and died.
Major placings whilst riding for Flandria:
1978 Flandria - Velda - Lano
3rd Tour de France
1979 Flandria - Ca Va Seul - Sunair
3rd Overall Tour de France
1st Stage 17 (Alpe d’Huez) - Tour de France
