By Julien Pretot FLORENCE, Italy, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Joaquim Rodriguez lost out to Portugal's Rui Costa in the world championships road race on Sunday but the Spaniard could be forgiven for also thinking he was beaten by compatriot Alejandro Valverde. Valverde, who finished the 272.3-km race in third place, failed to cover Costa's decisive attack 1.5-km from the finish before the Portuguese caught Rodriguez and outsprinted him to the line. Had he followed on Costa's wheel, Valverde could have "sandbagged" his rival - sat behind him and toyed with his nerves. ... More...