Regardless of going from tremendous domestique to Grand Tour winner final summer season on the Vuelta España within the largest win of his profession, Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) remains to be holding agency that Tour de France management is a special beast.
Kuss agreed with what Visma DS Grischa Niermann advised Cyclingnews yesterday, that the hope is to stick to plan A and have Jonas Vingegaard return from harm in time for the Tour to guide the Dutch squad.
The American believes for Visma-Lease a Bike to win their third Tour de France in succession, it’s “more than likely” solely doable with Vingegaard on the beginning line.
Two-time defending champion Vingegaard is at the moment at altitude camp in Tignes on his lengthy journey again from harm whereas Kuss takes co-leads Visma on the Critérium du Dauphiné alongside US compatriot Matteo Jorgenson.
“After all, it will change a bit [his Tour status]. I might hope that Jonas may do the Tour, I feel that provides us all a much bigger objective,” Kuss advised reporters in Gannat forward of stage 2 in France.
“For me, it is simpler there with Jonas than simply by myself for positive. But when he is not there, then I am able to adapt however then it’s important to alter the expectations a bit.”
There is no stress for the second from the American, nonetheless, even with out his chief and final yr’s winner Vingegaard on the Dauphiné and the Tour simply 26 days away.
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The truth is, he solely exuded calmness on the opening two phases of the eight-day race, virtually lacking the départ fictif on stage 1 to reply to the media and seeking to get pleasure from his first race again since Itzulia Basque Nation in April the place Vingegaard broke his collarbone and ribs and suffered a collapsed lung.
Kuss additionally made positive to not pigeonhole himself for a particular purpose on the Tour de France ought to he find yourself as a frontrunner, be {that a} top-five or podium end, conscious that Vingegaard’s nonetheless undecided presence would change the whole lot.
“I don’t know,” he replied with a smile when requested how excessive he may end if tasked with taking up the likes of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Staff Emirates) for the general alone.
“It relies on so many issues. I at all times need to shoot for one of the best however within the Tour, it’s important to be sensible,” Kuss mentioned. “It is the toughest race to win and the toughest race to be on the rostrum.”
Nevertheless, whereas Kuss was unwilling to foretell how his present type would carry to the Florence Grand Depart on June 29, he assured that he would seize the second ought to it come up on the Tour.
“I simply should see within the second how I really feel and I feel I do know myself nicely sufficient – when I’ve the legs or not, and it is nonetheless a methods away till the Tour to see really the way it’s going there,” mentioned the 29-year outdated Durango native.
“If I see the chance there I am going to go for it.”
Kuss completed within the group of leaders on stage 2 of the Dauphiné and sits equal sixth whereas Jorgenson moved as much as third general because the pair problem for general victory.
Nevertheless, regardless of his excellence on the climbs, Kuss is conscious that the 34km time trial on stage 4 is not suited to his strengths, admitting that “I will lose fairly a while more than likely.”
And though the American defended his Vuelta lead within the TT final yr en path to securing the US’s first Grand Tour victory for a decade, this drawback will solely be magnified on the Tour.
He’ll be suited to a lot of the 2024 parcours however the 59 kilometres between the flat-ish race towards the clock on stage 7 and the ultimate time trial from Monaco to Good will solely play into the palms of Pogačar, Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Fast-Step).
Kuss’ finest outcome on the Tour is twelfth general from final yr’s race, the place solely a crash on stage 20 denied him a top-10 end.
In that race, Vingegaard’s domination on the brutally robust and boiling scorching Cote de Domancy ITT locations him as the one viable Visma choice towards a top-form Pogačar after the Slovenian blitzed the GC discipline within the Giro d’Italia’s duo of time trials final month.
To not point out his repeated domination over Pogačar on the toughest, longest climbs to excessive altitude up to now two editions of La Grande Boucle
‘GC Kuss’ may but grow to be the principle choice, however the focus at Visma is definitely nonetheless on their outright chief Vingegaard returning near 100% and attempting to say a Tour de France hat-trick whereas denying Pogačar a historic Giro-Tour double within the course of.
