2023 was a banner yr for Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike). In truth, the US rider did extra in a single yr than many riders do in a profession. He went from climbing domestique to Vuelta a España champion and within the course of added his identify to a number of data, in addition to serving to his workforce turn into the first-ever group to brush all three Grand Excursions.
Touchdown in Lisbon, Portugal this week to start his defence of the Vuelta, Kuss took half in a Visma-Lease a Bike digital press convention to speak a couple of current sickness that saved him away from the Tour de France, successful Vuelta a Burgos final week, going through long-time former teammate Primož Roglič as a competitor, and staying constant along with his low-key character after the pains of main accolades from a yr in the past.
“I believe the shape is fairly good. I used to be a bit stunned to be good already in Burgos. However yeah, it is good when it really works out with out anticipating it. So for certain, it is a psychological enhance. Nevertheless it’s at all times totally different in a Grand Tour. Most significantly, I really feel fairly recent for this race,” Kuss informed a set of media shops, together with Cyclingnews, in a digital interview session Thursday.
Final yr Kuss went below many radars going into his sixth Vuelta, however he got here away along with his first Grand Tour victory. It was the primary victory for a US rider in a decade on the Vuelta since Chris Horner gained in 2013. It was additionally the primary time in 65 years since a rider from any nation has raced all three Grand Excursions and gained gained of them, and he did it with an exclamation level with a victory in Madrid.
Then there was the workforce sweep of all three Grand Excursions, one other first-time achievement sealed on the Vuelta after Vingegaard gained a second Tour de France and Roglič gained the Giro d’Italia.
“It was actually particular, particularly after I zoom out a bit and see what it means for US riders. I do not suppose it modified me an excessive amount of as an individual. After all, when you’ve success in sports activities, then it at all times offers extra expectation or extra deal with you. It is good to have the popularity. I believe in some ways in which makes it tougher, nevertheless it’s at all times [about] discovering a steadiness.”
He stated he was again in steadiness for the five-day Vuelta a Burgos after lacking the Tour, the place he was to help Vingegaard. The workforce took him off the Tour de France roster when he had lingering points with a coronavirus an infection. He stated he had no points up to now with bouts of COVID, however this time it took him a great deal of time to get well.
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“I used to be extremely fatigued for a lot of weeks. It took awhile for the lungs to really feel good or regular once more. I could not even have imagined simply making an attempt to begin the Tour. I used to be not in a state to actually consider it as a risk, which was, after all, actually disappointing. However fortunately all of the issues went away, and now I really feel regular.”
Kuss was born within the mountains of Colorado and climbing grew to become a part of his DNA. So it was no shock that he used his potential to scale mountains to win his first Grand Tour.
“Within the Vuelta, it is a race that is at all times determined within the mountains, particularly this yr. There’s so many summit finishes that I believe it is undoubtedly extra weighted to these. With the TT on the final stage, it nonetheless could be shut,” Kuss stated about his evaluation of the 2024 route, which has 9 levels with mountaintop end traces.
He famous two climbs that peaked his curiosity got here within the ultimate week, stage 15 to Cuitu Negru, with gradients of 24% throughout 19 kilometres to the end line, and stage 20 to Picón Blanco, the ultimate climbing day earlier than the time trial.
“I believe the Cuitu Negru appears actually exhausting. Additionally the Picón Blanco is a tough climb. It’s actually uncovered and actually steep,” he famous.
Wout van Aert was seated subsequent to his teammate and when requested which climb he feared essentially the most, responded, “I don’t know”, as he counted on Kuss to deal with these levels whereas he might search for different alternatives at his first Vuelta.
“It’s good for my confidence to have teammates round me to regulate the race. And that is a unique strategy than, as an instance, simply have the liberty to go and seek for a consequence. Particularly on this race, we can even must take management in some unspecified time in the future to create alternatives and looking out ahead to that. [There are] so many climbing levels that it will be additionally boring to be the one chief,” Van Aert added about having Kuss to share the load.
New GC strategy
Final yr Kuss entered the Vuelta with no stress as Vingegaard and Roglič had the nodd as the principle favourites for the GC, each having gained the opposite two Grand Excursions on the calendar. The younger climber for the US had supported Roglič in his trio of GC titles in Spain from 2019 to 2021, so what might change? Loads.
It was a shock within the opening week when Kuss went into the race lead. Nevertheless, the wrangling of management from confirmed captains Vingegaard and Roglič continued for the subsequent two weeks.
“This yr with out essential GC riders like them, it is totally different for me. I would not say there’s extra stress, however yeah, there isn’t any one else to assist or fall again on like two of the perfect GC riders on the earth,” he stated about Vingegaard and Roglič. “It simply offers a unique focus to the race.”
Vingegaard targeted on the Tour this yr, ending second total to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Workforce Emirates) whereas Roglič leads the Vuelta cost for Crimson Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.
“It’s at all times unusual once you’re used to being with somebody within the workforce for therefore lengthy, after which racing in opposition to them,” Kuss stated about going through his former teammate. The 2 competed in opposition to one another on the Critérium de Dauphiné within the spring, which Roglič gained. Earlier to that, Kuss gained the mountain classification at Itzulia Basque Nation, whereas Roglič was a part of the mass crash on stage 4 that took out many riders.
“It is a good relationship, now we’re opponents. Any race he is in, he’s one of many essential favorites. So I am certain everybody shall be wanting in direction of him.
“Final yr was a novel circumstance with having them [Vingagaard and Roglič] as the principle guys within the workforce. For certain, all people at first of the race was them, and I used to be capable of slip right into a breakaway, that was very decisive,” he stated about stage 6.
The Durango native obtained right into a mighty breakaway on stage 6 and went on to win on the Javalambre Astronomy Observatory, vaulting him 10 spots within the GC to second total. On the time saying the workforce would take it “in the future at a time”, it was simply two days later he slipped on the crimson chief’s jersey for Visma.
Within the ultimate days of the Vuelta a yr in the past, Vingegaard and Roglič rode away from Kuss on the Altu de l’Angliru and Kuss made an additional effort to complete third on the stage and maintain onto the race lead by a slim 8 seconds. Debate swirled in regards to the workforce’s hierarchy and diplomacy, however Kuss was again within the driver’s seat the subsequent day with help from his teammates.
The trio completed on the rostrum ultimately yr’s Vuelta – winner Kuss alongside Vingegaard in second and Roglič in third.
“I simply need to race my finest to honour being the defending champion and every little thing that comes with that. So wanting ahead to it,” Kuss stated.
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