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Sepp Kuss, general chief of La Vuelta biking race in Spain, has discovered his most persistent challengers to be his personal teammates. He is seen right here after Friday’s stage.
Oscar Del Pozo/AFP through Getty Photos
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Oscar Del Pozo/AFP through Getty Photos
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Sepp Kuss, general chief of La Vuelta biking race in Spain, has discovered his most persistent challengers to be his personal teammates. He is seen right here after Friday’s stage.
Oscar Del Pozo/AFP through Getty Photos
Sepp Kuss is the group favourite to win La Vuelta a España, certainly one of biking’s crown jewels. However in a dramatic twist, the largest risk to Kuss has come from inside his personal group — together with a much-criticized assault on Kuss’ birthday that minimize into his lead.
The result’s a global sports activities controversy with all of the trimmings, one which will get to the center of how elite highway biking defines itself in its most high-profile group occasions.
La Vuelta ends on Sunday. Here is a fast information to what’s been occurring in Spain:
Kuss is on biking’s most dominant group
Kuss’ teammates on the Jumbo-Visma squad embody two of the highest cyclists in latest reminiscence: two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard and three-time Vuelta champion Primož Roglič (who additionally received this yr’s Giro d’Italia).
Kuss, who’s from Durango, Colo., has faithfully served each Vingegaard and Roglič in key moments, pacing them on brutal climbs, shielding them from the wind and chasing down their rivals. By being a loyal domestique, or help rider, he has repeatedly helped them climb to the highest of the rostrum.
The trio are at present ranked 1-2-3 in La Vuelta, practically three minutes forward of their closest rival. On its face, that is a bit boring. However in an interesting twist, it is Kuss who has been carrying La Roja — the Spanish equal of the French yellow jersey — since changing into the race’s chief on Sept. 2.
There’s only one snag: Kuss will not be the chief of Jumbo-Visma.
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Sepp Kuss has gotten assist from his completed teammates, together with Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard (left). The 2 are seen right here after stage 13 of the 2023 La Vuelta, the biking grand tour race of Spain.
Ander Gillenea/AFP through Getty Photos
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Ander Gillenea/AFP through Getty Photos
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Sepp Kuss has gotten assist from his completed teammates, together with Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard (left). The 2 are seen right here after stage 13 of the 2023 La Vuelta, the biking grand tour race of Spain.
Ander Gillenea/AFP through Getty Photos
With the group in management in La Vuelta’s remaining week, Jumbo-Visma has been beneath intense public scrutiny: Would the squad and its elite opponents enable Kuss to maintain the famed purple jersey all the best way to Madrid?
On one facet are those that say Kuss, a popular “tremendous domestique” who has been integral to the world-beating successes of Crew Jumbo-Visma, has earned the proper to vie for a Grand Tour victory of his personal.
On the opposite facet are those that say that the entire level of stage races corresponding to La Vuelta and the Tour de France is to type out the highest cyclists, after 1000’s of miles and daunting climbs.
The birthday shock, and an epic backlash
It was all smiles at the beginning of Wednesday’s stage, when Kuss was offered with a cake and serenaded with “Cumpleaños Feliz” in honor of his twenty ninth birthday. However by the tip of the day, biking followers have been hotly accusing Kuss’ teammates of betrayal.
❤️ Ha sufrido en el Angliru al ritmo de sus compañeros, pero logra salvar el liderato. ¡Disfruta del minuto de La Roja!
❤️ He suffered on the Angliru on the tempo of his teammates, however managed to avoid wasting the lead. Get pleasure from La Roja’s minute!
#LaVuelta23 @CarrefourES… pic.twitter.com/g38rZJJJoa— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) September 13, 2023
Roglič attacked late within the race, sprinting forward of a handful of riders up the storied heights of the Alto de l’Angliru within the Asturias mountains, the place the highway soars up inclines of 20% in some spots. Solely Vingegaard and Kuss have been in a position to reunite with Roglič — and in a surprising second, when Kuss faltered, his teammates merely dropped him, pedaling away into the mist.
The pair sliced 19 seconds off of Kuss’ benefit, leaving Vingegaard simply 8 seconds behind. They have been additionally condemned for basically attacking their teammate whereas he was carrying the race chief’s jersey.
“It was a a lot nicer consequence than final time,” Roglič mentioned, referring to 2020, when he misplaced the purple jersey on the Angliru. However as many fans quickly noted, that yr’s punishing stage was one through which Kuss stayed along with his teammate and helped him restrict the harm.
Suspicions of an intra-team battle had risen at some point earlier, when Vingegaard mounted an assault on the ultimate climb that put him simply 29 seconds behind Kuss and introduced the Dane his second stage win.
“I do not know if I am going to take the general lead tomorrow,” Vingegaard said at the time, reassuring nobody.
When “tomorrow” got here, there was Vingegaard, following Roglič’s wheel to take extra trip of Kuss. In comparison with his actions, his feedback afterward have been onerous to parse.
“To be sincere, I truly hope that [Kuss] will maintain the jersey,” he mentioned. “I might like to see Sepp successful this Vuelta a Espana.” On Instagram and elsewhere, the Dane devoted his win to an injured teammate. However biking followers have been incensed, criticizing Vingegaard and Roglič for dropping a teammate who was carrying the chief’s jersey.
A public debate explodes
In a three-week stage race, it isn’t uncommon for a race chief to have an off day. However for a lot of biking followers, it was beautiful to see Kuss’ teammates abandon him, after the three had left all the opposite riders behind — each on the day’s stage and within the general standings.
Veteran cyclists additionally famous the rarity of the second.
“There should not be any presents in a grand tour win,” former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas said. However he added that in his view, Kuss has confirmed he is adequate to earn the win in Spain.
“So yeah, I really feel for Kuss. I really feel like he deserves a bit extra respect,” veteran rider Geraint Thomas mentioned. “Not essentially from the riders, both. I believe extra from the group. I believe the group ought to be stronger with that.”
Thomas later added, “Clearly, I might like to see Sepp win. And I believe a lot of the peloton would, as effectively.”
The uproar quieted on Thursday, when Roglič and Vingegaard shepherded Kuss by means of one of many remaining levels standing between him and the title. They even led him out to the end, letting Kuss dash forward to defuse any challenges.
Position reversal at Crew Jumbo-Visma 🔁🔴
Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard led out their teammate and dependable super-domestique Sepp Kuss on the ultimate climb of Stage 18 at La Vuelta, defending his lead on common classification 👏
📸 Cor Vos
________________
🇪🇸 #LaVuelta23 pic.twitter.com/e7aRkHbsm1— Velon CC (@VelonCC) September 14, 2023
“It is an honor to have two such champions working for you,” Kuss said afterward, noting his teammates’ latest wins. He additionally praised the native followers: “It is in all probability one of the best a part of being knowledgeable bicycle owner. You’re feeling the eagerness and the emotion when individuals cheer you on from the sidelines. It touches me each time.”
Kuss additionally mentioned his group has a plan — and Vingegaard affirmed the intention to defend Kuss’ lead.
“We’re in a superb place, however we aren’t there but,” he mentioned. “Saturday’s stage is treacherous. It is improbable to have the ability to do one thing for Sepp on this method. I’ll all the time keep in mind what he has carried out for me. So, I wished to provide one thing again. Hopefully, we will carry his purple jersey to the end line.”
The crowds in Spain chant: “Kuss! Kuss!”
Sepp Kuss had already endeared himself to biking followers for taking up the game’s most painful assignments with out criticism, grinding his group’s rivals down as he dragged his leaders up the edges of mountains and actually carried their water.
More and more, that affection has blossomed into full-bore love, as evidenced by the group of followers who cheerfully mobbed Kuss as he left — or attempted to leave — his resort Friday morning.
For indicators of what makes this American so interesting, watch his actions. Here is Kuss answering reporters’ questions in Spanish; there’s Kuss leaping out of the entrance seat of a group automobile, providing it to Roglič (who declined). Here is Kuss apologizing for sprinting for third place, saying he wanted the bonus seconds to retain La Roja.
And there is Kuss chugging champagne, or admitting this week that he was surprised to learn he was nonetheless main the race — and with a smile on his face, refusing to assault his teammates.
His humility and modesty, paired along with his apparent skills, have made him an eminently likable American in Europe — a lot in order that Europeans turned on their very own this week, to cheer for the “Durango Kid” to win all of it.
Even earlier than this week’s excessive drama, followers of Kuss mounted a “GC Kuss” marketing campaign, saying he ought to journey for “common classification,” searching for the general win in multistage races, quite than sacrificing himself for others. For one race, at the very least, that want is being fulfilled.
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