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Three months after he stormed to his first profession Grand Tour win atop an all Jumbo-Visma podium on the Vuelta a España, Sepp Kuss has mirrored on the expertise – and the “bizarre dynamic” of “hoping that one other staff brings again your teammate” – in an look on the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast.
Kuss, whose Vuelta victory was the primary Grand Tour win for an American since Chris Horner’s a decade in the past, completed the race forward of Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič, however solely after a dramatic run of levels within the mountains during which it wasn’t clear whether or not his Jumbo teammates would overhaul him for the purple jersey.
On the podcast, Thomas and his podcast co-host Tom Fordyce first requested Kuss about his Giro d’Italia and Tour de France experiences earlier than turning to the Vuelta, the place Kuss took time in an early breakaway and was within the purple jersey after eight levels of racing. With two Grand Tour-winning teammates behind him within the general standings, Kuss was in uncharted territory.
“Initially, I didn’t really feel proper saying, ‘I need this, this, this,’ as a result of I additionally realized that I used to be in that place on account of our staff techniques, which is truthful,” he stated. “I wasn’t going to place the winner of the Giro and the winner of the Tour of their place, not even realizing whether or not I used to be going to have the legs to do it in the long run. I all the time had the arrogance in myself however I didn’t need to lay down the regulation like that.”
Kuss continued to steer the race by way of the second week and into the third. Then, on stage 16, Vingegaard put in an assault on the second-category climb to Bejes.
“He requested within the radio, ‘Can I assault?’ and I stated, ‘Certain, somebody has to chase so it’s not dangerous,’” Kuss stated of that day. However what was good for the staff virtually backfired on Kuss himself. “Then when it was a complete standstill and UAE had all these guys and no one was pulling. I used to be like, ‘Oh shit. OK, properly, I need Jonas to win however I hope any person truly pulls behind, in any other case what will we do? I’m not going to chase him again.’”
Kuss discovered himself within the uncomfortable place of standing by because the reigning Tour champion edged nearer and nearer to his lead. “That was a bizarre dynamic too, simply hoping that one other staff brings again your teammate,” he stated with fun. “I say that in a great way, I wished him to win that stage, there’s nothing mistaken with that, however that was a bizarre standstill.”
Vingegaard went on to win the stage and transfer a lot nearer to Kuss within the general standings, organising much more drama the subsequent day on the long-lasting Alto de l’Angliru, the place Vingegaard and Roglič each dropped Kuss, their teammate in purple.
“Earlier than that second, I felt so good. I assumed, ‘I might win this stage, this stage is the one which I wished to win this complete Vuelta and I really feel tremendous good,’” Kuss stated of being left behind on the Angliru. “Then with 1 ok to go, they have been going sooner and sooner and I’m on the restrict. Once I realized I used to be getting dropped, I used to be like, ‘OK properly, that’s the top of the highway for me. That is what we agreed to and I didn’t image it taking place like this, however I suppose that is what it’s going to be.’”
Because it seems, that was not the top of the highway for Kuss, who restricted his losses sufficient to maintain purple. He defined that following the chaos on the Angliru, Jumbo riders and administration then met to resolve how you can proceed, with “everyone” at that time “OK” with backing him because the chief.
Trying again with the good thing about hindsight – and the information that he had received the race in the long run – Kuss was in a position to focus on the drama in a lighthearted temper, laughing at varied factors as he relayed the story of his victory and the bizarre circumstances alongside the best way. Nonetheless, he additionally fielded a tough query concerning the notion some viewers might need about whether or not he solely received due to his teammates’ choices.
“That dialogue can be legitimate, however not less than after I take into consideration that, what about all of the instances that I towed them round, or the yr that I saved Primož on the Angliru?” Kuss posited. “If biking is that this factor the place it’s like a caste system, the place you’re a domestique and you might be that it doesn’t matter what, then that’s a method to have a look at it, however then you definately say in flip, whoever has the chief’s jersey is the chief it doesn’t matter what.”
Contemplating that Kuss was nonetheless taking part in the loyal teammate function even when within the race lead on the Vuelta as he watched Vingegaard go up the highway, it’s inconceivable to say for sure how issues would have performed out if Kuss had reacted in another way to that transfer. That stated, he asserted that he was, in actual fact, adequate to win the race in the long run.
“No matter method you spin it it’s a must to play throughout the realms of the staff and who’s strongest too, which, I do assume I used to be the strongest in that scenario,” Kuss stated. Nevertheless his win was perceived, the drama definitely struck a chord throughout biking fandom, and Kuss stated it was “transferring” to expertise the assist of the numerous viewers pulling for him to take the win.
Following the dialogue of his busy 2023 marketing campaign, Kuss regarded ahead to 2024 and weighing in on what his subsequent season would possibly entail.
“I feel for me it will be finest to simply do the Tour, I actually just like the route, and naturally return to the Vuelta and be the defending champion and soak in that have,” he stated. “That will be fairly cool.”
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