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 comb all three Grand Tours.
Landing 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 few current sickness that stored him away from the Tour de France, profitable Vuelta a Burgos final week, dealing with long-time former teammate Primož Roglič as a competitor, and staying constant along with his low-key character after the trials of main accolades from a yr in the past.
“I feel the shape is fairly good. I used to be a bit shocked to be good already in Burgos. But yeah, it is good when it really works out with out anticipating it. So for certain, it is a psychological enhance. But it is all the time totally different in a Grand Tour. Most importantly, I really feel fairly contemporary for this race,” Kuss informed a group of media retailers, together with Cyclingnews, in a digital interview session Thursday.
Last 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 Tours 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 Tours, 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 once 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. Of course, when you’ve got success in sports activities, then it all the time provides extra expectation or extra give attention to you. It’s good to have the popularity. I feel in some ways in which makes it more durable, however it’s all the time [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 previously with bouts of COVID, however this time it took him a great deal of time to get better.
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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 essentially consider it as a risk, which was, in fact, actually disappointing. But 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 means to scale mountains to win his first Grand Tour.
“In the Vuelta, it is a race that is all the time determined within the mountains, particularly this yr. There’s so many summit finishes that I feel it is positively 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 last 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 feel the Cuitu Negru appears actually onerous. Also 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 probably the most, responded, “I do not know”, as he counted on Kuss to handle 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 manage the race. And that is a unique method than, to illustrate, simply have the liberty to go and seek for a end result. Especially on this race, we can even should take management in some unspecified time in the future to create alternatives and searching ahead to that. [There are] so many climbing levels that it could be additionally boring to be the one chief,” Van Aert added about having Kuss to share the load.
New GC method
Last yr Kuss entered the Vuelta with no stress as Vingegaard and Roglič had the nodd as the primary favourites for the GC, each having gained the opposite two Grand Tours 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? Quite a bit.
It was a shock within the opening week when Kuss went into the race lead. However, the wrangling of management from confirmed captains Vingegaard and Roglič continued for the following two weeks.
“This yr with out principal 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 one of the best GC riders on this planet,” he stated about Vingegaard and Roglič. “It simply provides a unique focus to the race.”
Vingegaard targeted on the Tour this yr, ending second general to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) whereas Roglič leads the Vuelta cost for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.
“It is all the time unusual once you’re used to being with somebody within the workforce for thus lengthy, after which racing towards them,” Kuss stated about dealing with his former teammate. The two competed towards one another on the Critérium de Dauphiné within the spring, which Roglič gained. Previous to that, Kuss gained the mountain classification at Itzulia Basque Country, whereas Roglič was a part of the mass crash on stage 4 that took out many riders.
“It’s a great relationship, now we’re opponents. Any race he is in, he’s one of many principal favorites. So I’m certain everybody will likely be wanting in the direction of him.
“Last yr was a singular circumstance with having them [Vingagaard and Roglič] as the primary guys within the workforce. For certain, everyone 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 general. At the time saying the workforce would take it “sooner or later at a time”, it was simply two days later he slipped on the pink chief’s jersey for Visma.
In 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 following day with help from his teammates.
The trio completed on the rostrum eventually 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 the whole lot that comes with that. So wanting ahead to it,” Kuss stated.
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