Sepp Kuss has been dominated out of the 2024 Tour de France after Visma-Lease a Bike revealed that he had not recovered totally from a COVID-19 an infection that had compelled him to desert the Critérium du Dauphiné.
The reigning Vuelta a España champion was initially included in Visma’s choice for the Tour, introduced final week, when the workforce confirmed that Jonas Vingegaard would line out looking for a 3rd successive victory. Vingegaard will now must do with out Kuss, who’s changed by Bart Lemmen.
Visma-Lease a Bike introduced the information on Tuesday morning, 4 days earlier than the Grand Départ of the Tour in Florence.
“TDF line-up change. Sepp Kuss has not recovered sufficiently from COVID-19 and won’t begin within the Tour de France. Bart Lemmen is his substitute,” learn a social media put up from the workforce. “Get effectively quickly, Sepp!
Kuss’ substitute Lemmen will make his debut on the Tour de France on his first yr at Visma, after becoming a member of the Dutch tremendous workforce from Human Powered Health on the finish of 2023 and coming to biking late after a profession within the army.
Alongside the 28-year-old Dutchman might be Matteo Jorgenson, Wilco Kelderman, Wout van Aert, Christophe Laporte, Tiesj Benoot, Jan Tratnik and GC chief Vingegaard.
Kuss has arguably been Vingegaard’s most vital domestique up to now two Tours, extensively revered as among the finest tremendous domestiques within the peloton. He’s ridden the previous 4 Tours de France for Visma, aiding his GC chief to second, second, first and first respectively.
Kuss struggled on the Dauphiné and he was a non-starter on the ultimate day. Visma acknowledged on Tuesday that he had deserted the race with “gentle” COVID-19 signs. “After every week, he appeared to have recovered sufficient to trip the Tour de France, however in latest days that upward development stagnated,” the workforce mentioned.
Visma-Lease a Bike’s Tour plans have undergone a number of revisions forward of the race, with Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk each dominated out of the workforce after breaking bones on the Dauphiné. Van Aert was initially on account of skip the Tour this season, however he was drafted into the workforce after damage had dominated him out of the Giro d’Italia.
Vingegaard’s participation was in extreme doubt after he suffered a punctured lung and a damaged collarbone in a mass crash at Itzulia Basque Country in April, however he was lastly confirmed within the line-up final week. The absence of Kuss, nevertheless, is a blow to the workforce.
“This is after all very exhausting for Sepp within the first place,” sporting director Merijn Zeeman mentioned. “His contribution is at all times crucial within the workforce, however then after all he needs to be fully match. Unfortunately, we needed to conclude collectively as we speak that that is insufficiently the case, after Covid. He now must recuperate correctly and can due to this fact not begin. Fortunately, we now have a superb substitute prepared with Bart Lemmen.”