Sepp Kuss is having an extraordinary season. After helping Primoz Roglic win the Giro d'Italia and then Jonas Vingegaard win the Tour de France, the American is leading the Vuelta a España.
It's not normal to see a cyclist race the three majors in the same year, let alone do it at his level. However, what Alejandro Valverde did in 2016 is above and beyond. The Jumbo-Visma rider himself recognized it: "I am comfortable racing all three Grand Tours. For me it hasn't been too demanding a schedule because I was able to recover and train again after each race. I was only in two appointments before the Giro. I've seen that Valverde in 2016 did almost 92 days of competition with the three Grand Tours, the World Championship... so it's a bit more difficult."
And if what Kuss is doing this year is being fabulous, Valverde's at 36 years of age had Homeric dyes. The American barely raced the UAE Tour and the Volta a Catalunya before facing the 3 grand tours and Valverde's was much more...
ALEJANDRO VALVERDE 2016.
He started the season racing the trophies of Mallorca and getting a second place in the Vuelta a Murcia. He then won the queen stage and the overall of the Vuelta a Andalucía. After being tenth in Strade Bianche and not having a great performance in Tirreno Adriatico, he finished 15th in Milan-San Remo, fourth in Amorebieta and then won 2 stages and the overall in Castilla y Leon and La Flèche Wallonne. Almost nothing...
Before the Giro d'Italia he finished 16th in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In the Giro he won a stage and finished third overall. Then, of course, he did take a break in his calendar. He returned to compete in the Spanish Championships, finishing third in the time trial and fourth in the road race before taking on the Tour de France, where he finished sixth after coming close to winning more than one stage;
He did not stop. He made the podium at the Clásica de San Sebastián and then raced without much luck at the Tokyo Games. After that, he took on the Vuelta a España, finishing 12th overall, second in one stage and third in three. As if that wasn't enough, he finished the season sixth in Il Lombardia;
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
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- wtf dudemij07-11-2026
- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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Tal día como hoy, en 2019, 🇪🇸Alejandro Valverde conseguía una magistral victoria en Mas de la Costa, luciendo el maillot de 🌈 campeón del mundo, ante el que se proclamaría posteriormente ganador de La Vuelta, 🇸🇮Primoz Roglič. #GraciasBala #LaVuelta23 🎥 #VueltaRTVE30A
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