This time last year, Sepp Kuss was on top of the world. The
American rider had just achieved the pinnacle of his cycling career by winning
the 2023 Vuelta a Espana. It was a historic moment, not only for Kuss but also
for his team, Jumbo-Visma. With Kuss's victory, the Dutch squad completed a
clean sweep of the Grand Tours in 2023.
Kuss played a pivotal role throughout the season, first by
helping Primoz Roglic secure victory at the Giro d’Italia, then by aiding Jonas
Vingegaard in his successful defence of the Tour de France title, before
finally getting his chance as a GC (General Classification) leader and
triumphing in Spain. It was a dream season for both Kuss and Jumbo-Visma,
marking the American as one of the sport’s brightest stars.
However, the 2024 season has been a different story
altogether for both Kuss and his team. As the defending champion of La Vuelta,
expectations were high for Kuss, but what unfolded over the three weeks in
Spain was a far cry from the success he enjoyed the previous year. Kuss's
struggles in this year's Vuelta mirrored Jumbo-Visma’s disappointing season, as
both the rider and the team failed to live up to the lofty standards they had
set in 2023.
A Season of Setbacks
Kuss’s season began with optimism, but it quickly became
clear it would not go as smoothly as in 2023. Kuss was once again expected to
play a key support role for Vingegaard at the Tour de France, but the American’s
plans were derailed when he tested positive for COVID-19 after the Criterium du
Dauphine in June. This untimely diagnosis ruled him out of the Tour de France,
a significant blow to both Kuss and Visma. Without Kuss, Vingegaard faced the
daunting challenge of battling Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates in the high
mountains without his trusted lieutenant. The absence of Kuss was felt acutely
during the Tour's most demanding stages, where Vingegaard often found himself
isolated, struggling to match the relentless pace set by Pogacar and his team.
The loss of Kuss at the Tour was a double-edged sword. Not
only did it weaken Visma’s chances in France, but it also cast doubt over
Kuss’s form heading into La Vuelta. After recovering from COVID-19, Kuss
returned to racing at the Volta a Burgos, the traditional warm-up race for the
Vuelta. His victory there offered some hope that he might recapture the magic of
2023. However, as the Vuelta progressed, it became clear that Kuss was not at
his best.
A Vuelta to Forget
From the outset of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana, Kuss struggled
to find his rhythm. Unlike the previous year, where he had been a consistent
force in the mountains, Kuss was dropped on most of the major climbs during the
first two weeks of the race. His performances were uncharacteristically lacklustre,
and he found himself slipping further and further down the GC standings. By the
time the race reached its final week, Kuss was already well out of contention,
sitting more than 20 minutes behind the race leader, Primoz Roglic of Red Bull
Bora-Hansgrohe, who would go on to win his fourth Vuelta title.
Kuss’s eventual 14th-place finish was a stark contrast to
his dominant display in 2023. While he showed glimpses of his old self—most
notably with an impressive pull on the flat to set up Wout van Aert’s victory
on stage 7—it was clear that Kuss was not in the same form as he had been the
previous year. The American climber, known for his ability to thrive in the
high mountains, seemed to lack the sharpness and endurance that had defined his
2023 campaign.
The disappointment was not lost on Visma, with the team’s
sports director, Grischa Niermann, admitting that Kuss had not been at the
level they had hoped for at this year’s Vuelta. Niermann’s candid assessment
underscored the sense of frustration within the team, particularly as Roglic—who
had left Jumbo-Visma at the end of 2023—claimed the red jersey that Kuss had
worn so proudly a year earlier.
The irony was palpable: one of the reasons for Roglic’s
departure from Jumbo-Visma was the team orders that had prevented him from
attacking Kuss during the 2023 Vuelta, yet here he was, winning the race as
Kuss and his former team struggled.
The Mental Toll of Leadership
Kuss’s struggles in 2024 may also be attributed to the
mental and emotional toll of being a team leader at a Grand Tour. Earlier this
year, Kuss admitted in an interview that he did not want to experience the
pressure of being a team leader at a Grand Tour again. This perhaps indicates
that the stress and team politics that come with the role had taken a toll on
him, and he preferred his previous role as a super-domestique, where he could
ride without the weight of expectations on his shoulders. This admission
highlighted the psychological challenges that come with leading a team in a
Grand Tour, challenges that Kuss were introduced to in 2023.
Unfortunately, Kuss struggled to match the performances of
the previous year. Whether it was the lingering effects of COVID-19, the mental
fatigue from last year’s gruelling season, or a combination of factors, Kuss
was not able to deliver the same level of performance that had made him a Grand
Tour champion. It must also be said that Visma’s team this year was considerably
weaker than it was at last year’s Vuelta, where Kuss was on paper the third ‘strongest’
rider behind Vingegaard and Roglic, both of whom played some role in supporting
his red jersey victory.
What’s Next for Sepp Kuss?
As the 2024 season draws to a close, Kuss will undoubtedly
be reflecting on what has been a challenging season. The American remains one
of the best climbers in the peloton, and he still has plenty of time to add to
his impressive palmarès. However, the setbacks of this season will serve as a
reminder of the challenges that come with the highs of professional cycling.
The expectations placed on a Grand Tour champion are immense, and the pressure
to perform at that level consistently can be overwhelming.
Looking ahead to 2025, Kuss will likely focus on rebuilding
his confidence and form. A return to his role as a super-domestique could be on
the cards, where he can once again be the reliable and formidable climbing
support for Visma’s GC hopes. However, it would be unwise to count Kuss out as
a potential leader in the future. If he can regain the form that made him the
2023 Vuelta champion, there’s no reason why Kuss couldn’t contend for another
Grand Tour title.
For now, though, Kuss and Visma will need to regroup and
learn from the lessons of this season. The disappointment of the 2024 Vuelta a
Espana will undoubtedly sting, but it will also serve as motivation for the
challenges that lie ahead. Kuss’s journey in professional cycling has been
anything but linear, and while this year may have been a setback, it’s unlikely
to be the end of his story. With the right preparation and a bit of luck, Sepp
Kuss could very well find himself back on top in the near future.
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@markfour +5. The “They’re doping” crowd love the taste of sour milk because it’s all they drink. Appreciate the Good observations!
A pretty fair assessment and article. It was a fluke win for Sepp last year as his leaders could not attack a faithful lieutenant. I'm glad he won last year but Visma and not just Sepp have had a bad year.
Hopefully next year Jonas, Wout and Sepp will be back with Matteo J to challenge UAE.
There are a few individuals on this site who make non-stop accusations of doping against pretty much every top rider, but as I've noted, they never seem to show up after a poor performance. For them it is an entirely one-way ratchet: good results "prove" the claim, but poor resuts don't refute it. This is just another example. Go back and look at things said about TJV and Sepp last year, then look for the "guess I was wrong" posts more recently. Spoiler alert: you won't find any. Like all conspiracy theorists, the "they're all doping" crowd is in a permanent state of confirmation bias and won't ever acknowledge anything but their own allegations.
Let me ask you, do you believe the top ten in the Tour this year are all clean?
I'm not picking on you at all, I'm just curious.
I do. Would I assert it as incontrovertible fact? No, because (as the saying goes), we don't know what we don't know. Is it possible that someone has access to a substance for which there are no tests, or for which there is an undetectable masking agent? Sure, but those are just generic possibilities. The only "evidence" the conspriacy theorists around here refer to is the level of performance, but as I noted in my original post, that is entirely one-way. Pog or Jonas or whomever does something amazing and they shout "DOPING," but when things don't go well they are silent. To me, the salient point is that athletes in *all* sports are stronger/faster/better trained/etc. than ever, and the fields are deeper than ever. So the mere fact of record-setting performance is not evidence of anything other than the overall advance in sports science. I will believe there are banned substances behind today's top cyclists when there are actual test results or other direct evidence that say so, not before.
That's your opinion, and again, I was just curious.
Of course this is the situation we find ourselves. Anyone who understands an athletes potential based on vo2, lactate threshold and watts/per kg also understands that marginal gains don't apply to taking minutes off of HC Tour climb records that have stood since the 1990's which also was the same time epo started being used enmass in the pro peloton. Anyway, it's kind of a moot point until WADA/UCI take an interest again. Honestly, I don't even care, at least the racing is exciting now lol
"There are too many riders testing positive."
So you admit the testing is working.
"When was the last time either announced a new technique for doping or catching the dopers?"
Why would authorities ANNOUNCE new techniques to catch dopers?! That's just ludicrous and a dumb argument.
"There are way, way too many multi decade records get crushed by not the top riders but by the peloton."
It's called progress. Compare any records in any sport over the past century. You will see that world records are constantly being broken as new tech is invented and new training techniques, diet, and ideas are thought up.
Too many riders? Yea second tier riders!
If you such a 'everyone is doing it and not getting caught person why are you even on this cycling site? Go peddle your half truths somewhere else.
Sweep is just click baiting with his comments! YAWN!
Hey, calm down, everyone can have an opinion. If you don't believe in this then go to cyclingnews where they all flame each other in the comments. We have a great thing here on this site, don't ruin it and let's all be respectful.
Why would you expect them to be? Why would cycling be the only sport on earth that doesn't rely on some performance enhancement at the highest levels?
The “They’re doping” crowd love the taste of sour milk because it’s all they drink. Appreciate the Good observations!
Name some specific records then. Bikes are absolutely NOT the same as 20 years ago. Take a bike from Lance and the doping era and point out its aerodynamic advantages that are similar to modern bikes. You won’t find any. Wheels and tire tech are significantly different. Nutrition is something absolutely light years different as well.
Margin gains eh? lol... Take a look at the list below. Top ten all time of Plateau de Beille, a climb I might add that Armstrong used to own in his Tour editions, but a climb he could only place 25th on of the all time record holders. Of this top ten, which five of them were from this year, the other guys were all dopers except for the columbian Mauricio Soler.
So you must understand that people find it a bit odd for half the dang list to fall in 2024.
As to bikes, the only real tech that has changed that actually has noticeable improvements on climbs would be some wheel tech but mostly tire tech.
Outside of four cat 1 criteriums and two time trials that I still do each year, I don't race that much racing anymore. I'm an old guy now, but at my peak my vO2 max was a 68, not good enough to go pro (I wouldn't have anyway) but good enough to beat most amateurs without having to work super hard as long as I maintained my fitness. Take my thinking with a grain of salt if you will, but no one is breaking records like this without some type of recovery in between stages.
These guys should have an HC of around thirty or less by the fifteenth stage of the Tour. So everyone can have an opinion, that's cool, but these records aren't falling because of tire tech and disc brakes lol
BTW, Marco Pantani's 1998 Bianchi Mega pro XL weighed 15.34lbs with cages and pedals.
1. 2024: 39:50 Tadej Pogacar 23.95 km/h
2. 2024: 40:58 Jonas Vingegaard 23.29 km/h
3. 2024: 42:41 Remco Evenepoel 22.35 km/h
4. 1998: 43:20 Marco Pantani 21.88 km/h
5. 2024: 43:44 Mikel Landa 21.81 km/h
6. 2007: 44:08 Alberto Contador 21.62 km/h
7. 2007: 44:08 Michael Rasmussen 21.62 km/h
8. 1998: 44:26 Jan Ullrich 21.34 km/h
9. 2024: 44:33 Joao Almeida 21.41 km/h
10. 2007: 44:45 Mauricio Soler 21.32 km/h
And the funniest fact: most of them are amateur cyclists, the most doped in the Earth (no control at all) then moving for DEEP ENVY, spend their lives accusing the most successful and super talented PROFESSIONAL cyclists of being doped.
As you say, ONLY WHEN THE TALENTED PROFESSIONALS WIN, if the talented professionals lost, they are happy and satisfied and say nothing. Poor boys.
Brilliantly put.
Went in a breakaway and got a few minutes ahead. Then slowly he was loosing. Ben almost did the same this year. Never a contender. Nothing happened to him. Just back to his place. Still a great rider!!! nothing changed!!
I think it's because he wasn't fast enough! 😀
"dominant display in 2023"
At best the third-strongest rider last year. The win was a marketing decision. It may turn out to be a Bettiol situation: forever scrutinized and disappointed because of a huge unexpected win.
Answer: Lower than average power to weight ratio.
I could write these articles really efficiently, but I'm not sure my editor would like them very much.