Col du Tourmalet "a bit overhyped" - Sepp Kuss doesn't believe Vuelta a Espana threat comes on stage 13

Sepp Kuss finds himself in an interesting situation, leading the Vuelta a Espana into it's second half. The American has so far performed very well and at his top level, today's stage 13 is termed by some as the queen stage but the red jersey believes the most difficult days lay ahead.

“I've done the Tourmalet a few times, and it's quite long, but to be honest, it's a bit overhyped. It's an impressive climb for sure and very scenic near the top, but it's pretty regular for the most part," Kuss said after stage 12. As the riders enter France they find a treble of three very difficult but constant ascents: Col d'Aubisque, Col de Spandelles and the Tourmalet where the stage ends.

Jumbo-Visma face the threat of attacks on this very tough day, but they have the weapons themselves to attack. Whilst Kuss is still ahead of Remco Evenepoel in the overall classification, the Belgian sits ahead of both Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard, and that is unlikely to see the Dutch team just sit in the wheels and let rivals attack.

However Kuss does b ring that possibility forward: "We'll see what we can do, but we can play things defensively. We can wait for our rivals to attack; it's them who have to pull back time on us. Friday is a short, explosive stage, and we can expect some rivals will try to make their move from a long way out.”

Overall Kuss is focused on the team's success, but he acknowledges he plays a big role in that currently. “Amongst us, it really doesn't matter if I win, if Primož wins or if Jonas wins. Right now, I'm in the best position, but we'll see because Primož and Jonas are far more experienced in winning Grand Tours than me."

"Every step I take is a new experience, but we don't know to what point I can fight for the victory. I am feeling confident, though, and I will try to win the race," he concludes.