"Every year it gets harder and harder" - Sepp Kuss completes career goal with victory on Giro d'Italia queen stage

The Eagle of Durando, Sepp Kuss, has now won stages in all three Grand Tours. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike got one opportunity to fight for his own individual result at the 2026 Giro d'Italia, and he struck gold with a victory on the race's queen stage in the Dolomites.

"To be honest it was never the primary goal. The main challenge was winning the GC with Jonas and so far it's looking good. but when they told me the other night I had the chance to go in the break I knew I had to seize the opportunity," Kuss said in a post-race interview.

Visma kept control of the peloton as soon as it entered the mountainous section of the stage, however one rider moved off the front in the Derek Gee group: Sepp Kuss. The American had the legs to follow the best stage hunters such as Ciccone and Rubio; but also real GC men who infiltrated the breakaway such as Derek Gee, Michael Storer and Damiano Caruso.

On the Passo Giau the first real selection was made and Kuss responded to Giulio Pellizzari's attack, showing he had good legs on the day. Visma did not look to chase down the breakaway, thus allowing Jonas Vingegaard's right-hand man to have the opportunity to take the win. That confidence was rewarded.

But Kuss entered the climb one minute away from the race lead, as Giulio Ciccone anticipated his rivals. "... I knew he would accelerate over the top for the mountain points, and he looked like he was slowing down over the top. But then there was a gap but by the bottom of the climb he already had a minute so I thought 'it's over," he describes.

"And to be honest I was a bit demotivated because I thought it was over. But I just focused on doing the fastest climb possible, it was a steep climb so a nice one for me". Ciccone's fatigue got the best of him, and Kuss was the strongest from the chasers.

On Pieve di Pezzè the American dropped Pellizzari and Derek Gee; and then dropped them on course to victory. His first at the Giro, after he had previously won at the Tour de France and at the Vuelta a España.

"To be honest it's something I always dreamt of, but every year it gets harder and harder. I keep progressing and getting better but so does everyone else. Every year that goes by I thought it was harder to win a stage at the Giro and complete all three. But I just can't believe it..."

"Lots of suffering because I knew I had to push it all the way to the line. I went pretty deep in the middle. But I knew my mother was going to be standing 500 meters from the finish," Kuss revealed. "Big shout out to her and my family".

The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider paid a tribute to those who support him, as he returns to the top of the cycling world. "Normally I only see them a few weeks every year, normally it's hard to stay in contact to stay in contact with everyone that's far away. I'm always thinking of my family and friends that I don't get to see so much".