“Everything they touch turns to gold” - Danish legend hails Visma and Vingegaard's Giro d’Italia dominance as Sepp Kuss adds another win

Brian Holm, one of Denmark’s most respected cycling voices, believes Sepp Kuss’ queen stage victory at the 2026 Giro d’Italia summed up the scale of Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s control, with the Danish legend claiming the team are now in a position where “everything they touch turns to gold.”

Kuss won stage 19 to Alleghe after catching and passing Giulio Ciccone on the final climb, adding a fifth Visma stage victory to a Giro already dominated by Jonas Vingegaard. The Dane has taken four stages himself and remains firmly in control of the maglia rosa heading into the final weekend.

For Holm, Kuss’ win was more than a breakaway success. It showed a team strong enough to protect the overall leader while still giving a satellite rider the freedom to chase victory on the Giro’s queen stage.

“It was a very good image of Visma’s dominance in the race,” Holm said on Eurosport Denmark. “They have ridden the race defensively, as we had hoped. Now Jonas has a solid lead, he looks strong, and then you can allow yourself those freedoms, with a satellite rider riding home and winning.”

Kuss’ victory carried obvious personal weight. The American had already won stages at the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, but the Alleghe triumph completed his set of stage victories across all three Grand Tours.

It also came on a day when Visma did not need to expose Vingegaard unnecessarily. The maglia rosa remained secure behind, while Kuss measured the final climb superbly and ended Ciccone’s hopes of turning a long-range move into stage victory. Holm saw it as another sign of a team racing with total confidence. “It is impressive,” he said. “Everything they touch turns to gold now.”

Visma’s Giro has become increasingly difficult for rivals to interrupt. Vingegaard has won every mountain-top finish he has seriously contested, Kuss has now added the queen stage, and Davide Piganzoli has emerged as a key climbing support rider in the final week.

That depth has allowed Visma to ride with more than one route to success. They can defend pink, chase stages and still place riders up the road without weakening Vingegaard’s position.

Holm also believes the psychological direction of the Giro is now working in Visma’s favour. Every new success strengthens the team’s appetite, while the rivals are left dealing with another setback.

“Success breeds success,” Holm said. “And there is no doubt that they will get the appetite for more. Just as the rivals become more and more stung. They also lose a little morale every day.”

That is the backdrop to the final mountain stage, where Vingegaard could yet add another victory if the race opens in his favour. The Dane has already built a commanding GC lead, but Visma have shown little sign of settling for control alone when another win is possible. “So it looks like another Visma day again tomorrow (stage 20),” Holm added. “It certainly does.”

After Kuss’ victory, Visma’s Giro tally stands at five stage wins. Vingegaard still holds pink, the team’s mountain unit remains the strongest in the race, and the final climb of the Giro still offers one more chance to underline their command before Rome.