"I am happy with how I rode and stuck with it" - Sepp Kuss keeps red jersey by a small margin

Sepp Kuss had a difficult time on the final climb to Bejes in the final of the sixteenth stage of the Vuelta a España. The American leader of Jumbo-Visma saw teammate Jonas Vingegaard win the stage and take over second place, and also lost four seconds to a group including some of the closest oponents.

"This was a very explosive climb, but I am happy with how I rode and stuck with it," said the climber, who saw the stage victory go to Vingegaard. The Dane made his move early and held his ground well. Initially the team wanted to pull the Roglic card, Kuss also admitted to Spanish media. "But the plan changed a bit. Just before the steep part of the final climb, Jonas asked on the radio if he could attack. It was a really good moment for him."

Vingegaard immediately opened a big gap. "Everyone looked at each other and he rode up super fast. He really was unstoppable. That makes it a great day for the team," Kuss looks back on the stage result in a quick interview with organization.

"I felt good myself," he added, despite the fact that he could not keep up with Enric Mas, Juan Ayuso, Aleksandr Vlasov and Primoz Roglic in the last steep kilometer. Kuss lost four seconds to the quartet, but is not worried about Wednesday when the Angliru is scheduled. "Tomorrow is a completely different story. My legs are still good and I'm looking forward to it."