"I didn't picture it happening like this" - Sepp Kuss recalls getting dropped by Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard on the Angliru

As the off-season continues and preparation steps up for the 2024 season, Sepp Kuss has been the latest guest on the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club for a very interesting conversation.

One topic of conversation between Kuss, Thomas and co-presenter Tom Fordyce, was the infamous Angliru stage of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana, when it seemed like the American's Red Jersey hopes were being sabotaged by his own teammates.

With Fordyce asking Kuss what was going through his head at that point, "You bastards!" Thomas chimes in with a laugh. "It was kind of a mix of everything," Kuss answers more seriously. "Before that moment I thought 'I can win this stage. This stage is the one that I wanted this whole Vuelta and I feel super good.'"

It soon came to Kuss' realisation however, that things wouldn't be turning out like that. "Then yeah, with 1km to go, they go faster and faster and I'm like 'Actually, I'm on the limit'. When I realised I was getting dropped I kinda thought 'That's the end of the road for me'. This is what we agreed to and I didn't picture it happening like this but I guess that's what it's going to be."

Of course, Kuss would do just enough on that day to keep a hold of his race-lead and in the coming stages, both Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard would be notably more team focussed as the American took the first Grand Tour victory of his career.