"I lost twenty to thirty seconds, so I'm actually quite happy with that" - Sepp Kuss unable to match the best on staggeringly steep stage 4 finale at La Vuelta
Cycling
Defending Vuelta a Espana champion Sepp Kuss was a notable absentee from the lead group in the finale of the first summit finish, on stage 4 at the 2024 edition of the Spanish Grand Tour. In the end, the American crossed the line in 11th, losing 28 seconds to former teammate Primoz Roglic.
"It was a big group, so it was quite nervous on that climb," the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader reflects in his initial post-stage interview, reflecting on the brutal nature of the staggeringly steep Pico Villuercas. "It's been a while since I've done such a short effort, but the feeling was good. I think I lost twenty to thirty seconds, so I'm actually quite happy with that."
Already some time behind after the opening stage individual time trial, Kuss now finds himself 13th in the general classification, already 1:14 down on Roglic overall, who takes over the Red Jersey as a result of his stage winning performance on stage 4.
"It was a calm day. I think everyone was a bit reserved, because if you go over your limit in this heat, you feel it immediately. Everyone knew that, but in the end it was still going over your limit," reflects Kuss of the day. "Everyone knew that Primoz would be the favourite. He is always strong, but certainly in the Vuelta. This is yet another confirmation, especially since he rode in front from the foot to the top of the final climb. He came across as very strong."
2024 Vuelta a Espana stage 4 results:
| 1 | Roglic Primoz | Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe | 180 | 04:26:49 |
| 2 | Van Eetvelt Lennert | Lotto Dstny | 130 | + 00 |
| 3 | Almeida Joao | UAE Team Emirates | 95 | + 00 |
| 4 | Mas Enric | Movistar Team | 80 | + 00 |
| 5 | Gall Felix | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | 60 | + 00 |
| 6 | Riccitello Matthew | Israel-Premier Tech | 45 | + 00 |
| 7 | Landa Mikel | Soudal Quick-Step | 40 | + 00 |
| 8 | Tiberi Antonio | Bahrain Victorious | 35 | + 18 |
| 9 | Bennett George | Israel-Premier Tech | 30 | + 28 |
| 10 | Sivakov Pavel | UAE Team Emirates | 25 | + 28 |
| 11 | Kuss Sepp | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 20 | + 28 |
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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🇪🇸 #LaVuelta24 Sepp finishes in eleventh place on the very steep final climb. 🥵 Picture says it all.
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