“I still feel confident that if we went all-in, all three together, I would still win the Vuelta” - Sepp Kuss dispels talk of 'gifted' Grand Tour win
CyclingWednesday, 19 June 2024 at 12:34
In the most incredible display of team dominance in Grand Tour history, Jumbo-Visma (now Team Visma | Lease a Bike) locked out the podium of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana, with Sepp Kuss claiming the first Grand Tour win of his career.
Afterwards however, there were some who attempted to talk down about Kuss' win, claiming it was gifted to the American despite the perceived fact that he was the weaker of the team's three riders alongside Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic. In a lengthy career reflection of the 29-year-old, Kuss spoke to Outside Online about the drama of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana.
“I still feel confident that if we went all-in, head-to-head, the three of us together, I would still win the Vuelta,” Kuss responds to talk of gifted Grand Tours defiantly. After moving into the Red Jersey on stage 8, Kuss's main threat to a possible Vuelta win was three fold. His two, proven Grand Tour winning teammates, and the impending individual time-trial, a discipline in which Kuss has never excelled in.
“In most races I never had to push myself to the limit in a time trial,” Kuss recalls, having managed to limit his losses to both Roglic and Vingegaard, keeping himself firmly in control of the general classification. “Being in the red jersey, there was no other option than to go to my limit physically and mentally, because for the first time in my career there was something to lose.”
Into the final week however, Roglic and Vingegaard both seemingly refused to accept that their domestique could or should win a Grand Tour ahead of them. Whilst Kuss had the measure of all the GC riders of rival teams, his own two teammates attacked him day after day, instead of working in service of the Red Jersey. “Of course I would rather have had the support of everyone from the get-go,” Kuss says. “I was also open to letting everyone do their race. You don’t want to win a grand tour and wonder if I raced with an advantage.”
Roglic (L) and Vingegaard (R) riding away from Kuss on the Angliru
When, on stage 17, both Roglic and Vingegaard attacked Kuss on the infamous slopes of the Angliru however, things reached boiling point. “I was like, This is ridiculous,” Kuss recalls. “My two teammates are ahead, and I’m behind this guy who’s our rival. My mind was still stuck in the role of a teammate—I’m not going to pull Landa closer to Jonas and Primoz. But my teammates are riding away from me.”
Eventually, after a heated team meeting under concerted pressure from the cycling community, Roglic and Vingegaard relented their attacks against Kuss and the American went on to win the Vuelta. Through it all however, Kuss continued to think of the team above himself. “Mostly I felt it was better to keep it to myself and with my wife—I didn’t want to make it a bigger issue than it was,” he concludes.
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- He needs another team. The dominence of Pogacar in UAE must be suffocating for him. He must have known what he signed up to? I guess the assured long contract money dazzled him. He is only 22 though - It's easy to forget that - he has time to gravitate into a grand tour contentender under the right tuteledge.Cyclingsbestfan11-06-2025
- Move on.......Cyclingsbestfan11-06-2025
- "Why are we stuck with such limited coverage for Dauphiné?" I wonder the same thing, how is it possible? we watched almost NOTHING. And yes, Il Giro coverage (RCS) is by far better than ASO coverages. ASO is good only broadcasting the Tour, even in La Vuelta is horrible... never near cyclists, helicopters shooting from the stratosphere.
maria2024202411-06-2025 - We've had three stages of a race, Jonas is riding what day 4 or 5 of his season, Tadej coming off a Rest/training block after another exceptional spring... I expect a different story as we head into Julyslappers6611-06-2025
- Yep Doper Horner still trying to maintain relevance in this current day. Mauybe he can lend some doping advice!frieders311-06-2025
- Not sure who will take this stage but Remco is the guy to beat.awp11-06-2025
- Jonas seems to be on terrific form, I can't wait for the final three stages. Tadej and Jonas will push each other and drop the entire peloton.awp11-06-2025
- Horner is insightful about many things. But he has this weird insistence that anybody in a race with Pogacar is racing against Pogacar. There is no podium for people who finish ahead of Pogacar or any other rider. Modern racers understand that they need to race for their (and their team's) own fortunes, and the racing is much more positive and interesting because of it.
Barney11-06-2025 - Remco is the favorite. Why? He knows he can't outkick the other two on the big climbs, meaning he has to prepare well for the TTs if he wants to leave with a win of some sort.Ride197411-06-2025
- I'm afraid Pedersen has a point, especially seeing Vingegaard almost sprinting to a win on the first stage. I thought his strength was mostly on 1-hour+ steady climbs (and sometimes TTs).Ride197411-06-2025
Sepp is delusional. It must be the high altitude of Colorado.
I'm an American and I supported Sepp's win all the way. However, if Jonas had gone all in towards the end of the raced Sepp would have lost.
I still believe that after the tt where Sepp rode so well he should have been the team leader for the rest of the race and ultimately he was.
I don't think so, you're just got lucky on that breakaway group. If Vingo or Rogla knows this before, they would not allow you to have a good gap. Then they will battle it out of their full strength Mano y Mano and will dropped everyone including you Sepp ☝️
Wake up Kuss of course you were gifted the win. As talented as you are .You are in the B team not A team when it comes to Rog and Vin. Sorry but you need to take a good look in the mirror be honest with yourself. You won because the public opinion swayed team management
Not a fan of visma or UAE but C'mon can we stop discrediting kuss's win please. An absolute honor and an achievement that 95% of the peloton will never get, just let him enjoy it, he deserved it after all the work he'd done for everyone. Plus he didn't just waltz into the win, yes he had help from primoz and Jonas but he still had to fight to keep the win away from everyone else....
I do not think anyone is taking away his achievement Just Sepp not being honest saying he would have beaten Rog and Vin . As a rider he is talented but no team leader
Nobody is discrediting his victory. It's a team sport. He sacrificed himself for his teammates in other GTs. He deserved that win. But he's drunk on the victory if he thinks he can win against Jonas and Roglic.
I think that it's a good time to stop over-analyzing your past and move on, Sepp.
He played the middle diplomatic line very very well, many wouldn't have but it was quite obvious to be screwed over by your own was rediculous to say the least.. bad team Visma..at least Sky didn't in it's hayday other than Froome playing with Wiggins
Sepp earned the win. It wasn't gifted. However it happened because of a specific set of circumstances that's unlikely to ever repeat.
If everybody went all in, he would not have won, thats just not true
Kuss: “I still feel confident that if we went all-in, head-to-head, the three of us together, I would still win the Vuelta"
Narrator: "He would not"
lol he dreamin…
I'm a Sepp Kuss fan because he has done incredible work his team.
However, Sepp needs to stop thinking he could win another GC without good luck and his team captain gifting him the GC as it happened in the Vuelta last year. He won last year because the other teams let him gain unbelievable time in a breakaway, followed by a good for him time trial, followed by the social backlash Jonas and Primoz were facing.
Enjoy your Vuelta GC win Sepp. For most riders that would be a career achievement.