"I wanted to give it a go" - Sepp Kuss feeling positive after strongest showing of 2025 so far on Catalunya summit finish

After a quiet start to the year by his own high standards, Sepp Kuss looked vibrant and attacking on stage 3 of the 2025 Volta a Catalunya. As such, despite ultimately being denied a stage win, or even any time gain by the time he crossed the line, the American is feeling positive for what's to come.

As mentioned, Kuss was in an attacking mood on the final climb of the day, attempting to break free of his rivals with an acceleration at around 8km to go and again soon after. Although at one point the former Vuelta a Espana winner had an advantage of around 15 seconds, in the end it was Juan Ayuso who outsprinted Kuss' former teammate Primoz Roglic for the win atop La Molina.

“The feeling after today’s stage is good,” Kuss reflected happily in post-stage comments to the official website of Team Visma | Lease a Bike. “I had good legs on the final climb, so I wanted to give it a go. We were in a strong position with the three of us, but in the end, it’s a shame we couldn’t stay ahead of the peloton. Still, I finish the stage with a positive feeling.”

Kuss eventually crossed the line in 11th, losing 4 seconds to the aforementioned Ayuso and Roglic at the finish. Crossing the line just one place behind the American, was Simon Yates. “I was in a good position several times, so overall, I think we put in a solid performance today. We didn’t get a podium spot, but I believe we showed what we’re capable of," the Brit analysed in his own post-stage reflections. "It’s only my second race of the year, so I think I can still improve a lot.”

In terms of the general classification though, it's actually Wilco Kelderman who leads the general classification charge of Team Visma | Lease a Bike at the Volta a Catalunya. Kelderman sits 12th in the GC 17 seconds down overall.