"If you can have a stage win in the Tour, you can rest easy!" – Sepp Kuss thrilled with superb day for Visma at the 2025 Tour de France

As the Tour de France hits its first rest day, Team Visma | Lease a Bike has reason to feel upbeat. Stage 10 saw Simon Yates take a memorable win from the breakaway, and Jonas Vingegaard successfully shut down an attack from Tadej Pogačcr in the final kilometers. Sepp Kuss, speaking to NBC Sports Cycling, called it a strong showing all around.

“It’s been a while since we had a mountain stage, we got through the first 9 days more or less ok. I wasn’t sure how I would feel today, it was a hard stage but I’m just super happy for Simon (Yates),” Kuss said.

Yates, who already won the Giro d’Italia earlier this year, added another major result to his 2025 campaign. “After he won the Giro d’Italia already there’s not much more he can ask for. And then to win another stage in the Tour, in the same season it’s amazing.”

The team’s plan wasn’t solely built around Yates, but it worked out perfectly. Kuss explained that Visma had a few options in mind when sending riders up the road.

“We definitely had a few goals, we wanted a guy like Victor or Wout in there in case Matteo or Jonas went across. And then it never hurts to have a guy in there like Simon for the stage win. If you can have a stage win in the Tour you can rest easy!”

Despite UAE Team Emirates keeping a tight grip on the race through the first half, Kuss said Visma are pleased with how they’ve raced so far.

“Super happy for him and the team that we can get a win on the board. We kept trying, UAE were really strong, they kept everything under control. But I think we can be happy with how we played it, and go into the rest day super happy.”

Asked whether UAE is showing signs of strain, Kuss offered a measured response.

“They’re all super strong, they have guys that are good on every type of terrain. They lost Almeida, but they still have Adam Yates and the other guys for the mountains.”