"In such an explosive final you can't do much against Pogacar" - Sepp Kuss aware that little can be done against Tadej Pogacar
Cycling
Jumbo-Visma raced defensively today at the Tour de France from start to finish, with the team and it's leaders following the wheels of UAE Team Emirates all the way into the final meters, but Sepp Kuss was not surprised by Tadej Pogacar taking some seconds in a brutal final acceleration.
"In such an explosive final you can't do much against Pogacar, so we have to be happy with where we are. We are leading this race, with the crucial stages coming up now," Sepp Kuss told NOS. “They rode a good pace and we thought that was fine. There was no reason for us to accelerate and we knew it would come down to the last kilometer."
The American was up to the task on the Grand Colombier, after UAE set up the finale for Adam Yates and Tadej Pogacar, Kuss chased down a move from Yates. The GC group then rode into the final 500 meters to go where Kuss could do nothing as the Slovenian attack, there Pogacar won four seconds on the road and four in bonifications to Jonas Vingegaard.
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"We might have been better off letting Yates go to take away the last bonuses, but we stayed together and then they went for it," Kuss says, however he reinstates that "we had everything under control." Ahead of stage 14, the American will be crucial once again to support Vingegaard. "It will be a different stage, with more longer climbs."
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The team saved a few riders on the final climb who were not necessary tactically and hope to succeed in the long run. Dylan van Baarle was up the in the Jura summit, he shares the idea that the losses suffered on the day are in the end not a game changer. "We can't complain about losing eight seconds, Pogacar is just super strong on such a short and explosive day. If Jonas then limits the damage to eight seconds, then we are happy with that," Dylan van Baarle added with the Dutch news outlet.
"The intention is to support Jonas as long as possible. I think Wilco [Kelderman] had a slightly lesser day, so I had to keep up a little longer. I saw him send out and then I thought: Shit, now I have to do it."
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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🇫🇷 #TDF2023 It’s all about 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭! 💥
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